Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,139, founded in 1857. Public schools that outperform most of Kansas.
The best of Seneca’s subject grades are an A+ for schools and civic life and an A for cost of living. Seneca’s average trip to work is 8 minutes, below both the Kansas town median (20 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). No town among the 152 in Kansas we compare has a lower January low than Seneca. Seneca is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns. Seneca has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them US Post Office-Seneca and Nemaha County Jail and Sheriff's House. Seneca has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Seneca beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Nemaha Central Elementary and Middle School | PK–8 | 509 |
| Saints Peter & Paul School | PK–7 | 10 |
| Nemaha Central High School | 9–12 | 242 |
Where Seneca’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Seneca is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,203 in 1880, 2,139 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1889 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Seneca, 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 Seneca.
Its public schools are run by the Nemaha Central school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemaha Central Elementary and Middle SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 509 | A |
| Nemaha Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 242 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
43% of Seneca’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Sabetha (7%), Bern (6%) and Topeka (5%).
| Seneca | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 43% | 15% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Seneca has chilly winters and warm summers. At 88°F, Seneca’s July high is below Kansas’ towns (91°F) but above U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Seneca since 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Seneca beats the Kansas average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Seneca.
| Seneca | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 33% |
| What stands out | Seneca | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.1% | 11.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.1% | 8.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.6% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Seneca’s median rent is $602 a month. Typical home values rose 7.3% in the year to September 2026. 79% of Seneca households own their home.
| Seneca | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $602 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Memorial Park of Nemaha County | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Seneca; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Seneca residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
4 places in Seneca on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Seneca.
City in Nemaha County, Kansas
Seneca is a city in and the county seat of Nemaha County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,139.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Seneca.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca | — | — | A | — | A+ | B |
| Richmond Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mitchell Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Seneca has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Seneca reports no FBI crime data of its own. Richmond Township and Mitchell Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Seneca with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Public schools that outperform most of Kansas.
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.
8 notable people were born here, including John Riggins and Ira K. Wells.
