Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Kansas? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs of Topeka, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Kansas suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
These are the 10 best suburbs in the Sunflower State
Leawood is the place to be when it comes to being a soccer mom in suburban Kansas.
So if you’re thinking of packing up your mini van and making a move to a quiet place to live in Kansas, we’ve got you covered.
Keep on reading for a detailed methodology. Or, check out the best places to live in Kansas and the best places to raise a family in Kansas.
Best Suburbs In Kansas For 2024
/10
Population: 33,784
Median Income: $174,779
Average Home Price: $681,534
More on Leawood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Leawood is located 8 miles south of Kansas City.
/10
Population: 57,497
Median Income: $101,074
Average Home Price: $421,663
More on Lenexa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Lenexa is located 13 miles west of Kansas City.
/10
Population: 6,025
Median Income: $111,840
Average Home Price: $290,892
More on Eudora: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Eudora is located 28 miles west of Kansas City.
/10
Population: 196,676
Median Income: $100,876
Average Home Price: $423,348
More on Overland Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Overland Park is located 11 miles south of Kansas City.
/10
Population: 8,341
Median Income: $91,979
Average Home Price: $258,410
More on Bel Aire: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Bel Aire is located 7 miles east of Wichita.
/10
Population: 15,460
Median Income: $113,538
Average Home Price: $302,362
More on Andover: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Andover is located 11 miles east of Wichita.
/10
Population: 8,279
Median Income: $105,194
Average Home Price: $400,863
More on Spring Hill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Spring Hill is located 22 miles south of Kansas City.
/10
Population: 142,114
Median Income: $108,077
Average Home Price: $384,085
More on Olathe: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Olathe is located 16 miles west of Kansas City.
/10
Goddard is located 11 miles west of Wichita.
/10
Population: 67,671
Median Income: $100,649
Average Home Price: $374,543
More on Shawnee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Shawnee is located 12 miles west of Kansas City.
Methodology:How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Sunflower State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Kansas. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Kansas, we looked at every town with at least 5,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Kansas across these criteria from one to 29, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Kansas.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Kansas.
Read on to see why Leawood is the ‘burb with the most, while Wellington is probably not the best place to live in Kansas.
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Kansas
If you’re measuring the locations in Kansas where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Kansas are Leawood, Lenexa, Eudora, Overland Park, Bel Aire, Andover, Spring Hill, Olathe, Goddard, and Shawnee.
Here’s a look at the worst suburbs in Kansas according to the data:
- Wellington
- Newton
- Leavenworth
For more Kansas reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Kansas
- Cheapest Places To Live In Kansas
- Most Dangerous Places In Kansas
- Richest Cities In Kansas
- Safest Places In Kansas
- Worst Places To Live In Kansas
The Best Suburbs In Kansas
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leawood | 33,784 | $174,779 | $681,534 |
| 2 | Lenexa | 57,497 | $101,074 | $421,663 |
| 3 | Eudora | 6,025 | $111,840 | $290,892 |
| 4 | Overland Park | 196,676 | $100,876 | $423,348 |
| 5 | Bel Aire | 8,341 | $91,979 | $258,410 |
| 6 | Andover | 15,460 | $113,538 | $302,362 |
| 7 | Spring Hill | 8,279 | $105,194 | $400,863 |
| 8 | Olathe | 142,114 | $108,077 | $384,085 |
| 9 | Goddard | 5,119 | $87,385 | $282,347 |
| 10 | Shawnee | 67,671 | $100,649 | $374,543 |
| 11 | Gardner | 23,488 | $91,232 | $320,799 |
| 12 | Lansing | 11,254 | $100,863 | $286,136 |
| 13 | Mission | 9,894 | $78,915 | $290,183 |
| 14 | Basehor | 7,004 | $100,608 | $401,427 |
| 15 | Roeland Park | 6,848 | $84,848 | $294,697 |
| 16 | Tonganoxie | 5,484 | $71,333 | $344,779 |
| 17 | Valley Center | 8,448 | $70,531 | $235,417 |
| 18 | Derby | 25,551 | $79,581 | $258,532 |
| 19 | Mulvane | 6,003 | $67,766 | $215,120 |
| 20 | Haysville | 10,891 | $66,382 | $189,870 |
| 21 | Merriam | 11,070 | $69,414 | $290,519 |
| 22 | Augusta | 9,253 | $59,536 | $195,681 |
| 23 | Maize | 6,071 | $88,075 | $277,240 |
| 24 | El Dorado | 12,882 | $52,921 | $145,347 |
| 25 | Bonner Springs | 7,770 | $82,208 | $271,621 |
| 26 | De Soto | 6,248 | $102,685 | $375,929 |
| 27 | Leavenworth | 37,193 | $67,360 | $225,494 |
| 28 | Newton | 18,527 | $66,528 | $152,576 |
| 29 | Wellington | 7,710 | $48,333 | $96,412 |