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Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Kansas?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Kansas – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Kansas cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Sunflower State:
- Kansas City (Photos)
- Osawatomie
- Emporia (Photos)
- Independence
- Lawrence
- Garnett (Photos)
- Atchison (Photos)
- Kingman (Photos)
- Coffeyville (Photos)
- Arkansas City (Photos)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Mission Hills is the happiest place in Kansas.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
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How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Kansas
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Kansas, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Kansas with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 105 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Kansas’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
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1. Kansas City
Population: 147,598
People Who Own Their Home: 50.62%
Married Adults: 40.74%
2. Osawatomie
Population: 4,403
People Who Own Their Home: 59.92%
Married Adults: 36.25%
3. Emporia
Population: 24,787
People Who Own Their Home: 44.47%
Married Adults: 40.41%
4. Independence
Population: 9,282
People Who Own Their Home: 51.34%
Married Adults: 44.7%
5. Lawrence
Population: 90,194
People Who Own Their Home: 42.18%
Married Adults: 34.97%
6. Garnett
Population: 3,345
People Who Own Their Home: 50.58%
Married Adults: 48.05%
7. Atchison
Population: 10,920
People Who Own Their Home: 59.41%
Married Adults: 37.43%
8. Kingman
Population: 3,151
People Who Own Their Home: 52.66%
Married Adults: 47.01%
9. Coffeyville
Population: 10,034
People Who Own Their Home: 51.1%
Married Adults: 42.88%
10. Arkansas City
Population: 12,316
People Who Own Their Home: 50.22%
Married Adults: 45.45%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Kansas reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Kansas
- These Are The 10 Most Ghetto Cities In Kansas
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Kansas
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Kansas
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| Kansas City | 1 |
| Osawatomie | 2 |
| Emporia | 3 |
| Independence | 4 |
| Lawrence | 5 |
| Garnett | 6 |
| Atchison | 7 |
| Kingman | 8 |
| Coffeyville | 9 |
| Arkansas City | 10 |
| Pittsburg | 11 |
| Topeka | 12 |
| Great Bend | 13 |
| Iola | 14 |
| Concordia | 15 |
| Wichita | 16 |
| Parsons | 17 |
| Manhattan | 18 |
| Baldwin City | 19 |
| Goodland | 20 |
| Ottawa | 21 |
| Leavenworth | 22 |
| De Soto | 23 |
| Galena | 24 |
| Winfield | 25 |
| Lyons | 26 |
| Liberal | 27 |
| Eudora | 28 |
| El Dorado | 29 |
| Dodge City | 30 |
| Hays | 31 |
| Junction City | 32 |
| Chanute | 33 |
| Augusta | 34 |
| Eureka | 35 |
| Columbus | 36 |
| Merriam | 37 |
| Hutchinson | 38 |
| Fredonia | 39 |
| Girard | 40 |
| Frontenac | 41 |
| Edwardsville | 42 |
| Holton | 43 |
| Wellington | 44 |
| Salina | 45 |
| Fort Scott | 46 |
| Park City | 47 |
| Sterling | 48 |
| Baxter Springs | 49 |
| Fort Riley | 50 |
| Hiawatha | 51 |
| Mission | 52 |
| Bonner Springs | 53 |
| Garden City | 54 |
| Oswego | 55 |
| Newton | 56 |
| Burlington | 57 |
| Minneapolis | 58 |
| Tonganoxie | 59 |
| Ulysses | 60 |
| Haysville | 61 |
| Paola | 62 |
| Anthony | 63 |
| Wamego | 64 |
| Lansing | 65 |
| Lenexa | 66 |
| Hugoton | 67 |
| Phillipsburg | 68 |
| Larned | 69 |
| Russell | 70 |
| Overland Park | 71 |
| Louisburg | 72 |
| Pratt | 73 |
| Spring Hill | 74 |
| Elkhart | 75 |
| Gardner | 76 |
| Maize | 77 |
| Roeland Park | 78 |
| Ellsworth | 79 |
| Olathe | 80 |
| Hillsboro | 81 |
| Abilene | 82 |
| Norton | 83 |
| Lindsborg | 84 |
| Marysville | 85 |
| Shawnee | 86 |
| Scott City | 87 |
| Valley Center | 88 |
| Fairway | 89 |
| Clay Center | 90 |
| Colby | 91 |
| Goddard | 92 |
| Clearwater | 93 |
| Beloit | 94 |
| Hesston | 95 |
| Derby | 96 |
| Andover | 97 |
| Mulvane | 98 |
| Prairie Village | 99 |
| Basehor | 100 |
| Bel Aire | 101 |
| Rose Hill | 102 |
| Leawood | 103 |
| Mcpherson | 104 |
| Mission Hills | 105 |
