Scores by category

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

Safety47#8,276/15,637
Economy42#9,013/15,631
Housing97#484/14,977
Health25#11,649/15,609
Healthcare15#13,317/15,650
Environment56#6,874/15,453
Education43#8,900/15,649
Infrastructure71#4,463/15,650
Community77#3,636/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,576/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Time spent in the emergency room · low74 min
100/100Kansas 129 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRussell County value
Average commute time · low11.3 min
99/100Kansas 19.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Social associations · high22.3 /10k
99/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRussell County value
Public libraries · high4.5 /10k
99/100Kansas 1.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesRussell County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Kansas 15.3 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataRussell County value
Job growth · high4.5%
97/100Kansas 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataRussell County value

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low30 /100k
2/100Kansas 266 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRussell County value
Average weekly wage · low$868
3/100Kansas $1,216United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRussell County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Kansas 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRussell County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,312 /100k
6/100Kansas 2,534 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRussell County value
Distance to an airport · high115 mi
6/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauRussell County value
Traffic deaths · high26.9 /100k
10/100Kansas 13.5 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataRussell County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
4,525 (2015-2019) → 4,217 (2020-2024)
−6.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.2 /1k (2021) → 9.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+3,935%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.7% (2015-2019) → 25.7% (2020-2024)
−30 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.3% (2015-2019) → 91.6% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
20.4% (2015-2019) → 30.5% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
32.9% (2015-2019) → 23.5% (2020-2024)
−9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Russell, Kansas improved on 3 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved3

Rent burden−30 points55.7% → 25.7%
Broadband+22 points69.3% → 91.6%
Rent / income−9.4 points32.9% → 23.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Russell, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.1 min2015-2019	11.2 min2020-2024	−3.9 min	Within the margin of error	85%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.2%2015-2019	19.0%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Broadband subscriptions	69.3%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	93%
Child poverty rate	20.4%2015-2019	30.5%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Effective property tax rate	1.68%2015-2019	1.69%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	15%
High school diploma or higher	85.0%2015-2019	94.1%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	73%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4142015-2019	0.4682020-2024	+0.054	Within the margin of error	15%
Median household income	$43,6462015-2019	$56,8322020-2024	+30%	Within the margin of error	56%
Poverty rate	13.8%2015-2019	17.8%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Rent as share of income	32.9%2015-2019	23.5%2020-2024	−9.4 points	Improved	92%
Rent-burdened households	55.7%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	−30 points	Improved	98%

“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 Russell, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Russell, 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, Russell, Kansas itself moved +16.3 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

4,217 residents (±257)

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: 10–19 men (+4.5 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

4,217 residents (±257)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

White87%3,668
Black0.6%†24
Hispanic or Latino5.8%246

Education

3,032 residents (±177)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

No high school diploma5.9%†179
High school or GED36%1,082
Some college25%770

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

1,981 households (±175)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k18%†363
$25k–50k23%†453
$50k–75k25%†489
$75k–100k15%†299
$100k–150k11%†216
$150k–200k0.9%†18
$200k or more7.2%†143

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+5.3 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 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

1,981 households (±175)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

Own72%1,434
Rent28%547

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

499 households (±154)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $75041%†204
$750–1,00030%†148
$1,000–1,50025%†125

Home values

1,434 homes (±146)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $150k57%820
$150k–250k30%†424
$250k–400k8.6%†124

Age of homes

2,232 homes (±150)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

2010 or later8.1%†180
2000–20090.5%†12
1980–199914%†312

Size of homes

2,232 homes (±150)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom6.0%†134
2 bedrooms29%†637

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

2,315 workers (±250)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone78%1,808
Carpool11%†246
Public transit0.8%†18
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.5%†219
Other1.0%†24

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−11.4 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

2,096 workers (±260)

Russell, Kansas
Kansas share

Under 15 min78%1,632
15–29 min6.2%†130
30–44 min12%†261

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

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 Russell County, the county holding most of Russell's residents.

Russell County has 246 employer establishments, 367 for every 10,000 residents (1.48× the US rate of 248; 1.42× Kansas's), with 1,870 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,763. The Census Bureau also counts 760 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 246; 760 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 367; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 1,870
Average annual pay: $44,763; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	15	22.4	1.45×More than typical	61	$47,262	44
Religious organizations	12	17.9	3.23×More than typical	30	$13,500	—
Restaurants and other eating places	10	14.9	0.81×About typical	186	$13,844	3
Truck transportation	10	14.9	2.95×More than typical	36	$59,417	21
Ambulatory health care services	9	13.4	0.65×Too few to compare	94	$30,298	15
Gasoline stations	8	12	3.69×Too few to compare	75	$22,493	—
Banks and credit unions	7	10.5	3.24×Too few to compare	44	$58,409	—
Building equipment contractors	7	10.5	1.74×Too few to compare	21	$44,476	5
Full-service restaurants	7	10.5	1.36×Too few to compare	127	$14,850	—
Construction of buildings	6	9	1.19×Too few to compare	7	$59,429	20
Heavy and civil engineering construction	6	9	7.82×Too few to compare	28	$37,750	—
Offices of other health practitioners	6	9	1.48×Too few to compare	81	$25,235	7

Rank places for an industry Open Russell County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 6,694 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Russell, Kansas: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

44.6FY2018
2.6KFY2024

What was bought

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 Russell, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Russell, Kansas's figures are part of those of Russell County, KS ($93.8K 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: Russell is mostly in Russell County.

See federal money in Russell 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.

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

House

Tracey MannR-KS-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.3%

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.

Russell County65100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Russell 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/2061825