Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.5 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Kansas town.
Ellsworth gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $169K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the county’s $66K median household income. It grades A overall, ranked 16th of 150 in Kansas. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. 40% of working residents work locally in Ellsworth, above both Kansas’ towns (15%) and U.S. towns (8%). On walkability, just 19 of Kansas’ 372 towns do better. Ellsworth's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 92% of U.S. towns.
Where Ellsworth beats most towns.
Perry Hodgden HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Ellsworth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 448 in 1870, 3,066 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 4 maps from 1894 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ellsworth, 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 Ellsworth.
Ellsworth pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Kansas norm, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and fares better on crime within Kansas than nationally.
At 7.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 96% of Kansas’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Ellsworth is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. Only 3 of the 80 Kansas towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Ellsworth.
| Ellsworth | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 11.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Ellsworth school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Ellsworth High, with 300 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellsworth ElemLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 188 | B+ |
| Ellsworth HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 300 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Ellsworth grades A overall with a typical home of about $169K, below the Kansas typical value; only 5 of the 25 Kansas towns graded A− or better can say that. Home values rose 50% in five years, to about $169K, against 30% across Kansas.
Ellsworth’s median rent is $681 a month. Typical home values rose 17% in the year to September 2026.
| Ellsworth | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $681 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ellsworth has chilly winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 19° and about 16 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 1,977 in 2013 to 1,441. The average commute for its 1,043 working residents takes 12.7 minutes, against 19.7 across Kansas.
Since 2013, Ellsworth has lost 536 jobs, to 1,441 in 2023. The top destinations are Salina (10%), Wichita (4%) and Wilson (4%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
| Ellsworth | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ellsworth.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.0 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Ellsworth County 4-H Fairgrounds, at 23 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ellsworth County 4-H Fairgrounds | — | 23 |
| 2. Krizek Park | — | 18 |
| 3. Preisker Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,175 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ellsworth’s, it is healthier than 70%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Ellsworth beats the Kansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Ellsworth.
| Ellsworth | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 77% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Ellsworth | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.7% | 11.3% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 59.2% | 64.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Ellsworth; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Ellsworth residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
4 places in Ellsworth on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Ellsworth.
City in Ellsworth County, Kansas
Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,066. Known as a cow town in the 1870s, when the Kansas Pacific Railroad operated a stockyard here for shipping cattle to eastern markets. In the 21st century, Ellsworth is the trading center of the rural county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Ellsworth grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #16 of 150 in Kansas. It grades B− for health, A− for safety and B for schools.
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+.
3 notable people were born here, including Kelvin Droegemeier and Ted Livingston.
