Is Medicine Lodge, KS a Good Place to Live?
Medicine Lodge is a small town of 1,377 in Kansas, with a median household income of $53,156 and a 2.9% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 85 (US average = 100), which is 15% below the national average.
Strengths: Medicine Lodge stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (A-), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Medicine Lodge is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Medicine Lodge 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: 85.0Medicine Lodge's overall cost of living index is 85.0, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Medicine Lodge costs roughly 15% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Medicine Lodge, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $74,100 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $703 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 71.1% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $53,156 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeCrime data for Medicine Lodge is not currently available from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program. Not all local agencies report to the UCR each year.
Schools & Education
Medicine Lodge is served primarily by Barber County North. The student-to-teacher ratio is 10.1:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Medicine Lodge, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Barber County North | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 10.1:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 20.5% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 90.5% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Medicine Lodge sees average highs of 46.2°F in January and 94.4°F in July, with 26.5 inches of annual precipitation and 9.4 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Medicine Lodge, KS |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 46.2°F |
| Average High — July | 94.4°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 26.5" |
| Annual Snowfall | 9.4" |
Demographics
| Metric | Medicine Lodge, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,377 | — |
| Median Age | 51.1 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.9% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 18.1 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 95.9% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.0% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 2.3% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 18.1% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 25.9% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Medicine Lodge
Medicine Lodge, KS is covered by 1 ZIP code: