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Downtown Meriden, KS
Kansas›Jefferson County

MeridenKS

A town of 709, settled in 1873.

Trash day: Wednesday
Photo: Dylan Edwards · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Meriden

Meriden, KS · Photo: Dylan Edwards · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Meriden a good place to live?

1.5% of working residents work locally in Meriden, against 15% in Kansas’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Meriden has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

709 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas (KS) - Jefferson County - Meriden - ED 44-17
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Kansas (KS) - Jefferson County - Meriden - ED 44-17, 1880
Meriden’s story

153 years in pictures

The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1880.

  • 1873Meriden is settled
Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Meriden: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Meriden, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →
PowerEvergy14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterJefferson Co RWD 1No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpWednesdayTrash dayTown site
SchoolsJefferson West Unified School District 340Which school depends on your addressNCES
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.gov
Who runs elections hereJefferson County ClerkJefferson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2024
ZIP code6651266512 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 Meriden.

Housing

The typical home in Meriden: about $310K

Values rose 9.2% in the 12 months to September 2026. Meriden’s typical rent is $839 a month, where Kansas’ towns sit at $975 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. In Meriden, 76% of households are owner-occupiers.

$310KZillow home value
MeridenKansas townsU.S. towns
Median rent$839 a month$975 a month$1,185 a month
Households that own their home76%72%73%

Typical home value

Meriden$310K
Kansas$246K
+9.2%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

The climate in Meriden brings four seasons and hot summers

Meriden’s July high stands at 89°F.

17″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter22–42°
Spring43–66°
Summer66–87°
Fall45–67°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 12
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

About two in five of Meriden’s working residents commute to Topeka

Meriden’s mean commuting time is 22 minutes. Most people who work leave Meriden to do it: just 1% work in town. It had 262 jobs in 2023, down 81 from 2013. Half of commuters travel less than 14 miles.

1%work in town
MeridenKansas townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line6.1%9.1%9.6%
Average trip to work22 minutes20 minutes25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Meriden1%
Topeka39%
Lawrence8%
Rock Creek Township6%
Soldier Township6%
14 mi
median commute distance
262
jobs based in Meriden
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazards

Meriden has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding

On expected storm and flood damage, Meriden sits above just over three fifths of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Meriden households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2007. FEMA puts 54% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to tornadoes.

61risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
61High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves
3
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Safety

Crime reported in Meriden

In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown. No violent or property crimes were reported in Meriden in 2024.

Meriden is small, so we show counts rather than rates.

0
violent crimes reported in 2024
0
property crimes reported in 2024

FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police

Health

How healthy Meriden is

For adults in Meriden, the share who binge drink is 19%. In Meriden, 31% of adults have high blood pressure, and 9.5% have diabetes.

MeridenKansas townsU.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)19%16%16%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)31%34%35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)9.5%11%12%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)33%35%36%
32 measures vs. Kansas
5 better27 too close to call0 worse
What stands outMeridenKS
Fewer adults facing food insecurity10%13%
Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off6.8%8.2%
University of Kansas Health System - St. Francis Campus
11.5 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

0% of Meriden is conserved land

0.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.

0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 499 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Lacey Field—6
2. Meriden City Park—4

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Nearby attractions

U.S. Disciplinary Barracks Cemetery and 13 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Meriden. Close and well known come first.

All 47 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

U.S. Disciplinary Barracks Cemetery: Gorsedwa at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park: James Michael DuPont, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Legends Field: Unknown, Public domain · Combat Air Museum: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 3.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Meriden

18pages on Meriden
After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Meriden

About Meriden

City in Kansas, United States

Official town website ↗

Meriden is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 744.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.8 sq mi
Elevation
974 ft
ZIP code
66512
Area code
785

Questions about Meriden

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Meriden, KS a good place to live?

Meriden has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.