Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Osawatomie gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $201K, 2.4 years of the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income. It grades C overall, 111th of 150 graded towns in Kansas. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 77% of the state's. On the plus side, it has 6 miles of trail. Osawatomie’s violent crime rate is 6.9 per 1,000 residents, above both Kansas’ towns (2.5) and U.S. towns (1.8). Only 3 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Osawatomie. The biggest place to walk is Osawatomie City Lakes, 253 acres with 4.4 miles of trail.
Where Osawatomie beats most towns.
2% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Osawatomie is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1854, comes before those of 91% of the Kansas towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 681 in 1880, 4,255 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 3 maps from 1947 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Osawatomie, 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 Osawatomie.
Osawatomie trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Kansas; it also has commutes longer than most of Kansas.
The trail density in Osawatomie is 1.2 miles per square mile.
| Osawatomie | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Osawatomie City Lakes | 4.4 mi | 253 |
| 2. Karl E. Cole Sports Complex | 0.6 mi | 17 |
| 3. John Brown Memorial Park | 0.4 mi | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Osawatomie school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trojan ElemLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 341 | B |
| Osawatomie HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 295 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 1,967 working residents takes 29.9 minutes, against 19.7 across Kansas.
Most working residents leave Osawatomie for work: only 15% work in town. Osawatomie’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Since 2013, Osawatomie has added 79 jobs, to 1,388 in 2023.
| Osawatomie | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Osawatomie weather station records that about 46 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 85% of Kansas places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.2°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 86% of Kansas places with climate records; January nights average 21.1°.
Osawatomie has chilly winters and warm summers. About 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Osawatomie | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 21°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Osawatomie beats the Kansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 18% of Osawatomie adults smoke cigarettes.
| Osawatomie | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 77% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Osawatomie | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 18.3% | 14% |
| More adults in frequent mental distress | 18.7% | 16% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 60.9% | 64.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $201K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles.
The typical Osawatomie home is worth about $201,000, up 1.4% in a year, 18% below the Kansas typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Osawatomie's reported crime rate is close to Kansas's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 29 violent crimes were reported in 2023.
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Osawatomie.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Osawatomie; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Osawatomie residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
Where Osawatomie’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Osawatomie on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Osawatomie.
City in Kansas, United States
Osawatomie ( oh-sə-WAH-tə-mee) is a city in Miami County, Kansas, United States, 61 miles (98 km) southwest of Kansas City. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,255. It derives its name as a portmanteau of two nearby streams, the Marais des Cygnes River (formerly named "Osage River") and Pottawatomie Creek.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Osawatomie.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osawatomie · Osawatomie Township | #111 | C | A− | — | C− | C |
| Valley Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | B |
Valley Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Osawatomie and Valley Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Osawatomie Township and Osawatomie are one community, graded once. Compare Osawatomie with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Osawatomie grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #111 of 150 in Kansas. It grades C for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
3 notable people were born here, including B. H. Born and Lafayette Russell.
