Mission TownshipKS
A town of 10,195, settled in 1871.
Is Mission Township a good place to live?
Mission Township grades B+ overall, 53rd of 150 graded towns in Kansas, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $122K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 81% of the country. It also does better than most on schools: its schools outperform 74% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $291K, 4.2 years of the Topeka metro’s $70K median household income. Only 18 of Kansas’ 373 towns score lower on history. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Among 151 Kansas towns, just 3 have a higher share of households owning their home than Mission Township.
What makes Mission Township stand out
Where Mission Township beats most towns.
93% of working residents leave Mission Township for work
Where Mission Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
How Mission Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Mission Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Mission Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mission Township, 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 Township.
Mission Township has less no health insurance than most of Kansas, has household incomes well above the Kansas norm and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of Kansas.
For health, Mission Township earns an A−
Its widest gap with Kansas is no health insurance: 6.1% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 9.9% statewide. Against the 5,519 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mission Township’s, it is healthier than 56%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
13% of Mission Township adults report frequent mental distress, against 17% in Kansas’ towns and 17% across U.S. towns. 28% of adults feel lonely in Mission Township. Mission Township beats the Kansas average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Mission Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Mission Township | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.6% | 13% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For schools, Mission Township earns a B+
Its public schools are run by the Auburn-Washburn school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Washburn Rural High, with 1,878 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn Rural Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 966 | B− |
| Washburn Rural HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,878 | C+ |
| Jay Shideler ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 492 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
About two in three of Mission Township’s working residents commute to Topeka
Most working residents leave Mission Township for work: only 7% work in town. Mission Township’s median household income is $122,000, where Kansas’ towns sit at $73,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Since 2013, Mission Township has added 426 jobs, to 2,460 in 2023.
| Mission Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $122,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.6% | 15% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Four seasons and hot summers in Mission Township
July afternoons average 89.4°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 82% of Kansas places with climate records; January nights average 19.5°.
Mission Township has chilly winters and warm summers. Mission Township’s July high is 89°F. About 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Mission Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 20°F | 21°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0% of Mission Township is conserved land
3.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Kansas River Urish Wildlife Area, at 118 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kansas River Urish Wildlife Area | — | 118 |
| 2. Kaw River State Park | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Mission Township faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 2001, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mission Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Topeka Zoo and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mission Township. Close and well known come first.
6 mi National Historical ParkBrown v. Board of Education National Historical Park18K visitors a year
7 mi MuseumCombat Air Museum
4 mi MuseumKansas Museum of History4 mi MuseumKansas Historical Society
29 mi MuseumSpencer Museum of ArtPhoto credits
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park: James Michael DuPont, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Combat Air Museum: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 3.0 · Kansas Museum of History: Sesamehoneytart, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Spencer Museum of Art: Alan Islas, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Everything we know about Mission Township
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Mission Township
About 3 of every 100 Mission Township residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
Mission Township’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Mission Township.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Township | #53 | B+ | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Topeka · Topeka Township | #136 | C− | B | D− | C | C |
| Dover Township | — | — | C | — | B− | A− |
| Silver Lake Township | — | — | A− | — | A+ | A− |
| Menoken Township | — | — | D | — | A− | A− |
Dover Township, Silver Lake Township and Menoken Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Mission Township, Dover Township, Silver Lake Township and Menoken Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Topeka Township and Topeka are one community, graded once. Compare Mission Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Mission Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Mission Township, KS a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Mission Township grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #53 of 150 in Kansas. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Mission Township, KS expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.