Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Council Grove’s subject grades are an A− for cost of living, an A+ for history, and an A for civic life; the weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Council Grove Historic District and Farmers and Drovers Bank. Council Grove has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Council Grove beats most towns.
Council Grove Historic District
Census counts: 712 in 1870, a peak of 2,898 in 1930, 2,140 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 4 maps from 1885 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Council Grove is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Council Grove, 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Council Grove.
In Council Grove, the risk rating from FEMA is 75 of 100, above both Kansas’ towns (49 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. FEMA puts 36% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 21% to heat waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The largest public high school is Council Grove Junior Senior High School, with 368 students. The public schools here belong to the Morris County school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council Grove Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 318 | B+ |
| Council Grove Junior Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 368 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
A winter brings about 12 inches of snow, with January nights at 19° and July afternoons at 90°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14% of Council Grove residents live below the poverty line. In Council Grove, the mean commuting time is 16 minutes, below both the Kansas town median (20 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs in Council Grove grew by 100 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 1,082. The town’s middle household income is $58,000.
| Council Grove | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (17% statewide). The age of the median resident in Council Grove is 42.8 years. Among adults 25 and older, 30% have a four-year degree or more, against 36% across Kansas.
| Council Grove | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.8 years | 38.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 24% | 22% |
45% women, 55% men
About 121 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3 points). Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Council Grove | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.4% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.9% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.5% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.9% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.5% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.4% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.7% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.6% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,100, single groups can be off by several points
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2023. For Council Grove, the violent offense rate is 1.4 per 1,000 residents. Council Grove's reported crime rate is well below Kansas's.
| Council Grove | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 14.2 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Typical home values rose 12% in the year to September 2026. The midpoint rent for Council Grove comes to $715 a month. The share of households in Council Grove who own their home: 70%.
| Council Grove | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $715 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
13% of adults have diabetes in Council Grove. Against the Kansas average, Council Grove comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 6. In Council Grove, 30% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 39% have high blood pressure.
| Council Grove | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| What stands out | Council Grove | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.9% | 77.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.1% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Walkers can cover 0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. In Council Grove, the trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile. The town has one park or preserve, 2 acres in all.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Council Oak | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Council Grove; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Council Grove residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
17 places in Council Grove on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Council Grove.
City in Morris County, Kansas
Council Grove is a city in and the county seat of Morris County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,140. It was named after an agreement between American settlers and the Osage Nation allowing settlers' wagon trains to pass westward through the area on the Santa Fe Trail. Pioneers gathered at a grove of trees so that wagons could band together for their trip west.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Council Grove.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Grove | — | — | A− | — | B+ | B− |
| Township 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Council Grove has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Council Grove reports no FBI crime data of its own. Township 2 isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Council Grove with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
7 notable people were born here, including John Jacob Rhodes and Byron N. Scott.
