Folks in Kansas City have a lot to celebrate. And not just because the Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season. It’s among the most diverse places in Missouri, a cultural hub that represents the best of the American midwest.
Kansas City boasts more fountains than Rome, so it’s not hard to see how it got the nickname the City of Fountains. But a nickname like “the City of Boulevards” would be equally apt, seeing as KC has more boulevards than any city in the world, except Paris. What’s clear is that Kansas City is one snazzy city that puts a premium on aesthetic quality. I mean, Swope Park is twice the size of NYC’s Central Park, so you know locals value gorgeous outdoor spaces.
And KC isn’t just a treat for the eyes. With a storied tradition of promoting jazz musicians from the 1920s up until the present day, your ears are likely to be treated to some seriously tasty tunes as well. Arts and culture are valued almost as highly as what is possibly Kansas City’s greatest pride: mouthwatering barbecue.
All right, that’s enough on how awesome Kansas City is, but can we be a bit more specific? Where can we find the best neighborhoods, complete with line-out-the-door BBQ joints, the hippest jazz venues, and the most majestic fountains? Well, it seems as though Kansas City’s southside enjoys an advantage over the city’s northern end. We came to that conclusion by looking at the statistics that translate into a high quality of life: high incomes, a high-quality market for both jobs and housing, low crime, and of course, plenty of entertaining things to do and see.
Don’t get spooked by the high home prices in Armour Fields; there are loads of great neighborhoods in Kansas City that don’t have such a high price tag. For example, taking a five-minute drive southeast of Armour Fields will bring you to Tower Homes, where homes are less than half the price. Or if you want a nice combination of high incomes and affordable home prices, Armour Hills might be just the ticket.
Pull up some BBQ ribs, throw on some Louis Armstrong, and get ready to start living like a Kansas City Royal, because we’re visiting KC’s best neighborhoods.
$124,347 median income · $308,700 median home value
$75,496 median income · $414,133 median home value
$103,164 median income · $281,400 median home value
$69,637 median income · $278,450 median home value
$57,680 median income · $1,023,300 median home value
$71,537 median income · $211,660 median home value
$78,097 median income · $176,600 median home value
$51,154 median income · $259,400 median home value
$71,579 median income · $273,525 median home value
$65,231 median income · $281,675 median home value
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
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Kansas City, MO neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Kansas City, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 124 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Kansas City.” We’re lookin’ at you, Armour Hills.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Kansas City, Missouri has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Kansas City.
The full plate
Table: Best Kansas City neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armour Hills | 2,130 | $308,700 | $124,347 |
| 2 | South Plaza | 2,747 | $414,133 | $75,496 |
| 3 | Westwood | 800 | $281,400 | $103,164 |
| 4 | Longfellow | 1,990 | $278,450 | $69,637 |
| 5 | Country Club Plaza | 745 | $1,023,300 | $57,680 |
| 6 | West Plaza | 4,278 | $211,660 | $71,537 |
| 7 | Tower Homes | 5,669 | $176,600 | $78,097 |
| 8 | Oak Meyer Gardens | 1,513 | $259,400 | $51,154 |
| 9 | Western 49-63 | 4,461 | $273,525 | $71,579 |
| 10 | Volker | 3,765 | $281,675 | $65,231 |
| 11 | Central Hyde Park | 1,789 | $335,650 | $103,888 |
| 12 | Morningside | 1,534 | $317,250 | $115,357 |
| 13 | Ward Parkway | 2,577 | $213,267 | $80,602 |
| 14 | Plaza Westport | 1,252 | $271,150 | $86,275 |
| 15 | Country Lane Estates | 2,053 | $229,300 | $48,938 |
| 16 | Unity Ridge | 1,150 | $333,300 | $93,542 |
| 17 | Royal Oaks | 1,622 | $177,900 | $61,198 |
| 18 | West Waldo | 1,414 | $180,700 | $67,534 |
| 19 | Red Ridge South | 2,970 | $227,900 | $46,227 |
| 20 | Central Business District-Downtown | 4,364 | $191,233 | $52,423 |
| 21 | Crown Center | 1,455 | $244,133 | $74,465 |
| 22 | Blue Vue Hills | 2,047 | $172,200 | $70,125 |
| 23 | River Market | 2,247 | $438,500 | $76,806 |
| 24 | Willow Creek | 4,014 | $144,350 | $48,485 |
| 25 | White Oak | 2,802 | $112,000 | $58,733 |
| 26 | Valentine | 1,449 | $300,000 | $44,362 |
| 27 | Faireway Hills | 2,342 | $128,200 | $74,063 |
| 28 | Mission Lake | 3,585 | $185,800 | $73,739 |
| 29 | Ward Parkway Plaza | 472 | $173,600 | $54,063 |
| 30 | Southmoreland | 3,950 | $197,680 | $53,798 |
| 31 | Birdlespur | 1,364 | $168,650 | $89,478 |
| 32 | Western Hills | 1,935 | $147,600 | $65,350 |
| 33 | Stayton Meadows | 2,325 | $119,400 | $64,711 |
| 34 | Martin City | 825 | $256,800 | $65,500 |
| 35 | Roanoke | 400 | $600,000 | $85,000 |
| 36 | Blue Hills Estates | 1,520 | $224,800 | $53,319 |
