Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Junction City earns a D, 142nd of 150 graded towns in Kansas, mostly because of safety and incomes. It reports more crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns, including 133 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $61K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 8 places on the National Register. 38% of working residents work locally in Junction City, where Kansas’ towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Christian Wetzel Cabin and Bartell House. Among 80 Kansas towns, just 5 have a higher violent crime rate than Junction City.
Where Junction City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Christian Wetzel Cabin
Bobby LashleyEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Junction City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1854, comes before those of 91% of the Kansas towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 217 in 1860, 22,932 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 4 maps from 1947 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Junction City, 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 Junction City.
Junction City is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has home values falling while Kansas’s rise and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Kansas.
Reported crimes fell from 832 to 533 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Junction City is 18.3 per 1,000 residents. Junction City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Geary County Schools. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junction City Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 900 | C− |
| Junction City Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,713 | C |
| Spring Valley ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 400 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
3.7 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is South Park, 85 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
| Junction City | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Park | 1.2 mi | 85 |
| 2. The Bluffs Park | 0.8 mi | 35 |
| 3. The Wetlands Park | 0.5 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Manhattan weather station, 19 miles away, records that about 59 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 82% of Kansas places with climate records.
Junction City has chilly winters and warm summers. Junction City’s July high is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Values fell 3.1% in the past year while the Kansas typical home rose 3.5%.
The typical Junction City home is worth about $200,000, 19% below the Kansas typical home. 50% of Junction City households own their home.
| Junction City | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 72% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 37% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,024 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
About one in 3 of Junction City’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Junction City has lost 702 jobs, to 6,980 in 2023. 5.9% of workers work from home in Junction City.
| Junction City | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.9% | 8.8% | 11% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,216 U.S. towns with household incomes like Junction City’s, it is healthier than 65%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Junction City beats the Kansas average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. Among 150 Kansas towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Junction City.
| Junction City | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 31% | 33% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Junction City | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.5% | 8.1% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.4% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.6% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Junction City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Junction City. Close and well known come first.
21 mi MuseumDwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home
39 mi National PreserveTallgrass Prairie National Preserve28K visitors a year
5 mi MuseumU.S. Cavalry Museum17 mi Zoo & aquariumSunset Zoo
19 mi MuseumFlint Hills Discovery CenterDwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home: Unknown, Public domain · Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve: Samstone13, CC BY-SA 4.0 · U.S. Cavalry Museum: US Army, Public domain · Flint Hills Discovery Center: Kgwo1972, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Junction City; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Junction City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kansas.
8 places in Junction City on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Junction City.
City in Geary County, Kansas
Junction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 22,932. Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army post, is nearby.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Junction City.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junction City | #142 | D | C+ | D | B− | C+ |
| Smoky Hill Township | #141 | D | D | — | B | B− |
| Jefferson Township | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B− |
| Milford Township | — | — | C | — | B− | B− |
Jefferson Township and Milford Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Smoky Hill Township, Jefferson Township and Milford Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Junction City with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Junction City grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #142 of 150 in Kansas. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($65,469 across the Manhattan, KS metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
20 notable people were born here, including Bobby Lashley and Marillyn Hewson.
