The 10 Poorest Cities In Kansas For 2023


The poorest places in Kansas are Pittsburg and Coffeyville for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, Kansas has certain places that are going on hard times. These Kansas places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Kansas.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 62 cities in Kansas with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Here are the ten poorest places in Kansas for 2023:

  1. Pittsburg
  2. Coffeyville
  3. Iola
  4. Parsons
  5. Emporia
  6. Independence
  7. Fort Scott
  8. Winfield
  9. Chanute
  10. Great Bend

What’s the poorest city in Kansas? According to the facts, Pittsburg is the poorest place in Kansas for 2023.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more Kansas reading, check out:


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Cities In Kansas For 2023

1. Pittsburg

Pittsburg, KS

Source: Wikipedia User Ichabod | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 20,667
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $36,657 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.2% (highest)
People In Poverty: 6,025
More on Pittsburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Pittsburg, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Kansas thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 20,667 people averages the lowest median household income in Kansas and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Coffeyville

Coffeyville, KS

Source: Wikipedia User City of Coffeyville | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 9,032
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $38,582 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.0% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,345
More on Coffeyville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Kansas is Coffeyville.

The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 15th highest in the Sunflower State.

3. Iola

Iola, KS

Source: Wikipedia User Gordon Huggins | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,378
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $41,563 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.1% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,136
More on Iola: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Iola’s median income ranks as the 4th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 21.13154738104758% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Sunflower State.

4. Parsons

Parsons, KS

Source: Wikipedia User Kaethesson | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 9,652
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Income: $44,674 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.3% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,060
More on Parsons: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Parsons ranks as the fourth poorest place in Kansas.

The town ranks as having the 6th lowest median household income and the 4th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Emporia

Emporia, KS

Source: Wikipedia User Ethan James Scherrer | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 24,220
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $46,642 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.8% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,321
More on Emporia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Kansas is Emporia.

The city ranks as having the 8th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 10th highest in Kansas.

Still not the best news for Emporia.

6. Independence

Independence, KS

Source: Wikipedia User 25or6to4 | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 8,584
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 3)
Median Income: $44,565 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.2% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,476
More on Independence: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Independence ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Sunflower State.

It ranks as having the 13th highest incidence of poverty and the 55th highest unemployment rate.

7. Fort Scott

Fort Scott, KS

Source: Wikipedia User Brandonrush | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 7,579
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $40,417 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.7% (15th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,262
More on Fort Scott: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Fort Scott places as the seventh poorest city in Kansas.

The city of over 7,579 ranks as having the 15th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. Winfield

Winfield, KS

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 11,817
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 4)
Median Income: $50,388 (14th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.1% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,262
More on Winfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Winfield ranks as the eighth poorest city in Kansas.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 9th highest in the state.

9. Chanute

Chanute, KS

Source: Wikipedia User Ichabod | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,737
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Income: $49,421 (13th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.8% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,642
More on Chanute: Data | Cost Of Living

Chanute couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Kansas; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 13th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Chanute ranks as having the 8th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Kansas.

10. Great Bend

Great Bend, KS

Source: Wikipedia User Paul Sableman | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,864
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 4)
Median Income: $48,465 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.0% (14th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,523
More on Great Bend: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Kansas is Great Bend.

The city of 14,864 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Sunflower State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Kansas for 2023

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2017-2021 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 62 places with more than 5,000 people in Kansas, we ranked each place from 1 to 62 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Pittsburg, crowned the “Poorest Place In Kansas For 2023”.

This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Kansas.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Kansas For 2023

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Kansas, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Kansas.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Kansas, according to data:

    Richest: Leawood
    2nd Richest: Lansing
    3rd Richest: Andover

For more Kansas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Kansas

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Pittsburg 20,667 29.2% $36,657 6,025
2 Coffeyville 9,032 26.0% $38,582 2,345
3 Iola 5,378 21.1% $41,563 1,136
4 Parsons 9,652 21.3% $44,674 2,060
5 Emporia 24,220 17.8% $46,642 4,321
6 Independence 8,584 17.2% $44,565 1,476
7 Fort Scott 7,579 16.7% $40,417 1,262
8 Winfield 11,817 19.1% $50,388 2,262
9 Chanute 8,737 18.8% $49,421 1,642
10 Great Bend 14,864 17.0% $48,465 2,523
11 El Dorado 12,855 17.2% $49,248 2,213
12 Kansas City 155,745 18.4% $50,707 28,605
13 Manhattan 54,794 25.9% $52,747 14,207
14 Atchison 10,773 16.2% $48,880 1,749
15 Concordia 5,096 14.8% $48,333 751
16 Hays 20,870 17.6% $50,941 3,671
17 Arkansas City 12,028 13.7% $46,358 1,642
18 Topeka 126,802 15.2% $50,870 19,326
19 Liberal 19,340 13.9% $50,704 2,681
20 Lawrence 94,745 19.1% $56,536 18,053
21 Wellington 7,745 12.7% $50,676 983
22 Junction City 23,033 16.5% $56,410 3,811
23 Hutchinson 40,202 13.1% $52,277 5,271
24 Wichita 394,574 15.2% $56,374 60,115
25 Dodge City 27,899 14.0% $56,897 3,914
26 Salina 46,896 12.1% $52,702 5,670
27 Pratt 6,618 13.2% $56,104 873
28 Augusta 9,299 11.4% $52,500 1,063
29 Garden City 28,022 13.7% $59,331 3,838
30 Ottawa 12,592 11.4% $56,091 1,433
31 Abilene 6,507 8.2% $52,423 536
32 Ulysses 5,812 9.2% $54,723 535
33 Leavenworth 37,216 13.1% $63,260 4,883
34 McPherson 13,916 11.9% $59,610 1,657
35 Roeland Park 6,871 13.3% $73,984 911
36 Newton 18,576 10.7% $59,586 1,984
37 Haysville 10,887 11.0% $60,873 1,196
38 Mulvane 5,676 10.8% $62,666 615
39 Mission 9,884 11.0% $68,859 1,089
40 Colby 5,434 8.0% $59,292 436
41 Maize 5,469 4.4% $54,870 241
42 Merriam 11,110 7.9% $64,703 880
43 Bonner Springs 7,858 10.1% $75,168 792
44 Tonganoxie 5,383 8.9% $72,623 480
45 Spring Hill 7,883 9.9% $89,250 777
46 Paola 5,733 6.5% $63,675 373
47 Bel Aire 8,148 9.3% $90,957 756
48 Park City 7,817 7.7% $71,045 598
49 Derby 25,365 7.0% $74,427 1,784
50 Basehor 6,717 7.9% $91,649 532
51 Valley Center 8,365 1.5% $64,811 124
52 Gardner 23,065 5.9% $83,284 1,358
53 De Soto 6,160 7.0% $92,889 432
54 Eudora 6,457 7.9% $99,615 510
55 Shawnee 67,021 5.9% $93,835 3,958
56 Prairie Village 22,812 4.4% $92,753 1,014
57 Overland Park 195,249 4.1% $92,769 7,965
58 Lenexa 56,755 5.1% $96,477 2,896
59 Olathe 140,339 6.0% $100,849 8,453
60 Andover 15,162 4.1% $103,383 614
61 Lansing 11,321 1.0% $98,413 118
62 Leawood 33,748 2.0% $159,540 677
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

One thought on “The 10 Poorest Cities In Kansas For 2023

  1. I think you totally missed Manchester Kansas on this list. Either that, or you’re only looking at towns with names people would recognize. Some of the places on your list are tourist traps or college towns and only have income during those seasons. So yes I can understand where you are coming from but they should not be making the poorest list by any means.

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