The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Sunflower State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.
While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.
We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Kansas have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.
A recent study we published found that Kansas is the 21st smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 100.
But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Kansas are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Dumbest Places In Kansas
Don’t freak out.
Some places are just smarter than others, but that says nothing about the character of the people living there. It’s another data point a real estate agent would never tell you.
For this ranking, we only looked at cities with populations greater than 5,000, leaving us 57 cities in Kansas to rank. You can take a look at the data below.
For more Kansas reading, check out:
The 10 Dumbest Places In Kansas For 2025
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% Adult High School Dropout: 29.0%
% Highly Educated: 10.0%
More on Liberal: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 13.0%
% Highly Educated: 15.0%
More on Coffeyville: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 14.0%
% Highly Educated: 21.0%
More on Great Bend: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 9.0%
% Highly Educated: 20.0%
More on Hutchinson: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 9.0%
% Highly Educated: 22.0%
More on Fort Scott: Data
/10
% Adult High School Dropout: 9.0%
% Highly Educated: 22.0%
More on Wellington: Data
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% Adult High School Dropout: 13.0%
% Highly Educated: 26.0%
More on Emporia: Data
Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Sunflower State
We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.
So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.
In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Kansas:
- % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
- % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)
We got the data from the U.S. Census 2019-2023 American Community Survey.
Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Kansas from dumbest to brightest.
For this ranking, we used every Kansas city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2025, and it’s our tenth time ranking the dumbest cities in Kansas.
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
If you’re measuring the locations in Kansas where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.
The dumbest cities in Kansas are Liberal, Coffeyville, Great Bend, Ulysses, Parsons, Hutchinson, Fort Scott, Wellington, Chanute, and Emporia.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the smartest places in Kansas, according to science:
- Leawood
- Overland Park
- Mission
For more Kansas reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Kansas
- Cheapest Places To Live In Kansas
- Most Dangerous Places In Kansas
- Richest Cities In Kansas
- Safest Places In Kansas
- Worst Places To Live In Kansas
Dumbest Cities In Kansas For 2025
| Rank | City | Population | % Adult High School Dropout | % Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberal, KS | 19,107 | 29.0% | 10.0% |
| 2 | Coffeyville, KS | 8,752 | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| 3 | Great Bend, KS | 14,596 | 14.0% | 21.0% |
| 4 | Ulysses, KS | 5,812 | 20.0% | 23.0% |
| 5 | Parsons, KS | 9,482 | 12.0% | 23.0% |
| 6 | Hutchinson, KS | 39,837 | 9.0% | 20.0% |
| 7 | Fort Scott, KS | 7,551 | 9.0% | 22.0% |
| 8 | Wellington, KS | 7,643 | 9.0% | 22.0% |
| 9 | Chanute, KS | 8,629 | 9.0% | 19.0% |
| 10 | Emporia, KS | 24,098 | 13.0% | 26.0% |
| 11 | Haysville, KS | 11,117 | 8.0% | 17.0% |
| 12 | Bonner Springs, KS | 7,735 | 9.0% | 25.0% |
| 13 | Paola, KS | 5,757 | 11.0% | 29.0% |
| 14 | Abilene, KS | 6,449 | 8.0% | 21.0% |
| 15 | Iola, KS | 5,368 | 8.0% | 23.0% |
| 16 | Pratt, KS | 6,559 | 8.0% | 23.0% |
