Is Howard, KS a Good Place to Live?
Howard is a small town of 546 in Kansas, with a median household income of $39,583 and a 2.2% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 79 (US average = 100), which is 21% below the national average.
Strengths: Howard stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B-), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Howard is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Howard city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 79.4Howard's overall cost of living index is 79.4, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Howard costs roughly 21% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Howard, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $43,200 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $486 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 75.4% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $39,583 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Crime data for Howard is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Howard is served primarily by West Elk. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15.7:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Howard, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | West Elk | — |
| Elementary Schools | N/A | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 15.7:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 21.5% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 90.2% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Howard sees average highs of 43.5°F in January and 90.4°F in July, with 38.6 inches of annual precipitation and 6.4 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Howard, KS |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 43.5°F |
| Average High — July | 90.4°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 38.6" |
| Annual Snowfall | 6.4" |
Demographics
| Metric | Howard, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 546 | — |
| Median Age | 42.3 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.2% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 15.8 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 96.5% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.4% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.2% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.9% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 29.7% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 23.1% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Howard
Howard, KS is covered by 1 ZIP code: