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.
$250,001 median income · $1,603,473 median home price
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 0.3% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,603,473 each.
$152,574 median income · $634,208 median home price
Fairway is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Kansas City for 2026.
It ranks 5th for incomes in the area and only 1.6% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
$185,625 median income · $777,578 median home price
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.
$118,250 median income · $438,325 median home price
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.
$152,500 median income · $585,269 median home price
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 $585,269. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
$107,250 median income · $355,951 median home price
Located in
Jackson County, Missouri
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 0.9%.
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$171,271 median income · $578,744 median home price
Located in
Platte County, Missouri
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$104,834 median income · $482,295 median home price
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 4.6% of people lack insurance, good for 16th in the area.
$165,962 median income · $595,199 median home price
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.
$103,239 median income · $477,848 median home price
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.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Missouri’s statewide median.
Missouri statewide median: $70,702
Missouri statewide median: $263,040
Missouri statewide median: 4.0%
Missouri statewide median: 12.6%
On the map
Where the best Kansas City suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
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.
The full plate
Table: Best Kansas City Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mission Hills | 3.50 | 3,548 | $250,001 | $1,603,473 |
| 2 | Fairway | 3.86 | 4,159 | $152,574 | $634,208 |
| 3 | Leawood | 5.71 | 33,809 | $185,625 | $777,578 |
| 4 | Westwood | 6.21 | 2,093 | $118,250 | $438,325 |
| 5 | Weatherby Lake | 8.50 | 2,401 | $152,500 | $585,269 |
| 6 | Greenwood | 13.21 | 6,013 | $107,250 | $355,951 |
| 7 | Parkville | 13.29 | 8,366 | $171,271 | $578,744 |
| 8 | Overland Park | 13.71 | 200,306 | $104,834 | $482,295 |
| 9 | Lake Lotawana | 15.14 | 2,442 | $165,962 | $595,199 |
| 10 | Lenexa | 15.57 | 58,384 | $103,239 | $477,848 |
| 11 | Shawnee | 16.57 | 68,542 | $109,940 | $424,763 |
| 12 | Kearney | 17.14 | 10,885 | $103,622 | $390,530 |
| 13 | Eudora | 18.00 | 6,119 | $118,184 | $332,798 |
| 14 | Olathe | 18.50 | 145,057 | $114,009 | $433,117 |
| 15 | Roeland Park | 18.50 | 6,763 | $88,774 | $332,319 |
| 16 | Lee’s Summit | 18.64 | 103,656 | $102,531 | $389,364 |
| 17 | Raymore | 18.79 | 24,526 | $104,447 | $356,402 |
| 18 | Pleasant Valley | 18.93 | 2,736 | $75,682 | $257,452 |
| 19 | Spring Hill | 19.14 | 9,120 | $112,428 | $419,142 |
| 20 | Smithville | 20.07 | 10,705 | $101,165 | $371,403 |
| 21 | Basehor | 20.57 | 7,491 | $116,769 | $439,342 |
| 22 | Mission | 20.79 | 9,915 | $75,534 | $330,951 |
| 23 | Grain Valley | 21.79 | 16,271 | $89,649 | $326,296 |
| 24 | Gardner | 23.36 | 24,526 | $96,818 | $352,182 |
| 25 | Peculiar | 23.71 | 5,958 | $94,519 | $357,230 |
| 26 | Blue Springs | 24.14 | 59,965 | $88,920 | $307,947 |
| 27 | Lansing | 26.36 | 11,246 | $102,786 | $321,293 |
| 28 | Merriam | 26.93 | 11,085 | $73,600 | $326,709 |
| 29 | Liberty | 27.14 | 30,689 | $88,542 | $324,253 |
| 30 | Pleasant Hill | 27.29 | 8,847 | $95,602 | $364,998 |
| 31 | De Soto | 27.29 | 6,414 | $104,000 | $425,984 |
| 32 | Tonganoxie | 27.86 | 5,891 | $80,109 | $373,875 |
| 33 | Gladstone | 28.93 | 27,207 | $79,271 | $266,727 |
| 34 | Louisburg | 31.50 | 5,094 | $68,824 | $400,547 |
| 35 | Bonner Springs | 32.29 | 7,839 | $83,218 | $300,304 |
| 36 | Belton | 33.50 | 25,008 | $69,226 | $270,041 |
| 37 | Leavenworth | 34.29 | 37,195 | $72,987 | $260,124 |
| 38 | Buckner | 34.29 | 2,914 | $87,350 | $206,578 |
| 39 | Raytown | 35.57 | 29,445 | $68,840 | $205,243 |
| 40 | Oak Grove | 36.21 | 8,538 | $75,102 | $291,503 |
| 41 | Harrisonville | 37.57 | 9,970 | $62,473 | $294,225 |
| 42 | Riverside | 38.43 | 4,276 | $52,006 | $468,190 |
| 43 | Independence | 39.86 | 121,740 | $60,339 | $208,158 |
| 44 | Excelsior Springs | 39.86 | 10,484 | $72,609 | $223,588 |
| 45 | Grandview | 40.79 | 26,527 | $53,447 | $216,734 |
| 46 | Edwardsville | 41.43 | 4,724 | $72,611 | $298,497 |
| 47 | Sugar Creek | 43.29 | 3,249 | $62,165 | $170,941 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 47 suburbs within 30 miles of Kansas City.
Summary
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 Mission Hills, Fairway, Leawood, Westwood, Weatherby Lake, Greenwood, Parkville, Overland Park, Lake Lotawana, and Lenexa.
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. Not sold on Missouri? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Kansas City FAQs
What is the best suburb of Kansas City?
Mission Hills is the best suburb of Kansas City for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Fairway and Leawood are next.
What are the best suburbs of Kansas City?
The best suburbs of Kansas City are Mission Hills, Fairway, Leawood, Westwood, Weatherby Lake, Greenwood, Parkville, Overland Park, Lake Lotawana, and Lenexa. We ranked all 47 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Mission Hills?
The median household income in Mission Hills is $250,001 and the median home costs $1,603,473. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Kansas City?
Any place within 30 miles of Kansas City qualifies. 47 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Kansas City suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Mission Hills, takes the crown.
