Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety40#9,313/15,637
Economy58#6,516/15,631
Housing77#3,426/14,977
Health81#2,897/15,609
Healthcare74#3,995/15,650
Environment76#3,769/15,453
Education80#3,087/15,649
Infrastructure93#1,076/15,650
Community77#3,610/15,651
Leisure & amenities66#5,300/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Baldwin City, Kansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Douglas County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Flu vaccinations · high63.0%
100/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDouglas County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low4 mi
98/100Kansas 30 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauDouglas County value
Loneliness · low28.9%
98/100Kansas 31.5%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Mammography screening · high57.0%
96/100Kansas 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDouglas County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,558 /100k
96/100Kansas 2,534 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDouglas County value
Food insecurity · low7.7%
93/100Kansas 13.6%United States 15.6%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Dental care shortage · high17.0
12/100Kansas 3.6United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationDouglas County value
Primary care shortage · high16.0
14/100Kansas 8.8United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationDouglas County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high208 min
17/100Kansas 129 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDouglas County value
Violent crime rate · high386 /100k
19/100Kansas 457 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationDouglas County value
Public EV charging ports · low2.0 /10k
20/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyDouglas County value
Property crime rate · high1,686 /100k
21/100Kansas 1,797 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationDouglas County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
4,670 (2015-2019) → 4,911 (2020-2024)
+5.2%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
2.5 /1k (2021) → 5.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+129%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
37.3% (2015-2019) → 51.1% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.4× (2015-2019) → 3.4× (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.7% (2015-2019) → 95.0% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
56.6% (2015-2019) → 61.3% (2020-2024)
+4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Baldwin City, Kansas improved on 0 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Baldwin City, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.3 min2015-2019	26.2 min2020-2024	+0.9 min	Within the margin of error	37%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.3%2015-2019	51.1%2020-2024	+14 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Broadband subscriptions	86.7%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Effective property tax rate	1.58%2015-2019	1.28%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	75%
High school diploma or higher	96.3%2015-2019	99.0%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+1.1×	Within the margin of error	20%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4512015-2019	0.4162020-2024	−0.035	Within the margin of error	77%
Median household income	$72,7572015-2019	$72,9412020-2024	+0.3%	Within the margin of error	8%
Rent as share of income	37.2%2015-2019	33.6%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Rent-burdened households	56.6%2015-2019	61.3%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.5%2015-2019	4.9%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	64%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Baldwin City, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Baldwin City, Kansas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Baldwin City, Kansas itself moved +1.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

4,911 residents (±14)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (+6.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,911 residents (±14)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

White86%4,218
Black0.9%†44
Hispanic or Latino7.1%†348

Education

2,784 residents (±257)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

No high school diploma1.0%†27
High school or GED23%†633
Some college18%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,648 households (±190)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k6.1%†100
$25k–50k31%†509
$50k–75k15%†243
$75k–100k20%†327
$100k–150k9.3%†153
$150k–200k8.6%†141
$200k or more11%†175

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (+19.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,648 households (±190)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

Own65%1,079
Rent35%†569

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

542 households (±223)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $75026%†140
$750–1,00030%†164
$1,000–1,50040%†218

Home values

1,079 homes (±199)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $150k20%†217
$150k–250k30%†325
$250k–400k31%†337

Age of homes

1,648 homes (±190)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

2010 or later8.1%†134
2000–200928%†462
1980–199922%†363

Size of homes

1,648 homes (±190)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom10%†171
2 bedrooms30%†488

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,060 workers (±280)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone67%1,376
Carpool7.5%†155
Public transit0.3%†7
Walk7.7%†159
Bike0.0%0
Work from home18%†363
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+16.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,697 workers (±252)

Baldwin City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under 15 min31%†528
15–29 min25%†429
30–44 min19%†318

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Lawrence, KS

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Douglas County, the county holding most of Baldwin City's residents.

Douglas County has 2,774 employer establishments, 230 for every 10,000 residents (0.93× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Kansas's), with 38,737 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,718. The Census Bureau also counts 9,350 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,774; 9,350 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 230; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 38,737
Average annual pay: $43,718; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Douglas County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	252	20.9	1.14×About typical	5,720	$18,943	38
Ambulatory health care services	217	18	0.86×About typical	2,055	$69,510	460
Specialty trade contractors	171	14.2	0.91×About typical	1,502	$61,646	506
Lessors of real estate	161	13.3	1.08×About typical	604	$42,748	1,092
Limited-service restaurants	112	9.3	1.16×About typical	2,877	$17,300	14
Construction of buildings	99	8.2	1.08×About typical	329	$56,450	224
Full-service restaurants	97	8	1.05×About typical	2,280	$21,865	17
Offices of other health practitioners	97	8	1.32×More than typical	410	$51,663	281
Services to buildings and dwellings	85	7	1.04×About typical	537	$40,577	424
Religious organizations	77	6.4	1.15×About typical	608	$23,192	—
Personal care services	76	6.3	1.32×More than typical	367	$26,796	299
Management, scientific and technical consulting	70	5.8	0.86×About typical	234	$74,175	432

Rank places for an industry Open Douglas County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 120,727 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $6,347 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Baldwin City, Kansas: $1.29 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $6,347; −89% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.29; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 100%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$6,347100%

Top recipients

MCFARLANE AVIATION, LLC$6,347100%

Spending by fiscal year

5.4KFY2017
14.1FY2018
-9.3FY2019
68.7FY2020
79.9KFY2024
55.8KFY2025
6.3KFY2026

What was bought

Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles

Top industries (NAICS)

Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$6,347100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Baldwin City, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Baldwin City, Kansas's figures are part of those of Douglas County, KS ($23M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Baldwin City is mostly in Douglas County.

See federal money in Douglas County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Baldwin City, Kansas is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).