| 17 | Wichita, KS | 396,488 | 11.0% | 32.0% |
| 18 | Independence, KS | 8,469 | 8.0% | 26.0% |
| 19 | Colby, KS | 5,389 | 9.0% | 30.0% |
| 20 | Winfield, KS | 11,731 | 8.0% | 29.0% |
| 21 | Leavenworth, KS | 37,176 | 9.0% | 33.0% |
| 22 | Concordia, KS | 5,067 | 5.0% | 20.0% |
| 23 | Newton, KS | 18,443 | 8.0% | 30.0% |
| 24 | De Soto, KS | 6,333 | 11.0% | 38.0% |
| 25 | El Dorado, KS | 12,882 | 6.0% | 26.0% |
| 26 | Salina, KS | 46,432 | 7.0% | 29.0% |
| 27 | Augusta, KS | 9,252 | 5.0% | 25.0% |
| 28 | Ottawa, KS | 12,632 | 6.0% | 27.0% |
| 29 | Valley Center, KS | 8,937 | 9.0% | 36.0% |
| 30 | Topeka, KS | 126,103 | 7.0% | 30.0% |
| 31 | Eudora, KS | 6,036 | 8.0% | 32.0% |
| 32 | Atchison, KS | 10,795 | 5.0% | 29.0% |
| 33 | Pittsburg, KS | 20,606 | 7.0% | 34.0% |
| 34 | Gardner, KS | 24,020 | 5.0% | 32.0% |
| 35 | Mcpherson, KS | 13,956 | 5.0% | 36.0% |
| 36 | Olathe, KS | 143,720 | 7.0% | 49.0% |
| 37 | Goddard, KS | 5,361 | 3.0% | 31.0% |
| 38 | Lansing, KS | 11,229 | 5.0% | 41.0% |
| 39 | Bel Aire, KS | 8,654 | 6.0% | 48.0% |
| 40 | Louisburg, KS | 5,034 | 3.0% | 32.0% |
| 41 | Derby, KS | 25,801 | 4.0% | 37.0% |
| 42 | Mulvane, KS | 5,829 | 3.0% | 34.0% |
| 43 | Hays, KS | 21,078 | 5.0% | 44.0% |
| 44 | Basehor, KS | 7,229 | 3.0% | 39.0% |
| 45 | Spring Hill, KS | 8,691 | 3.0% | 44.0% |
| 46 | Manhattan, KS | 53,951 | 4.0% | 52.0% |
| 47 | Shawnee, KS | 68,175 | 4.0% | 52.0% |
| 48 | Lawrence, KS | 95,459 | 5.0% | 55.0% |
| 49 | Tonganoxie, KS | 5,693 | 2.0% | 38.0% |
| 50 | Roeland Park, KS | 6,800 | 4.0% | 54.0% |
| 51 | Merriam, KS | 11,036 | 2.0% | 43.0% |
| 52 | Maize, KS | 5,990 | 1.0% | 42.0% |
| 53 | Lenexa, KS | 57,986 | 3.0% | 56.0% |
| 54 | Andover, KS | 15,508 | 2.0% | 52.0% |
| 55 | Mission, KS | 9,928 | 1.0% | 53.0% |
| 56 | Overland Park, KS | 197,199 | 2.0% | 64.0% |
| 57 | Leawood, KS | 33,844 | 1.0% | 75.0% |
This article has got to be the most insulting and moronic piece I have ever seen. The sentence, “We understand that since most of Liberal’s economy is based on agriculture, that a high school degree might not be as important as it might be if Liberal’s economy was more technology focused.” nearly made me throw my laptop! That has got to be the most offensive thing I have ever read. Really?? Do you think we in agriculture are still in the 1800’s? Do you think we still work the ground by ox and plow? Are we standing around barefoot and chewing on a wheat sprig? Astounding. Our family has operated a family farm for over 40 years. The skills that a farmer needs in this modern world would make your head spin. We use the highest technology available to us in producing the world’s food. Today’s farmer is an accountant, agronomist, banker, biologist, botanists, chemist, computer programmer, ecologist, economist, etymologist, marketing specialist, mechanic, meteorologist, and innumerable and extensive other specialists. Farmers are at the forefront of technology. They manage more information and maximize the performance of their tools, labor, machinery, resources, seed, animals, fertilizer, chemicals, etc all in the name of quality food production for the world. We are stewards of the land for future generations and take that very seriously. If you checked your facts, many have post secondary educations in a specialty area of agriculture or a complimentary field. Not finishing school is not a wise idea for success in this field. We aren’t hicks or no-nothings. We are professionals.
Well said!! I am from Syracuse, KS and our lifestyle is greatly made up by the farms, dairies, and feedyards. People commonly assume that because we grew up doing physical labor ect that we simply MUST be uneducated and/or downright stupid. I’m on the path to attaining my PhD in advanced mathematics, with a minor in accounting. People I went to school with are literally making over a million dollars a year… oh, and we are all under 26 years of age. Never underestimate the value of a man or woman raised in an agricultural background.