Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Kansas town.
Homes are affordable here, though not without reasons. Safety is its weak spot: its police reported 12 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 86% of U.S. towns. Hiawatha grades C+ overall, better than two fifths of U.S. towns. The ranking puts it 93rd of 150 in Kansas. It also trails on incomes: the median household income is $69K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. Its best grade is for cost of living: a typical home costs about $144K, 2.3 years of the county’s $62K median household income. Add walkability to its strengths (B+): it is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Just over a third of working residents work locally here, above both the Kansas town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%).
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FBI crime data, 2025 · Census LEHD, 2023.
Where Hiawatha beats most towns.
Hiawatha Memorial Auditorium3.7% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Hiawatha is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,375 in 1880, 3,280 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 5 maps from 1888 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hiawatha, 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 Hiawatha.
Hiawatha has homes that are cheap against local pay and has seen reported crime fall by about half, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Reported crimes fell from 160 to 53 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Hiawatha’s violent offense rate is 3.9 per 1,000 residents. Its property crime rate is 13.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Hiawatha | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
One of its 3 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Hiawatha school district. 3 public schools serve Hiawatha, with 879 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiawatha ElemLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 337 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
At 2.3 years of the county’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $145K) costs less against local pay than in 80% of Kansas towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Home values rose 52% in five years, to about $145K, against 30% across Kansas.
In Hiawatha, the typical rent is $652 a month. The share of households in Hiawatha who live in a home they own: 76%.
| Hiawatha | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $652 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The biggest park or preserve is Bruning Park, at 30 acres. Count the trails in 9 parks and preserves and they come to 1.0 miles. Hiawatha’s concentration of trails comes in at 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Hiawatha | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ag Museum Park | 0.4 mi | 28 |
| 2. County Court House Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
| 3. Bruning Park | — | 30 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Hiawatha than in 76% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Hiawatha break down as 34% from tornadoes and 28% from inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Hiawatha after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2015.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect chilly winters and warm summers in Hiawatha.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 2,180 in 2013 to 1,741. The average commute for its 1,507 working residents takes 11.8 minutes, against 19.7 across Kansas.
One in 3 of Hiawatha’s working residents works locally. Its average commute stands at 12 minutes. Since 2013, Hiawatha has lost 439 jobs, to 1,741 in 2023. Half commute less than 14 miles.
| Hiawatha | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
30% of adults feel lonely in Hiawatha. The town beats the Kansas average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Hiawatha | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Hiawatha | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 77.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hiawatha
About 2 of every 100 Hiawatha residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
5 places in Hiawatha on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Hiawatha.
City in Brown County, Kansas
Hiawatha (Ioway: Hári Wáta, pronounced [haːꜜɾi waːꜜtʰɐ]) is the largest city in and the county seat of Brown County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,280.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hiawatha grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #93 of 150 in Kansas. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
10 notable people were born here, including Tod D. Wolters and John McLendon.
