Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A strong record with one exception. On schools it is strong: its schools rank ahead of 74% of Kansas towns. Add walkability to its strengths: it is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is safety: its police reported 21 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than just over four fifths of U.S. towns. Homes run about $376K for a typical one, 4.5 times the Kansas City metro’s $83K median household income. All told, that adds up to a B overall and a rank of 74th of 150 in Kansas. That leaves it better than 57% of U.S. towns. Paola’s concentration of trails is 1.6 miles per square mile, above both the Kansas town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Paola beats most towns.
Miami County Courthouse14.5% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Paola is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,811 in 1870, 5,768 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Paola, 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 Paola.
Paola trades workers with Olathe and other neighbors, is one of Kansas’s best towns for the outdoors and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Kansas.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #2 of 151 in Kansas.
Lake Miola Park, at 494 acres with 8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Across 6 parks and preserves: 9.2 miles of trail. Parks and preserves in Paola: 6, covering 569 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Miola Park | 8 mi | 494 |
| 2. Wallace Park | — | 69 |
| 3. Widiker Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The public schools here belong to the Paola school district. The largest public high school is Paola High, with 567 students. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paola MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 413 | B |
| Paola HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 567 | C− |
| Sunflower ElemTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 373 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Paola: nearly two thirds of households own their home. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 5.4%. A home in Paola typically sold within 40 days of listing.
| Paola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,091 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 337 to 79 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Paola’s violent crime rate comes in at 3.6 per 1,000 residents. Its rate of thefts and burglaries comes in at 9.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Paola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.9 per 1,000 residents | 11.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Osawatomie weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 46 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 92% of Kansas places with climate records. July afternoons average 89°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 89% of Kansas places with climate records; January nights average 20.8°.
In Paola, the typical July afternoon high is 89°F. About 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Paola | 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
18% of residents are under 18 in Paola. People 65 and older are nearly a quarter of residents (17% statewide); children under 18 are 18% of residents (24% statewide). The town’s median age stands at 45 years. Here, 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 36% in Kansas as a whole.
| Paola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 45 years | 38.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 30% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 67% are women (KS 48%).
| Paola | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.3% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.2% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.1% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.9% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.7% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.6% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.9% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Paola has about as many jobs (3,369) as working residents, but only 602 people both live and work here.
Paola’s typical journey to work is 26 minutes. Half commute less than 21 miles. The top destinations are Olathe (13%), Overland Park (10%) and Topeka (6%).
| Paola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The share of adults in Paola who had a checkup this year: 76%. Among adults locally, 30% feel lonely and 15% binge drink.
| Paola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 77% | 79% |
| What stands out | Paola | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 8.1% |
| More adults with arthritis | 29.6% | 25.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Of the losses FEMA expects in Paola, 45% come from inland flooding and 17% from tornadoes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in just over half of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 2 claims in the town since 2007.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Paola; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Paola residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
6 places in Paola on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Paola.
City and County seat in Kansas, United States
Paola is a city in and the county seat of Miami County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,768.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Paola.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paola | #74 | B | B | C− | B+ | B |
| Paola Township | — | — | B | — | B+ | B+ |
| Marysville Township | — | — | C+ | — | A− | A− |
| Valley Township | — | — | A− | — | B− | B |
Paola Township, Marysville Township and Valley Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Paola Township, Marysville Township and Valley Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Paola with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Paola grades B overall, better than 57% of U.S. towns and #74 of 150 in Kansas. It grades B for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
7 notable people were born here, including Lynn Dickey and Earl Eugene O'Connor.
