Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ulysses gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $159K, 2.4 years of the county’s $66K median household income. It grades A− overall, 38th among Kansas's 150 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools trail 94% of Kansas towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. 41% of working residents work locally in Ulysses, above both Kansas’ towns (15%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 11 of Kansas’ 373 towns score higher on hazard risk. Grant County Courthouse District is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Ulysses beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hickok Elem | PK–2 | 350 |
| Sullivan Elem | 3–5 | 338 |
| Kepley Middle School | 6–8 | 294 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Ulysses is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 198 in 1890, a low of 103 in 1920, 5,788 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 5 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ulysses, 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 Ulysses.
Ulysses pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Kansas norm and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has commutes longer than most of Kansas.
4.5 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Ulysses’ trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Ulysses | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Ulysses school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ulysses High, with 438 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickok ElemLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 350 | – |
| Ulysses HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 438 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 1.3 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Ulysses is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Ulysses | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 11.1 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Ulysses grades A− overall with a typical home of about $159K, below the Kansas typical value; only 5 of the 25 Kansas towns graded A− or better can say that.
Typical home values rose 8.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Ulysses | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $717 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 72% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 2,340 working residents takes 34.9 minutes, against 19.7 across Kansas.
Since 2013, Ulysses has lost 337 jobs, to 1,639 in 2023. Among 151 Kansas towns, just 1 have a higher average trip to work than Ulysses. The top destinations are Garden City (6%), Hugoton (5%) and Wichita (2%).
| Ulysses | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.6% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Ulysses since 1981.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Of the 151 Kansas towns we compare, none has a higher July high than Ulysses. Ulysses has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,711 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ulysses’s, it is healthier than 77%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Ulysses beats the Kansas average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 19% of Ulysses adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Only 2 of the 150 Kansas towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Ulysses.
| Ulysses | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 8.9% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 22% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 77% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ulysses | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 8.1% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22.4% | 25.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.7% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Ulysses; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Ulysses residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
4 notable people were born in Ulysses.
City in Grant County, Kansas
Ulysses (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Kansas, United States. It is named after Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,788.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Ulysses grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #38 of 150 in Kansas. It grades B for health, A for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
4 notable people were born here, including Sheri L. Dew and Eugene C. Pulliam.