City · Montgomery County, Kansas

Caney, Kansas

Caney is a city in Montgomery County, Kansas. It has 1,431 residents. Caney, Kansas has a quality-of-life score of 18 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,862 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kansas it ranks #198 of 202 cities and towns. It ranks best on social associations (high), new business applications (high) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on job growth (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high) and primary care physicians (low).

18Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,862 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kansas: #198 of 202 in KS
Population: 1,431 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,055.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 2010375

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety31#10,765/15,637
Economy22#12,156/15,631
Housing93#1,055/14,977
Health19#12,654/15,609
Healthcare21#12,291/15,650
Environment6#14,531/15,453
Education12#13,829/15,649
Infrastructure35#10,166/15,650
Community54#7,173/15,651
Leisure & amenities9#14,168/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Caney, Kansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Montgomery 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

Social associations · high20.0 /10k
98/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMontgomery County value
New business applications · high28.0 /1k
97/100Kansas 12.6 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMontgomery County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Kansas 4.5 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMontgomery County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low108 min
93/100Kansas 129 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMontgomery County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,751 /100k
92/100Kansas 2,534 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMontgomery County value
Child care cost burden · low20.9%
92/100Kansas 18.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMontgomery County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-4.5%
2/100Kansas 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMontgomery County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.6 µg/m³
4/100Kansas 8.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMontgomery County value
Primary care physicians · low23 /100k
6/100Kansas 79 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMontgomery County value
Voter turnout · low52.2%
7/100Kansas 62.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionMontgomery County value
Median household income · low$39,000
7/100Kansas $75,402United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Public EV charging ports · low0.3 /10k
7/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyMontgomery County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,827 (2015-2019) → 1,431 (2020-2024)
−22%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
65.1% (2015-2019) → 84.5% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
17.2 min (2015-2019) → 30.1 min (2020-2024)
+75%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
33.2% (2015-2019) → 48.2% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.3× (2015-2019) → 2.1× (2020-2024)
+64%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateImproving
27.9% (2015-2019) → 21.7% (2020-2024)
−6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Caney, Kansas improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 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.

Improved1

Broadband+19 points65.1% → 84.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Caney, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.2 min2015-2019	30.1 min2020-2024	+12.9 min	Within the margin of error	1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.1%2015-2019	10.4%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Broadband subscriptions	65.1%2015-2019	84.5%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	27.9%2015-2019	21.7%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Effective property tax rate	1.93%2015-2019	1.51%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	85%
High school diploma or higher	88.1%2015-2019	83.5%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Home price to income ratio	1.3×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	+0.8×	Within the margin of error	30%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3602015-2019	0.4212020-2024	+0.061	Within the margin of error	12%
Median household income	$40,0002015-2019	$39,0002020-2024	−2.5%	Within the margin of error	6%
Poverty rate	16.8%2015-2019	17.4%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	23.4%2015-2019	29.1%2020-2024	+5.7 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.5%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	41%

“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 Caney, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Caney, 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, Caney, Kansas itself moved −19.4 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,431 residents (±314)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

592 households (±124)

Caney, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k25%†150
$25k–50k31%†182
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

592 households (±124)

Caney, Kansas
Kansas share

Own64%377
Rent36%†215

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

444 workers (±120)

Caney, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone84%373
Carpool11%†51
Public transit0.0%0

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 Montgomery County, the county holding most of Caney's residents.

Montgomery County has 705 employer establishments, 229 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Kansas's), with 12,042 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,759. The Census Bureau also counts 1,714 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 705; 1,714 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 229; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 12,042
Average annual pay: $46,759; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	54	17.6	0.96×About typical	775	$16,835	—
Ambulatory health care services	51	16.6	0.80×Fewer than typical	574	$47,800	57
Religious organizations	49	16	2.88×More than typical	221	$17,367	—
Specialty trade contractors	30	9.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	346	$59,844	141
Limited-service restaurants	27	8.8	1.10×About typical	499	$15,044	—
Banks and credit unions	21	6.8	2.12×More than typical	196	$48,342	—
Full-service restaurants	20	6.5	0.85×About typical	218	$21,445	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	20	6.5	1.48×More than typical	92	$54,033	25
Lessors of real estate	19	6.2	0.50×Fewer than typical	32	$35,469	145
Truck transportation	19	6.2	1.22×About typical	152	$67,164	29
Building equipment contractors	18	5.9	0.97×About typical	171	$59,444	20
Offices of physicians	15	4.9	0.75×Fewer than typical	68	$68,559	5

Rank places for an industry Open Montgomery County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 30,721 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 $163.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Caney, Kansas: $114 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $163.2K; +16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $114; US $1,994
Sole-source: 1.4%; US 30%
Single offer: 16%; 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

Environmental Protection Agency$161K99%
Department of the Army$2,2381.4%

Top recipients

LPS KEMRON JV LLC$135.6K83%
CDM FEDERAL PROGRAMS CORPORATION$25.3K16%
WARFEATHER, LLC$2,2381.4%
VERSAR-WSP JV$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

95.6KFY2017
39.9KFY2018
29.4KFY2020
499.9FY2021
2.6KFY2022
672.5FY2023
126.6KFY2024
141.1KFY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$161K99%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$2,2381.4%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Caney, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Caney, Kansas's figures are part of those of Montgomery County, KS ($16.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Montgomery 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.

Caney, Kansas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Derek SchmidtR-KS-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Montgomery County34100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Montgomery County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2010375

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends