Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Yates Center’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living, an A− for walkability, and an A for civic life; the weakest is a D for incomes. Only 17 of Kansas’ 373 towns score higher on history. Yates Center has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Yates Center beats most towns.
Woodson County CourthouseIn 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 Yates Center is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 350 in 1880, a peak of 2,306 in 1920, 1,352 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 5 maps from 1886 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Yates Center, 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 Yates Center.
Homes in Yates Center are typically worth about $124,000, up 2.9% in a year, 50% below the Kansas typical home. In Yates Center, just over three quarters of households own their home, where Kansas’ towns sit at 72% and U.S. towns at 73%.
| Yates Center | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $615 a month | $975 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 72% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Woodson school district. 2 public schools serve Yates Center, with 430 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yates Center ElemLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 249 | B |
| Yates Center HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 181 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
About one in five of Yates Center’s working residents works in town. For Yates Center, the average trip to work is 17 minutes. Jobs in Yates Center grew by 36 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 434. The top destinations are Iola (10%), Humboldt (6%) and Chanute (5%).
| Yates Center | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 15% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For Yates Center, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 31 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Yates Center after 7 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. 32% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 15%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 90° and January nights of 22°, with about 9 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Yates Center, one in ten adults worry about having enough food. The town beats the Kansas average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. Two figures for adults here: 38% have high blood pressure, 16% report frequent mental distress.
| Yates Center | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Yates Center | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.7% | 11.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 8.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Yates Center; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Yates Center residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
4 places in Yates Center on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Woodson County, Kansas, United States
Yates Center is a city in and the county seat of Woodson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,352.
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+.
