While big cities like Kansas City offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Kansas City. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Kansas City without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Kansas City are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Kansas City area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Kansas City for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Kansas City? Mission Hills ranks as the best suburb of Kansas City for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Mission Hills, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Kansas City ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Missouri:
The 10 Best Kansas City Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 3,567
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 0.5%
Poverty Rate: 0.8%
More on Mission Hills: Data | Real Estate
Mission Hills is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Kansas City area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Mission Hills.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the highest in the Kansas City region. And only 0.49% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,385,651 each.
/10
Population: 4,162
Median Income: $154,981
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Fairway: Data | Real Estate
Fairway is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Kansas City for 2024.
It ranks 6th for incomes in the area and only 1.06% of residents lack insurance, good for best.
/10
Population: 33,784
Median Income: $174,779
Unemployment Rate: 1.5%
Poverty Rate: 2.3%
More on Leawood: Data | Real Estate
Here in Leawood, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Kansas City metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Leawood.
My parents moved from Wichita to Overland Park then to Leawood. Leawood is a lovely city, near the Plaza. Thinking of moving there- I hope you are financially successful and secure.
4. Weatherby Lake, MO
/10
Population: 2,422
Median Income: $164,444
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Weatherby Lake: Real Estate
Weatherby Lake ranks as the 4th best suburb of Kansas City for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Weatherby Lake and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 196,676
Median Income: $100,876
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Overland Park: Data | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Overland Park.
Overland Park gets kudos for having the 7th most expensive homes in the Kansas City area, where houses sell for an average of $423,348. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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Population: 57,497
Median Income: $101,074
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Lenexa: Data | Real Estate
Lenexa is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.61%.
According to online reports, Lenexa is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Kansas City area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 7,669
Median Income: $166,563
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 1.5%
More on Parkville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Parkville.
Parkville schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 15.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 10,491
Median Income: $99,969
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 2.5%
More on Kearney: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Kearney is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 3.19% of people lack insurance, good for 6th in the area.
/10
Is ‘Everything Better In Lake Lotawana?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 101,728
Median Income: $103,447
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Lee’s Summit: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Lee’s Summit.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Lee’s Summit is a great midwestern suburb of Kansas City. It is a very large suburb measured in total acres, business and restaurant offerings and population. Lee’s Summit is a well educated and safe suburb.
As a Kansas City suburb, you will find many KC Chiefs football fans and KC Royals baseball fans. Lots of weather variations in this midwestern town. Visitors will experience humidity in the summer, beautiful fall leaves, couple snow falls during the winter, and thunder storms in the spring.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Kansas City for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Kansas City was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Kansas City.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 47 suburbs to evaluate around Kansas City.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 47 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Kansas City.” We’re lookin’ at you, Mission Hills.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Kansas City suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Kansas City ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Kansas City are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Kansas City but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Missouri reading, check out:
Table: Best Kansas City Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission Hills, MO | 3,567 | $250,001 | $1,385,651 |
| 2 | Fairway, MO | 4,162 | $154,981 | $545,051 |
| 3 | Leawood, MO | 33,784 | $174,779 | $681,534 |
| 4 | Weatherby Lake, MO | 2,422 | $164,444 | $537,192 |
| 5 | Overland Park, MO | 196,676 | $100,876 | $423,348 |
| 6 | Lenexa, MO | 57,497 | $101,074 | $421,663 |
| 7 | Parkville, MO | 7,669 | $166,563 | $574,364 |
| 8 | Kearney, MO | 10,491 | $99,969 | $379,573 |
| 9 | Lake Lotawana, MO | 3,017 | $156,146 | $601,409 |
| 10 | Lee’s Summit, MO | 101,728 | $103,447 | $347,310 |
| 11 | Greenwood, MO | 6,038 | $103,560 | $327,682 |
| 12 | Spring Hill, MO | 8,279 | $105,194 | $400,863 |
| 13 | Olathe, MO | 142,114 | $108,077 | $384,085 |
| 14 | Grain Valley, MO | 15,688 | $82,364 | $323,497 |
| 15 | Eudora, MO | 6,025 | $111,840 | $290,892 |
| 16 | Shawnee, MO | 67,671 | $100,649 | $374,543 |
| 17 | Mission, MO | 9,894 | $78,915 | $290,183 |
| 18 | Gardner, MO | 23,488 | $91,232 | $320,799 |
| 19 | Smithville, MO | 10,416 | $95,122 | $354,373 |
| 20 | Raymore, MO | 23,232 | $96,536 | $328,747 |
| 21 | Roeland Park, MO | 6,848 | $84,848 | $294,697 |
| 22 | Louisburg, MO | 4,940 | $68,438 | $371,927 |
| 23 | Lansing, MO | 11,254 | $100,863 | $286,136 |
| 24 | Blue Springs, MO | 58,720 | $82,965 | $283,645 |
| 25 | Liberty, MO | 30,299 | $91,512 | $303,673 |
| 26 | Basehor, MO | 7,004 | $100,608 | $401,427 |
| 27 | De Soto, MO | 6,248 | $102,685 | $375,929 |
| 28 | Tonganoxie, MO | 5,484 | $71,333 | $344,779 |
| 29 | Merriam, MO | 11,070 | $69,414 | $290,519 |
| 30 | Peculiar, MO | 5,675 | $91,783 | $329,307 |
| 31 | Pleasant Valley, MO | 2,748 | $73,487 | $246,506 |
| 32 | Pleasant Hill, MO | 8,822 | $88,408 | $320,437 |
| 33 | Edwardsville, MO | 4,744 | $78,526 | $273,937 |
| 34 | Gladstone, MO | 26,964 | $68,633 | $246,002 |
| 35 | Bonner Springs, MO | 7,770 | $82,208 | $271,621 |
| 36 | Belton, MO | 24,241 | $68,030 | $236,726 |
| 37 | Buckner, MO | 2,941 | $81,528 | $188,404 |
| 38 | Raytown, MO | 29,772 | $64,542 | $191,914 |
| 39 | Oak Grove, MO | 8,304 | $71,006 | $271,763 |
| 40 | Leavenworth, MO | 37,193 | $67,360 | $225,494 |
| 41 | Excelsior Springs, MO | 10,546 | $74,196 | $202,892 |
| 42 | Riverside, MO | 4,017 | $47,668 | $377,596 |
| 43 | Independence, MO | 122,218 | $57,415 | $189,173 |
| 44 | Harrisonville, MO | 10,024 | $57,607 | $253,584 |
| 45 | Grandview, MO | 25,921 | $51,048 | $203,316 |
| 46 | Kansas City, MO | 155,438 | $56,120 | $177,140 |
| 47 | Sugar Creek, MO | 3,247 | $55,201 | $149,731 |