Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,801.
Elk Township’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a C− for schools. Only 3 of the 152 Kansas towns we compare have a higher median age than Elk Township. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 74% of U.S. towns. Only 6 of the 152 Kansas towns we compare have a higher share of residents 65 or older than Elk Township. Karnes Stone Barn is on the National Register of Historic Places. Elk Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Elk Township beats most towns.
Where Elk Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Elk Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1877 and 4 maps from 1889 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Elk 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Elk Township.
Its public schools are run by the Santa Fe Trail school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overbrook Attendance CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 331 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Elk Township for work: only 6% work in town. At 32 minutes, Elk Township’s average trip to work is against 20 minutes in Kansas’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 5.5% of residents live below the poverty line in Elk Township.
| Elk Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 27% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (23% statewide). 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Kansas.
| Elk Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 22% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 29% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
About 112 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Elk Township | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.6% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.3% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 2.9% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.7% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.4% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.9% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.6% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.2% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.9% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,800, single groups can be off by several points
Elk Township has chilly winters and warm summers. At 89°F, Elk Township’s July high is below Kansas’ towns (91°F) but above U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Elk Township beats the Kansas average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 30% of Elk Township adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 151 Kansas towns, just 7 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Elk Township.
| Elk Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Elk Township | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.4% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.4% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.9 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest place to walk is Jones Park, 58 acres with 1 miles of trail. Elk Township’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jones Park | 1 mi | 58 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elk Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Elk Township. Close and well known come first.
12 mi MuseumCombat Air Museum
17 mi National Historical ParkBrown v. Board of Education National Historical Park18K visitors a year20 mi Zoo & aquariumTopeka Zoo
20 mi MuseumSpencer Museum of Art
20 mi MuseumUniversity of Kansas Natural History Museum21 mi MuseumKansas Historical SocietyCombat Air Museum: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 3.0 · Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park: James Michael DuPont, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Spencer Museum of Art: Alan Islas, CC BY-SA 4.0 · University of Kansas Natural History Museum: InaMaka, CC BY 3.0
None within 15 miles of Elk Township; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Elk Township residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
Township in Osage County, Kansas, U.S.
Elk Township is a township in Osage County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,843.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Elk Township.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Township | — | — | A | — | C− | B |
| Marion Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Junction Township | — | — | C+ | — | C | B− |
| Monmouth Township | #55 | B+ | C+ | — | B | A− |
| Ridgeway Township | — | — | A | — | C− | B− |
| Fairfax Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Elk Township, Junction Township and Ridgeway Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Elk Township, Junction Township, Monmouth Township and Ridgeway Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Marion Township and Fairfax Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Elk Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 A.
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