| 37 | Saint Catherine’s Gardens | 2,573 | $119,000 | $62,102 |
| 38 | North Hyde Park | 1,875 | $245,150 | $26,801 |
| 39 | Kirkside | 1,255 | $100,000 | $41,678 |
| 40 | Highview Estates | 2,096 | $246,833 | $76,796 |
| 41 | Union Hill | 505 | $248,100 | $70,612 |
| 42 | Hanover Place | 2,668 | $221,800 | $43,479 |
| 43 | Eastern 49-63 | 3,305 | $123,833 | $42,741 |
| 44 | Linden Hills And Indian Heights | 2,401 | $151,250 | $59,897 |
| 45 | Bonne Hills | 1,787 | $151,933 | $59,294 |
| 46 | South Hyde Park | 1,949 | $193,600 | $56,936 |
| 47 | Little Blue Valley | 3,670 | $195,320 | $81,899 |
| 48 | North India Mound | 5,296 | $75,800 | $36,925 |
| 49 | Lea Manor | 1,900 | $200,000 | $85,491 |
| 50 | Bannister Ares | 1,518 | $121,350 | $50,536 |
| 51 | Citadel | 1,889 | $165,700 | $38,155 |
| 52 | Westside North | 2,059 | $182,233 | $54,386 |
| 53 | Santa Fe Hills | 2,029 | $153,067 | $58,618 |
| 54 | Eastwood Hill East | 3,615 | $87,900 | $51,980 |
| 55 | South India Mound | 5,458 | $66,050 | $44,198 |
| 56 | Park Farms | 3,340 | $103,850 | $44,742 |
| 57 | Oakwood | 1,007 | $127,350 | $45,714 |
| 58 | Holmes Park | 932 | $183,600 | $49,125 |
| 59 | Pendleton Heights | 3,798 | $164,225 | $33,780 |
| 60 | Richards Gebaur | 1,125 | $202,350 | $37,652 |
| 61 | Vineyard | 2,555 | $49,600 | $41,246 |
| 62 | Sarritt Point | 4,325 | $72,520 | $35,911 |
| 63 | Oldham Farms | 953 | $81,300 | $52,880 |
| 64 | Hillcrest | 452 | $127,800 | $40,368 |
| 65 | Sterling Acres | 766 | $97,500 | $49,100 |
| 66 | Fairlane | 5,035 | $95,675 | $48,856 |
| 67 | Palestine West And Oak Park Northeast | 1,209 | $64,500 | $40,926 |
| 68 | Robandee South | 1,511 | $77,000 | $60,170 |
| 69 | Loma Vista | 2,463 | $139,250 | $33,200 |
| 70 | Self Help Neighborhood Council | 2,054 | $67,250 | $35,040 |
| 71 | Oak Park Southwest | 2,474 | $37,200 | $68,433 |
| 72 | West Blue Township | 915 | $54,200 | $32,400 |
| 73 | Swope Park Campus | 1,042 | $101,833 | $36,687 |
| 74 | Brown Estates | 907 | $115,100 | $52,884 |
| 75 | Ivanhoe Northeast | 866 | $44,900 | $38,728 |
| 76 | Stanford Estates | 1,771 | $80,300 | $54,219 |
| 77 | Bleheim Square-Research Hospital | 1,652 | $66,000 | $23,264 |
| 78 | Beacon Hills | 1,198 | $158,800 | $40,562 |
| 79 | Manheim Park | 1,523 | $172,600 | $32,012 |
| 80 | North Town Fork Creek | 2,979 | $124,514 | $35,811 |
| 81 | Oak Park Southeast | 1,268 | $41,100 | $37,805 |
| 82 | Blue Hills | 4,600 | $52,914 | $40,152 |
| 83 | Country Valley-Hawthorn Square | 340 | $158,500 | $45,549 |
| 84 | Fairwood And Robandee | 3,165 | $103,825 | $40,445 |
| 85 | Ruskin Hills | 3,088 | $88,300 | $50,824 |
| 86 | East Meyer | 4,625 | $76,560 | $35,925 |
| 87 | Lewis Heights | 362 | $103,400 | $27,024 |
| 88 | Hickman Mills South | 1,301 | $70,350 | $53,599 |
| 89 | East Community Team South | 3,804 | $29,800 | $41,411 |
| 90 | Hickman Mills | 3,183 | $111,540 | $35,914 |
| 91 | Vineyard Northwest | 1,054 | $40,800 | $41,277 |
| 92 | Santa Fe | 2,103 | $56,775 | $29,174 |
| 93 | Westside South | 1,545 | $142,600 | $42,276 |
| 94 | Ruskin Heights | 4,791 | $70,825 | $37,661 |
| 95 | Riss Lake | 2,564 | $112,200 | $36,372 |
| 96 | East Sqope Highlands | 927 | $104,300 | $33,356 |
| 97 | Norble And Gregory Ridge | 1,842 | $66,367 | $36,942 |
| 98 | Oak Park Northwest | 2,576 | $47,600 | $23,026 |
| 99 | Linwood Homeowner-Ivanhoe | 1,346 | $56,500 | $21,750 |
| 100 | Ivanhoe Southeast | 1,613 | $33,200 | $38,880 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 124 Kansas City neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Kansas City
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Kansas City where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Kansas City are Armour Hills, South Plaza, Westwood, Longfellow, Country Club Plaza, West Plaza, Tower Homes, Oak Meyer Gardens, Western 49-63, and Volker.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Kansas City aren’t all good. Blue Valley Industrial takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Kansas City.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on Missouri? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Kansas City FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Kansas City?
Armour Hills is the best neighborhood in Kansas City for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. South Plaza and Westwood are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Kansas City?
The best neighborhoods in Kansas City are Armour Hills, South Plaza, Westwood, Longfellow, Country Club Plaza, West Plaza, Tower Homes, Oak Meyer Gardens, Western 49-63, and Volker. We ranked all 124 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Armour Hills?
The median household income in Armour Hills is $124,347 and the median home costs $308,700. The best blocks in Kansas City rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Kansas City neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Armour Hills, takes the top spot.
Which Kansas City neighborhood ranked last?
Blue Valley Industrial came in last of the 124 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Kansas City the numbers put it there.
