Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,113, settled in 1884.
The best of West Plains Township’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for schools. 33% of residents are under 18 in West Plains Township, against 24% in Kansas’ towns and 22% across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 34 of Kansas’ 373 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. Meade State Park, at 1,130 acres with 2.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. West Plains Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
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 West Plains Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 62 in 1890, 1,037 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Plains Township, 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 West Plains Township.
Its public schools are run by the Kismet-Plains school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plains ElemLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 113 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
West Plains Township has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. At 93°F, West Plains Township’s July high is above both Kansas’ towns (91°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave West Plains Township for work: only 14% work in town. The average trip to work in West Plains Township is 15 minutes. Since 2013, West Plains Township has added 126 jobs, to 357 in 2023.
| West Plains Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
West Plains Township beats the Kansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 15% of West Plains Township adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| West Plains Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 8.9% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 77% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | West Plains Township | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 15.3% | 9.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.6% | 13% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 14.2% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
26 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| West Plains Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meade State Park | 2.3 mi | 1,130 |
| 2. Meade Wildlife Area | — | 792 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of West Plains Township; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 West Plains Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kansas.
1,320 counted in 2010 and 1,177 in 2020; an estimated 1,113 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
City in Meade County, Kansas
Plains is a city in Meade County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,037. It is located along U.S. Route 54 highway. Plains is notable for the width of its main street, which is the widest in the United States at 155 feet 5 inches (47.37 m) across.
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. The typical home is worth about $152,000. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.