City · Washington County, Kansas

Washington, Kansas

Washington is a city in Washington County, Kansas. It has 1,155 residents. Washington, Kansas has a quality-of-life score of 76 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,760 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kansas it ranks #32 of 202 cities and towns. It ranks best on social associations (high), grocery stores (high) and violent crime rate (low). It ranks worst on mental health providers (low), average weekly wage (low) and access to exercise opportunities (low).

76High

Quality-of-life score: #3,760 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kansas: #32 of 202 in KS
Population: 1,155 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,188.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 2075825

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety98#318/15,637
Economy52#7,565/15,631
Housing99#122/14,977
Health74#4,002/15,609
Healthcare25#11,758/15,650
Environment67#5,057/15,453
Education63#5,815/15,649
Infrastructure45#8,595/15,650
Community70#4,684/15,651
Leisure & amenities53#7,421/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Washington, Kansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Washington 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 · high29.1 /10k
100/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashington County value
Grocery stores · high7.2 /10k
100/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashington County value
Violent crime rate · low22 /100k
100/100Kansas 457 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWashington County value
Property crime rate · low151 /100k
100/100Kansas 1,797 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWashington County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Kansas 16.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWashington County value
Rent-burdened households · low20.7%
99/100Kansas 43.5%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low18 /100k
1/100Kansas 266 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashington County value
Average weekly wage · low$814
1/100Kansas $1,216United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashington County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low32.7%
3/100Kansas 80.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashington County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWashington County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Kansas 9.4United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWashington County value
Dentists · low18 /100k
4/100Kansas 64 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashington County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,069 (2015-2019) → 1,155 (2020-2024)
+8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
65.0% (2015-2019) → 85.6% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
30.3% (2015-2019) → 20.7% (2020-2024)
−9.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Average commute timeImproving
18.4 min (2015-2019) → 13.8 min (2020-2024)
−25%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Median household incomeImproving
$46,875 (2015-2019) → $58,438 (2020-2024)
+25%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.363 (2015-2019) → 0.428 (2020-2024)
+18%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, Washington, Kansas improved on 2 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 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.

Improved2

Broadband+21 points65.0% → 85.6%
Household income+25%$46,875 → $58,438

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Washington, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.4 min2015-2019	13.8 min2020-2024	−4.6 min	Within the margin of error	88%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.1%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Broadband subscriptions	65.0%2015-2019	85.6%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	91%
Effective property tax rate	1.67%2015-2019	1.46%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%
High school diploma or higher	96.2%2015-2019	96.7%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Home price to income ratio	1.5×2015-2019	1.7×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3632015-2019	0.4282020-2024	+0.065	Within the margin of error	11%
Median household income	$46,8752015-2019	$58,4382020-2024	+25%	Improved	43%
Rent as share of income	17.3%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	44%

“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 Washington, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Washington, 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, Washington, Kansas itself moved −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

1,155 residents (±168)

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

550 households (±59)

Washington, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k15%†84
$25k–50k28%†156
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

550 households (±59)

Washington, Kansas
Kansas share

Own69%377
Rent31%173

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

560 workers (±83)

Washington, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone81%452
Carpool4.5%†25
Public transit0.5%†3

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

Washington County has 199 employer establishments, 358 for every 10,000 residents (1.44× the US rate of 248; 1.39× Kansas's), with 1,372 paid employees at an average annual pay of $38,565. The Census Bureau also counts 426 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 199; 426 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 358; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 1,372
Average annual pay: $38,565; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	19	34.1	2.21×More than typical	63	$49,079	49
Religious organizations	16	28.8	5.18×More than typical	57	$11,877	—
Other specialty trade contractors	10	18	7.16×More than typical	32	$59,625	14
Truck transportation	10	18	3.55×More than typical	16	$43,625	12
Insurance agencies and brokerages	9	16.2	3.68×Too few to compare	22	$82,636	6
Restaurants and other eating places	9	16.2	0.88×Too few to compare	63	$7,095	—
Construction of buildings	8	14.4	1.90×Too few to compare	13	$34,077	21
Building equipment contractors	7	12.6	2.09×Too few to compare	29	$36,034	14
Full-service restaurants	7	12.6	1.64×Too few to compare	52	$6,981	—
Banks and credit unions	6	10.8	3.34×Too few to compare	40	$49,300	—
Gasoline stations	6	10.8	3.33×Too few to compare	54	$20,685	—
Ambulatory health care services	5	9	0.43×Too few to compare	9	$34,556	12

Rank places for an industry Open Washington County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 5,564 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Washington 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.

Washington, 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.

Washington County77100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Washington 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
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/2075825

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends