Palace Theater · National Register of Historic Places
Kinsley’s story
152 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1917.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1874Kinsley is settled
KinsleyKS
A town of 1,312, settled in 1874. 2.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Kansas town.
Palace Theater · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,312
2025 Census estimate · −9.2% since 2020
Typical home
$75K
+0.9% in a year
Household income
$49K
median
Median age
42.9
years
Jobs based here
489
A commuter town
Is Kinsley a good place to live?
The best of Kinsley’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 37% of working residents work locally in Kinsley, above both the Kansas town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On incomes, just 4 of Kansas’ 373 towns do worse. Kinsley is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. Only 16 of Kansas’ 362 towns score higher on civic life. Palace Theater is on the National Register of Historic Places. Kinsley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Kinsley stand out
Where Kinsley beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Kinsley9
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical KS town4.2
Civic lifeA+
2.2 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Kansas town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Kinsley$75K
Kansas$246K
Cost of livingA
1.4 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 87% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Small town
1,312 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Kinsley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Kinsley is from typical.
Jobs & income$49K median household incomeD−Open →Cost of livingAOpen →Hazard riskcold waves tops the listC−Open →HealthKiowa County Memorial Hospital 22.7 miles awayCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.9 of 20; 8.4% of households have no car; 3.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsCOpen →History1 place on the National Register; 4 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life7.9 library visits per resident; 9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 42.9; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Kinsley: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kinsley, and how to reach them.
PowerMidwest Energy12.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Kinsley water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Kinsley’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Kansas you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereEdwards County ClerkEdwards County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Dec 2025
ZIP code6754767547 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Kinsley.
HousingCost of living grade A
The typical home in Kinsley is valued at about $75K
The typical Kinsley home is worth about $75,000, up 0.9% in a year, 69% below the Kansas typical home. Kinsley’s median rent is $745 a month, against $975 a month in Kansas’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
$75KZillow home value
| Kinsley | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $745 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 72% | 73% |
Typical home value
Kinsley$75K
Kansas$246K
+0.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsB−
On state tests, Kinsley’s schools trail 54% of Kansas districts
Its public schools are run by the Kinsley-Offerle school district. Its one school is below.
46%of KS districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsley Jr/Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 135 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Kinsley has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
About one in 3 of Kinsley’s working residents works in town. 19% of Kinsley residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Kinsley has lost 109 jobs, to 489 in 2023.
37%work in town
| Kinsley | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Kinsley37%
Dodge City10%
Wichita5%
Larned3%
Kinsley Township2%
22 mi
median commute distance
489
jobs based in Kinsley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Kinsley, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Kinsley since 1995.
76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1995
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC
Health in Kinsley trails 70% of U.S. towns
Kinsley beats the Kansas average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Kinsley. Only 3 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Kinsley.
30%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Kinsley | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Kansas
1 better18 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Kinsley | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.6% | 77.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17% | 11.3% |
Kiowa County Memorial Hospital
22.7 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Kinsley
Kinsley has chilly winters and hot summers. Kinsley’s July high is 93°F.
15″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–46°
Spring41–68°
Summer64–90°
Fall43–70°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 20
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
Kinsley has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 823 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Midway Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kinsley
19pages on Kinsley
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Kinsley; the nearest are
Barclay CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Haviland26.7 mi$24,590 tuitionDodge City Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Dodge City35.6 mi$4,650 in-state tuitionFort Hays State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Hays65.7 mi$5,923 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Kinsley residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
Famous people from Kinsley
4 notable people were born in Kinsley.
About Kinsley
City in Edwards County, Kansas
Kinsley is a city in and the county seat of Edwards County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,456. It is located along Highway 50.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,172 ft
- ZIP code
- 67547
- Area code
- 620
Questions about Kinsley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Kinsley, KS a good place to live?
2.2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Kansas town.
Is Kinsley, KS expensive?
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.
What is Kinsley, KS known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Madge Blake and Earl Winfield Spencer.