Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,242, platted in 1857. 49% more nonprofits per person than the typical Kansas town.
Garnett gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $147K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the county’s $71K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 90th of 150 graded towns in Kansas. On the plus side, 13% of its land is conserved. 31% of working residents work locally in Garnett, above both Kansas’ towns (15%) and U.S. towns (8%). Garnett has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Anderson County Courthouse and Shelley-Tipton House. Only 5 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Garnett.
Where Garnett beats most towns.
Anderson County CourthouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Garnett is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,219 in 1870, 3,242 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 5 maps from 1885 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Garnett, 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 Garnett.
Garnett trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Kansas; it also has commutes longer than most of Kansas.
Homes are within reach (about $147K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. At 2.1 years of the county’s $71K median household income, the typical home (about $147K) costs less against local pay than in 88% of Kansas towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Garnett home is worth about $147,000, up 2.7% in a year, 40% below the Kansas typical home. Garnett’s median rent is $929 a month.
| Garnett | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $929 a month | $977 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
Its public schools are run by the Garnett school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Anderson County Jr/Sr High School, with 419 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garnett Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 401 | B+ |
| Anderson County Jr/Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 419 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
The Garnett 1 E weather station records that about 46 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 81% of Kansas places with climate records. July afternoons average 88.8°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 90% of Kansas places with climate records; January nights average 21.5°.
Garnett has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Garnett is 89°F. About 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Garnett | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 22°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Garnett beats the Kansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 39% of adults have high blood pressure in Garnett.
| Garnett | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Garnett | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 6.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.2% | 6.4% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.1% | 3.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is North Lake Park, at 294 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Lake Park | 0.1 mi | 294 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 1,465 working residents takes 28.2 minutes, against 19.7 across Kansas.
About one in 3 of Garnett’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Garnett has added 326 jobs, to 1,601 in 2023. 6% of Garnett residents live below the poverty line.
| Garnett | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Kansas, it does better than 67% of towns.
| Garnett | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10 per 1,000 residents | 11.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Garnett since 2007.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Garnett; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Garnett residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
3 places in Garnett on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Garnett.
City in Anderson County, Kansas
Garnett is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,242.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Garnett.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garnett | #90 | C+ | B+ | B− | B− | C+ |
| Monroe Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Monroe Township and Jackson Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Garnett with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Garnett grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #90 of 150 in Kansas. It grades C+ for health, B− for safety and B− for schools.
Within Kansas, it does better than 67% of towns.
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+.
Garnett was platted in 1857 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 7 notable people were born here, including Edgar Lee Masters and Sam Brownback.
