Living in Fort Scott, KS
Fort Scott is a big small town of 7,555 people in Bourbon County, Kansas. It's about 53 miles from Joplin, MO and 90 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 91°F and winter highs 42°F, with about 8 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $101k and rent runs about $755 a month.
7,555people
$101kTypical home
$755/moRent
91° / 42°Summer / winter
8"Snow
253Sunny days
84Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 7,555
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,353 people per sq mi
- 90 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 53 mi to Joplin, MO
- 29 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $101k (≈$634/mo)
- Median rent $755/mo
- Median household income $52k
- Property tax about 1.8% of value
- 6.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 91°F
- Winter highs around 42°F
- Muggy summers (dew point 67°F)
- 253 sunny days a year (111 totally clear)
- 112 cloudy days a year
- 36 of 90 winter days are gray
- 84 days a year with rain or snow
- 8" of snow a year
- 3 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- 6 days a year over 100°F
- 10 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- About average violent crime (402 per 100k)
- Low property crime (1,129 per 100k)
People
- Median age 41
- 21% of households have kids
- 23% are 65 or older
- 23% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 5% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 19 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 48 mi to JLN airport
- 102 mi to MCI (major hub)
- 83 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 83% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1946
- 88% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 869 ft
- 544 mi to the ocean
- 278 mi to a big lake
- Trailhead in town
- 82 mi to the nearest ski area
- Campground in town
- 5 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 27 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 7 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 4 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 38 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 22% of Kansas districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 20 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 71 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 29 mi to the nearest dog park
- 15 congregations per 10k people
- 18 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Bourbon County: R+54 in 2024
- Kansas: R+16 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Moderate tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- High heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk