Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,063, settled in 1860.
Washington’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A for walkability and civic life; its weakest is a D for schools. Only 9 of Kansas’ 373 towns score lower on the outdoors. Washington has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Washington County Courthouse and Washington County Jail and Sheriff's Residence. Washington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Washington beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Washington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1934.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Washington, 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 Washington.
Its two schools are below. Public schools: the Washington Co. Schools. 2 public schools serve Washington, with 355 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 192 | B− |
| Washington County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 163 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Typical home values fell 2.8% in the year to September 2026. 69% of Washington households own their home.
| Washington | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $553 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Washington, 9.5% of adults worry about having enough food. This Kansas town does better than the Kansas average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 4. 15% of adults in Washington report frequent mental distress; 20% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Washington | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Washington | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 13% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.4% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical July afternoon high in Washington is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Federal aid has come to Washington households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2021. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 65% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts just over two fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 15% to tornadoes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Washington: 24% of working residents work locally, against 15% in Kansas’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. In Washington, the average trip to work is 14 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 21 miles away. Employers in Washington shed 35 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 531.
| Washington | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Washington; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Washington residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
3 places in Washington on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Washington County, Kansas
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,071.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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+.
