Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,912, settled in 1866. 2.3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Kansas town.
Wamego is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 6th of 150 in Kansas. It is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B, is in cost of living. Wamego's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns. Wamego has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Cassius and Adelia Baker House and George and Virginia Trout House. Wamego's public schools beat 73% of Kansas towns on state tests and graduation.
Where Wamego beats most towns.
4,372 counted in 2010 and 4,841 in 2020; an estimated 4,912 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Wamego is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,473 in 1890, 4,841 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 2 maps from 1953 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wamego, 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 Wamego.
1.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Wamego Recreation Complex, at 41 acres.
| Wamego | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.9% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wamego Recreation Complex | 0.9 mi | 41 |
| 2. Pennyland Park | 0.3 mi | 7 |
| 3. Miller Family Nature Preserve | — | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Wamego, below both Kansas’ towns (13%) and U.S. towns (14%). 9% of Wamego adults have diabetes. Wamego beats the Kansas average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Wamego | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Wamego | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 13% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Wamego home is worth about $302,000, up 4.7% in a year, 23% above the Kansas typical home. Wamego’s median rent is $849 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Wamego has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Wamego is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Wamego has about as many jobs (2,298) as working residents, but only 509 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Wamego’s working residents works in town. 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Wamego. The top destinations are Manhattan (25%), Topeka (9%) and Wamego Township (4%).
| Wamego | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 15% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 28% of residents (24% statewide). 41% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Kansas.
| Wamego | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 28% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 29% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.7 years | 38.2 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.7 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Wamego | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.3% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.7% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.2% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.5% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.8% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.6% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.2% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,900, single groups can be off by several points
Wamego's reported crime rate is below Kansas's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 17 violent crimes were reported in 2023.
| Wamego | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.8 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 10 per 1,000 residents | 14.2 | 13.1 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wamego.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Wamego
About 2 of every 100 Wamego residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
4 places in Wamego on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Pottawatomie County, Kansas
Wamego is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,841.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Wamego.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wamego | #6 | A | B | — | B+ | A− |
| Wamego Township | #3 | A+ | B+ | — | B+ | A− |
| Wabaunsee Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wamego and Wamego Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Wabaunsee Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wamego with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Wamego grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #6 of 150 in Kansas. It grades A− for health and B+ for schools.
That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($65,469 across the Manhattan, KS metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
