Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gardner grades B+ overall, 51st of 150 graded towns in Kansas, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $97K and residents are healthier than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on schools: its public schools beat 67% of Kansas towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $351K, 4.2 years of the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income. On hazard risk, just 33 of Kansas’ 373 towns do better. Gardner has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them William Thomas Turner Barn and WPA Beach House at Gardner Lake. Among 151 Kansas towns, just 4 have a lower share of residents 65 or older than Gardner.
Where Gardner beats most towns.
19,123 counted in 2010 and 23,287 in 2020; an estimated 26,154 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 12% since 2020, after 21.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Gardner is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 203 in 1880, 23,287 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gardner, 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 Gardner.
Gardner fares better on crime within Kansas than nationally, has added half again as many jobs in ten years and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Kansas.
Homes sold in Gardner spent a median 17 days on the market. In Gardner, the going rate for rent is $1,306 a month, above both the Kansas town median ($975 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Also worth knowing: over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 2.3% in value.
| Gardner | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,306 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Gardner Edgerton school district runs its public schools. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Public school enrollment locally: 2,183 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trail Ridge Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 679 | C+ |
| Gardner Edgerton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,794 | C |
| Madison ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 521 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
The share of adults in Gardner who binge drink: 19%. 11% of Gardner adults report frequent physical distress, where Kansas’ towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 14%. This Kansas town does better than the Kansas average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 2.
| Gardner | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Gardner | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.4% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.3% | 3.2% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.2% | 16.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 4,171 in 2013 to 6,480.
Gardner’s typical journey to work stands at 23 minutes. Only 13% of working residents stay in Gardner for work; the rest commute out. Since 2013, Gardner has added 2,309 jobs, to 6,480 in 2023. 14% of Gardner workers do their job from home.
| Gardner | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $97,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 8.7% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A bachelor’s degree or higher: 32% of adults 25 and older, vs 36% across Kansas. People 65 and older are 8% of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 31% of residents (24% statewide). Gardner is growing: up 12% since 2020, to 26,154 residents (2025 estimate).
| Gardner | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 31% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 30.7 years | 38.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 29% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 30.8, men 30.7.
| Gardner | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.7% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.6% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.7% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.6% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.7% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.7% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.4% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.2% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.5% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.8% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.2% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in just over two thirds of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Gardner since 2010. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 33% come from inland flooding and 24% from tornadoes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Olathe 3e weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 34 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 87% of Kansas places with climate records. July afternoons average 88.5°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 93% of Kansas places with climate records; January nights average 20.6°.
For Gardner, the July high is 89°F. About 14 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Gardner | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 21°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
There are 1.9 miles of trail across 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Gardner Celebration Park, at 77 acres. The trail network density locally is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Gardner | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gardner Celebration Park | 0.3 mi | 77 |
| 2. Westside Park | 0.3 mi | 18 |
| 3. Cornerstone Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 16.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 76% of Kansas’s graded towns. Reported crimes rose from 228 to 380 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Gardner’s property offense rate is 12.6 per 1,000 residents. Its violent crime rate stands at 1.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Gardner | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.6 per 1,000 residents | 10.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gardner. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaArrowhead Stadium
29 mi Stadium & arenaKauffman Stadium
34 mi Park & preserveSubTropolis
35 mi Theme parkWorlds of Fun
29 mi Stadium & arenaCPKC Stadium
27 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile CenterArrowhead Stadium: Ichabod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kauffman Stadium: Mysteryman28, Public domain · SubTropolis: ErgoSum88, Public domain · Worlds of Fun: Tkexb173 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CPKC Stadium: elisfkc2, CC BY-SA 2.0 · T-Mobile Center: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Gardner
About 5 of every 100 Gardner residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
Where Gardner’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Gardner on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Kansas, United States
Gardner is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 23,287. It is located within the Kansas City metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Gardner.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner | #51 | B+ | C | B | B+ | A− |
| Gardner Township | #44 | B+ | C | — | B+ | A− |
| McCamish Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Spring Hill Township | — | — | B− | — | A− | A |
| Edgerton | — | — | B+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Olathe | #18 | A− | C | B− | A− | A |
Spring Hill Township and Edgerton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Gardner Township, Spring Hill Township and Edgerton report no FBI crime data of their own. McCamish Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Gardner with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Gardner grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #51 of 150 in Kansas. It grades A− for health, B for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
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