Kansas City has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Kansas City without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Kansas City: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Kansas City for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Kansas City? Mission Hills ranks as the best suburb of Kansas City for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Mission Hills, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Kansas City ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Missouri:
The 10 Best Kansas City Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 3,548
Median Income: $250,001
Unemployment Rate: 0.3%
Poverty Rate: 1.2%
More on Mission Hills: Data | Movers
Mission Hills is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Kansas City area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Mission Hills.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the highest in the Kansas City region. And only 0.29% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,603,472 each.
/10
Population: 4,159
Median Income: $152,574
Unemployment Rate: 1.7%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Fairway: Data | Movers
Fairway is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Kansas City for 2026.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 1.56% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
/10
Population: 33,809
Median Income: $185,625
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Leawood: Data | Movers
Here in Leawood, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Kansas City metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Leawood.
My parents moved from Wichita to Overland Park then to Leawood. Leawood is a lovely city, near the Plaza. Thinking of moving there- I hope you are financially successful and secure.
4. Westwood, KS
/10
Population: 2,093
Median Income: $118,250
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 1.9%
More on Westwood: Movers
Westwood ranks as the 4th best suburb of Kansas City for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Westwood and the schools are some of the best around.
5. Weatherby Lake, MO
/10
Population: 2,401
Median Income: $152,500
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 3.4%
More on Weatherby Lake: Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Weatherby Lake.
Weatherby Lake gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Kansas City area, where houses sell for an average of $585,268. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 6,013
Median Income: $107,250
Unemployment Rate: 0.9%
Poverty Rate: 3.2%
More on Greenwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Greenwood is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 0.93%.
According to online reports, Greenwood is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Kansas City area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 8,366
Median Income: $171,271
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 2.0%
More on Parkville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Parkville.
Parkville schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 15.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 200,306
Median Income: $104,834
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 5.6%
More on Overland Park: Data | Movers
Overland Park is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 4.58% of people lack insurance, good for 16th in the area.
/10
Is ‘Everything Better In Lake Lotawana?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 58,384
Median Income: $103,239
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 5.4%
More on Lenexa: Data | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Lenexa.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Kansas City for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Kansas City was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Kansas City.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 47 suburbs to evaluate around Kansas City.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 47 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Kansas City.” We’re lookin’ at you, Mission Hills.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Kansas City suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Kansas City ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Kansas City are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Kansas City but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Missouri reading, check out:
Table: Best Kansas City Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission Hills, MO | 3,548 | $250,001 | $1,603,472 |
| 2 | Fairway, MO | 4,159 | $152,574 | $634,207 |
| 3 | Leawood, MO | 33,809 | $185,625 | $777,578 |
| 4 | Westwood, MO | 2,093 | $118,250 | $438,325 |
| 5 | Weatherby Lake, MO | 2,401 | $152,500 | $585,268 |
| 6 | Greenwood, MO | 6,013 | $107,250 | $355,951 |
| 7 | Parkville, MO | 8,366 | $171,271 | $578,744 |
| 8 | Overland Park, MO | 200,306 | $104,834 | $482,294 |
| 9 | Lake Lotawana, MO | 2,442 | $165,962 | $595,198 |
| 10 | Lenexa, MO | 58,384 | $103,239 | $477,847 |
| 11 | Shawnee, MO | 68,542 | $109,940 | $424,763 |
| 12 | Kearney, MO | 10,885 | $103,622 | $390,529 |
| 13 | Eudora, MO | 6,119 | $118,184 | $332,797 |
| 14 | Olathe, MO | 145,057 | $114,009 | $433,116 |
| 15 | Roeland Park, MO | 6,763 | $88,774 | $332,319 |
| 16 | Lee’s Summit, MO | 103,656 | $102,531 | $389,363 |
| 17 | Raymore, MO | 24,526 | $104,447 | $356,401 |
| 18 | Pleasant Valley, MO | 2,736 | $75,682 | $257,452 |
| 19 | Spring Hill, MO | 9,120 | $112,428 | $419,142 |
| 20 | Smithville, MO | 10,705 | $101,165 | $371,403 |
| 21 | Basehor, MO | 7,491 | $116,769 | $439,342 |
| 22 | Mission, MO | 9,915 | $75,534 | $330,950 |
| 23 | Grain Valley, MO | 16,271 | $89,649 | $326,296 |
| 24 | Gardner, MO | 24,526 | $96,818 | $352,182 |
| 25 | Peculiar, MO | 5,958 | $94,519 | $357,230 |
| 26 | Blue Springs, MO | 59,965 | $88,920 | $307,946 |
| 27 | Lansing, MO | 11,246 | $102,786 | $321,293 |
| 28 | Merriam, MO | 11,085 | $73,600 | $326,708 |
| 29 | Liberty, MO | 30,689 | $88,542 | $324,253 |
| 30 | Pleasant Hill, MO | 8,847 | $95,602 | $364,998 |
| 31 | De Soto, MO | 6,414 | $104,000 | $425,983 |
| 32 | Tonganoxie, MO | 5,891 | $80,109 | $373,875 |
| 33 | Gladstone, MO | 27,207 | $79,271 | $266,727 |
| 34 | Louisburg, MO | 5,094 | $68,824 | $400,546 |
| 35 | Bonner Springs, MO | 7,839 | $83,218 | $300,304 |
| 36 | Belton, MO | 25,008 | $69,226 | $270,040 |
| 37 | Leavenworth, MO | 37,195 | $72,987 | $260,124 |
| 38 | Buckner, MO | 2,914 | $87,350 | $206,577 |
| 39 | Raytown, MO | 29,445 | $68,840 | $205,242 |
| 40 | Oak Grove, MO | 8,538 | $75,102 | $291,502 |
| 41 | Harrisonville, MO | 9,970 | $62,473 | $294,225 |
| 42 | Riverside, MO | 4,276 | $52,006 | $468,189 |
| 43 | Independence, MO | 121,740 | $60,339 | $208,157 |
| 44 | Excelsior Springs, MO | 10,484 | $72,609 | $223,588 |
| 45 | Grandview, MO | 26,527 | $53,447 | $216,734 |
| 46 | Edwardsville, MO | 4,724 | $72,611 | $298,496 |
| 47 | Sugar Creek, MO | 3,249 | $62,165 | $170,941 |