The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Sunflower State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.
While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.
We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Kansas have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.
A recent study we published found that Kansas is the 11th smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 102.
But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Kansas are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.
#1 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Seward County, Kansas
Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,525.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#2 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Montgomery County, Kansas
Coffeyville is a city in southeastern Montgomery County, Kansas, United States, located along the Verdigris River in the state’s southeastern region. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,295. It is the most populous city of Montgomery County and with its southeast Kansas location is located in the Tulsa, Oklahoma media market. The town of South Coffeyville, Oklahoma is located approximately 1 mile south of the city, existing as a separate political entity immediately south of the state line.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#3 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Barton County, Kansas
Great Bend is a city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. It is named for its location at the point where the course of the Arkansas River bends east then southeast. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 15,995.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#4 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Labette County, Kansas
Parsons is a city in Labette County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,500. It is the most populous city of Labette County, and is the second-most populous city in the southeastern region of Kansas.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#5 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Reno County, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city and county seat in Reno County, Kansas, United States, and located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of “Salt City”, but locals call it “Hutch”. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,080.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#6 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Grant County, Kansas
Ulysses is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Kansas, United States. It is named after Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,161.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#7 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Lyon County, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike. Emporia is also a college town, home to Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#8 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Sumner County, Kansas
Wellington is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,172.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#9 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Pratt County, Kansas
Pratt is a city in and the county seat of Pratt County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,835. Pratt is home to Pratt Community College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
#10 dumbest in Kansas
Located in
Neosho County, Kansas
Chanute is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, United States. Founded on January 1, 1873, it was named after railroad engineer and aviation pioneer Octave Chanute. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,119. Chanute is home of Neosho County Community College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Kansas’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Kansas’s dumbest cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Sunflower State
We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.
So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.
In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Kansas:
- % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
- % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)
We got the data from the U.S. Census 2020-2024 American Community Survey.
Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Kansas from dumbest to brightest.
For this ranking, we used every Kansas city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the dumbest cities in Kansas.
The full plate
Dumbest Cities In Kansas For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | % Adult High School Dropout | % Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberal | 19,316 | 30.0% | 9.0% |
| 2 | Coffeyville | 8,662 | 13.0% | 14.0% |
| 3 | Great Bend | 14,479 | 14.0% | 19.0% |
| 4 | Parsons | 9,425 | 13.0% | 21.0% |
| 5 | Hutchinson | 39,709 | 11.0% | 19.0% |
| 6 | Ulysses | 5,476 | 25.0% | 25.0% |
| 7 | Emporia | 24,131 | 12.0% | 24.0% |
| 8 | Wellington | 7,615 | 9.0% | 21.0% |
| 9 | Pratt | 6,577 | 10.0% | 24.0% |
| 10 | Chanute | 8,598 | 9.0% | 21.0% |
| 11 | Haysville | 11,117 | 8.0% | 20.0% |
| 12 | Paola | 5,770 | 12.0% | 26.0% |
| 13 | Fort Scott | 7,555 | 8.0% | 24.0% |
| 14 | Winfield | 11,711 | 10.0% | 28.0% |
| 15 | Wichita | 397,945 | 12.0% | 31.0% |
| 16 | Concordia | 5,015 | 6.0% | 20.0% |
| 17 | Iola | 5,348 | 6.0% | 23.0% |
| 18 | Bonner Springs | 7,839 | 9.0% | 29.0% |
| 19 | Pittsburg | 20,637 | 10.0% | 33.0% |
| 20 | Independence | 8,422 | 8.0% | 28.0% |
| 21 | Augusta | 9,216 | 6.0% | 24.0% |
| 22 | Newton | 18,397 | 7.0% | 27.0% |
| 23 | Leavenworth | 37,195 | 9.0% | 33.0% |
| 24 | Topeka | 125,786 | 8.0% | 29.0% |
| 25 | Salina | 46,307 | 7.0% | 28.0% |
| 26 | Ottawa | 12,678 | 6.0% | 26.0% |
| 27 | Abilene | 6,449 | 5.0% | 22.0% |
| 28 | El Dorado | 12,769 | 5.0% | 26.0% |
| 29 | Eudora | 6,119 | 8.0% | 39.0% |
| 30 | Valley Center | 8,590 | 7.0% | 37.0% |
| 31 | Colby | 5,387 | 6.0% | 37.0% |
| 32 | Atchison | 10,785 | 4.0% | 27.0% |
| 33 | Gardner | 24,526 | 5.0% | 32.0% |
| 34 | Louisburg | 5,094 | 5.0% | 33.0% |
| 35 | De Soto | 6,414 | 6.0% | 38.0% |
| 36 | Olathe | 145,057 | 7.0% | 49.0% |
| 37 | Derby | 26,062 | 5.0% | 37.0% |
| 38 | Hays | 21,143 | 6.0% | 42.0% |
| 39 | Mulvane | 6,171 | 4.0% | 34.0% |
| 40 | Bel Aire | 9,043 | 6.0% | 50.0% |
| 41 | McPherson | 13,995 | 5.0% | 38.0% |
| 42 | Goddard | 6,030 | 4.0% | 35.0% |
| 43 | Lansing | 11,246 | 4.0% | 36.0% |
| 44 | Merriam | 11,085 | 5.0% | 45.0% |
| 45 | Spring Hill | 9,120 | 4.0% | 45.0% |
| 46 | Tonganoxie | 5,891 | 3.0% | 39.0% |
| 47 | Manhattan | 54,239 | 4.0% | 53.0% |
| 48 | Maize | 6,824 | 2.0% | 40.0% |
| 49 | Lawrence | 96,051 | 4.0% | 56.0% |
| 50 | Basehor | 7,491 | 2.0% | 44.0% |
| 51 | Roeland Park | 6,763 | 4.0% | 58.0% |
| 52 | Andover | 15,965 | 2.0% | 52.0% |
| 53 | Lenexa | 58,384 | 3.0% | 58.0% |
| 54 | Shawnee | 68,542 | 2.0% | 54.0% |
| 55 | Mission | 9,915 | 1.0% | 53.0% |
| 56 | Overland Park | 200,306 | 2.0% | 64.0% |
| 57 | Leawood | 33,809 | 2.0% | 73.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 57 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
If you’re measuring the locations in Kansas where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.
The dumbest cities in Kansas are Liberal, Coffeyville, Great Bend, Parsons, Hutchinson, Ulysses, Emporia, Wellington, Pratt, and Chanute. Not sold on Kansas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Dumbest Places In Kansas FAQs
What is the dumbest city in Kansas?
Liberal is the dumbest place in Kansas for 2026, going purely by adult educational attainment. Coffeyville and Great Bend are next.
What are the dumbest places in Kansas?
The dumbest places in Kansas are Liberal, Coffeyville, Great Bend, Parsons, Hutchinson, Ulysses, Emporia, Wellington, Pratt, and Chanute. We ranked all 57 cities with more than 5,000 residents on adult high-school-dropout and college-degree shares.
Is Kansas a smart state?
Kansas ranks as the 11th smartest state in the country, with an average IQ of 102. City by city, though, the attainment numbers swing a lot — which is what this ranking maps.
What is the smartest place in Kansas?
Leawood is the smartest place in Kansas by this measure, with the best educational attainment numbers of the 57 cities we ranked.
Does this actually measure how smart people are?
No — it measures schooling, not smarts. The ranking counts adults without a high school diploma and adults with a college degree, straight from Census American Community Survey data, and diplomas are not the same thing as intelligence.
