Center TownshipKS
A town of 1,116. Public schools that outperform most of Kansas.
Is Center Township a good place to live?
Center Township’s best subject grade is an A for schools; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Among 152 Kansas towns, just 4 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Center Township. Center Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Center Township stand out
Where Center Township beats most towns.
1,116 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Center Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Center Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Center Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Center Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Center Township.
Public schools in Center Township beat 88% of Kansas districts
Its two schools are below. The 2 public schools in Center Township teach 328 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olpe ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 149 | A− |
| Olpe Jr./Sr. High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 179 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
About half of Center Township’s working residents commute to Emporia
The top destinations are Emporia (46%), Topeka (7%) and Wichita (5%). For most workers, Center Township is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. Since 2013, Center Township has lost 45 jobs, to 80 in 2023. The share of residents in Center Township who live below the poverty line is 2.5%, against 9.1% in Kansas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
| Center Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.5% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Center Township faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
FEMA puts 46% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to wildfires. Center Township’s FEMA risk score stands at 69 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Center Township, expect four seasons and hot summers
In Center Township, the midsummer high is 90°F, where Kansas’ towns sit at 91°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More children than Kansas overall
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 33%, against 36% across Kansas. Children under 18 are 29% of residents (24% statewide). Center Township’s age of the median resident comes in at 35.3 years.
| Center Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.3 years | 38.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 17% | 18% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 33% and 59% women
The Census survey reached too few of Center Township’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±13.1 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Center Township | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.4% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.9% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.1% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.3% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.8% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.5% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.4% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.6% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.5% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
On CDC estimates, Center Township is healthier than 57% of U.S. towns
Two figures for adults in Center Township: 38% have high blood pressure, 21% have been diagnosed with depression. 29% of adults feel lonely here.
| Center Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Center Township | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 8.1% |
| More adults with arthritis | 29.5% | 25.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Center Township has set aside 0.8% of its land for conservation
Trails total 10 miles in 1 park or preserve. In Center Township, the concentration of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 12 acres locally.
| Center Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jones Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and 2 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Center Township. Close and well known come first.
18 mi National PreserveTallgrass Prairie National Preserve28K visitors a year
12 mi MuseumNational Teachers Hall of Fame10 mi Zoo & aquariumDavid Traylor Zoo of EmporiaPhoto credits
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve: Samstone13, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Teachers Hall of Fame: Corkythehornetfan, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about Center Township
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Center Township
About 3 of every 100 Center Township residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
99% of working residents leave Center Township for work
Where Center Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Center Township
Township in Lyon County, Kansas, U.S.
Center Township is a township in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,094.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Questions about Center Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Center Township, KS a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Kansas.
Is Center Township, KS expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.