Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 13,918, founded in 1870.
McPherson gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $215K for a typical one, or 2.7 years of the McPherson area’s $79K median household income. It grades B overall, 71st of 150 graded towns in Kansas. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. 40% of working residents work locally in McPherson, above both the Kansas town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). McPherson is home to McPherson College. Only 37 of Kansas’ 373 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where McPherson beats most towns.
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far McPherson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,590 in 1880, 14,082 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1887 and 3 maps from 1965 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in McPherson, 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 McPherson.
McPherson has commutes shorter than most of Kansas, but it has seen reported crime rise beyond ordinary swings.
The density of trails for McPherson comes to 0.8 miles per square mile. Trails total 6.4 miles in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Wall Bicentennial Park, at 50 acres.
| McPherson | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wall Bicentennial Park | 0.6 mi | 50 |
| 2. Lakeside Park | — | 40 |
| 3. Athletic Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The public schools here belong to the McPherson school district. The largest public high school is McPherson High, with 658 students. Three of its 6 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McPherson Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 474 | C |
| McPherson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 658 | C |
| Eisenhower ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 239 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
The national flood insurance program has paid 9 claims in McPherson since 1979. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage here than in 72% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 32% come from tornadoes and 24% from inland flooding. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For adults in McPherson, the share who sleep under 7 hours is 34%. The town tracks Kansas closely on all 32 CDC measures.
| McPherson | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 35% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 77% | 79% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 6,250 working residents takes 11.4 minutes, against 19.7 across Kansas.
Among residents in McPherson, 14% live below the poverty line. Only 10 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a lower mean commuting time than McPherson. Half commute less than 2 miles. Employers in McPherson shed 379 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 6,723.
| McPherson | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5% | 8.8% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For McPherson, the median age is 35.4 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (23% statewide). In McPherson, 20% of residents are under 18. Kansas has 36% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 38%.
| McPherson | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.4 years | 38.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 29% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 17% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| McPherson | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 15.4% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.3% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.2% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.7% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.5% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.3% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.1% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Reported crimes rose from 217 to 250 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. At 22.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 53% of Kansas’s graded towns.
Its level of property crime is 14.1 per 1,000 residents. For McPherson, the violent crime rate is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| McPherson | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.1 per 1,000 residents | 10.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
65% of households own their home in McPherson. The typical McPherson home is worth about $215,000, up 1.8% in a year, 12% below the Kansas typical home. Also worth knowing: in McPherson, the median rent is $925 a month.
| McPherson | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $925 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of McPherson
About 11 of every 100 McPherson residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
7 places in McPherson on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in McPherson.
City in McPherson County, Kansas
McPherson ( mək-FUR-sən) is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 14,082. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general. It is home to McPherson College and Central Christian College.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with McPherson.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McPherson · McPherson Township | #71 | B | B+ | C+ | C+ | B+ |
| King City Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jackson Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
King City Township and Jackson Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). McPherson Township and McPherson are one community, graded once. Compare McPherson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. McPherson grades B overall, better than 59% of U.S. towns and #71 of 150 in Kansas. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools.
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+.
13 notable people were born here, including Bruce Conner and Montee Ball.
