Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 286, founded in 1886.
Otis’ mean commuting time is 39 minutes, above both the Kansas town median (20 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only one of the 104 Kansas towns we compare has a lower midpoint home value than Otis. Otis has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 505 in 1920, 296 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1896 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Otis, 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 Otis.
The typical rent in Otis is $900 a month. Otis: 86% of households own their home, where Kansas’ towns sit at 72% and U.S. towns at 73%. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 3.5% in value.
| Otis | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $900 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Only 10 of the 152 Kansas towns we compare have a higher share of residents below the poverty line than Otis. Just 4% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. The top destinations are La Crosse (23%), Hays (14%) and Great Bend (7%). For half of commuters, work is under 19 miles away.
| Otis | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of adults in Otis who had a checkup this year: 76%. In Otis, 29% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 30% feel lonely.
| Otis | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Otis | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.7% | 6.4% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.8% | 3.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Otis after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2021. For Otis, the FEMA risk score is 57 of 100. 30% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 18%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Otis; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Otis residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
Where Otis’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Rush County, Kansas
Otis is a city in Rush County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 296.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Otis has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.