Is Mission a good place to live?
Mission grades B overall, ranked 66th of 150 in Kansas, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country and its schools rank ahead of 84% of Kansas towns. On the other side, its police reported 31 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 94% of U.S. towns. Mission’s property crime rate is 46.3 per 1,000 residents, against 10.9 in Kansas’ towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 3 of Kansas’ 373 towns do better. Mission's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 87% of U.S. towns.
What makes Mission stand out
Where Mission beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
How Mission grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Mission is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Arrowhead Stadium and 36 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mission. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaArrowhead Stadium
10 mi Stadium & arenaKauffman Stadium
13 mi Park & preserveSubTropolis
6 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Center
8 mi Stadium & arenaCPKC Stadium
4 mi MuseumThe Nelson-Atkins Museum of ArtPhoto credits
Arrowhead Stadium: Ichabod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kauffman Stadium: Mysteryman28, Public domain · SubTropolis: ErgoSum88, Public domain · T-Mobile Center: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CPKC Stadium: elisfkc2, CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: User:Charvex, Public domain
Moving to Mission: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mission, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Mission.
Mission carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Kansas (mostly inland flooding), has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Kansas and sends many workers across the state line.
Mission’s grade for safety is a D
Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Roeland Park (C−) to Prairie Village (B+). Property crime runs at 46.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Kansas rate, most of it theft.
Mission’s violent crime rate is 3.1 per 1,000 residents. Mission reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Mission’s grade for schools is an A−
Its public schools are run by Shawnee Mission Pub School. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands ElemLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 345 | A+ |
| Rushton ElemTop results in townGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 336 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Mission’s grade for health is an A
Its widest gap with Kansas is tooth loss: 7.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.3% statewide.
9.8% of adults report frequent physical distress in Mission. Mission beats the Kansas average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Mission.
| Mission | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Mission | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.2% | 11.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 13% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 74.6% | 77.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Mission | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 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. Waterworks Park | 0.5 mi | 6 |
| 2. Streamway Park | 0.4 mi | 17 |
| 3. Mohawk Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Compared with most of Kansas and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Mission is lower
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Kansas towns, with expected losses of about $344 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Mission is 17 of 100. Since 1979, 59 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mission.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A typical Mission home is worth about $327K
The typical Mission home is worth about $327,000, up 4.2% in a year, 33% above the Kansas typical home. 45% of Mission households own their home.
| Mission | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,194 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Four seasons and hot summers in Mission
The Kansas City Downtown Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 211 days, the highest of 1,996 Kansas places with climate records. The Kansas City Downtown Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 47 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 76% of Kansas places with climate records.
Mission has chilly winters and warm summers. Among 151 Kansas towns, just 9 have a lower July high than Mission.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
With 1.4 jobs for every working resident, Mission draws in 7,155 commuters
22% of working residents cross a state line to work. 19.9% of workers work from home, against 11.8% across Kansas.
Most working residents leave Mission for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, Mission has added 1,017 jobs, to 7,402 in 2023. Only 10 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Mission.
| Mission | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 8.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 15% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Everything we know about Mission
Colleges nearby
21 within 15 miles of the center of Mission
About 8 of every 100 Mission residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kansas.
Famous people from Mission
3 notable people were born in Mission.
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About Mission
City in Kansas, United States
Mission is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 9,954.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,017 ft
- ZIP code
- 66201, 66202, 66205
- Area code
- 913
Mission’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Mission.
All 4 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its B; Roeland Park (B+) is closest.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission | #66 | B | C | D | A− | A |
| Roeland Park | #46 | B+ | C− | C− | A− | A |
| Overland Park | #34 | A− | C− | C+ | A | A+ |
| Fairway | #11 | A | D | — | A− | A+ |
| Prairie Village | #13 | A | D | B+ | A− | A+ |
Fairway reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Mission with a neighbor →
Questions about Mission
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mission, KS a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Mission grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #66 of 150 in Kansas. It grades A for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Mission, KS expensive?
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($83,460 across the Kansas City, MO-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.
What is Mission, KS known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Grant Wahl and Dorian Bailey.