Best Places66502, KS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 66502, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
66502 ranks 14,379th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 66502
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
66502's strengths and weaknesses
Where 66502 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute17.6 minutes each way, better than 92% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 90% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 66502 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Household income$59,773 median, better than only 24% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 66502
A household needs to earn about $68,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 66502 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $59,773, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 66502's effective rate of 1.44%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 66502
66502 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 66502.
Who works in 66502, and how
Work in 66502 centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 66502
66502 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 75% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 66502 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 66502, month by month
66502 sees roughly 114 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 42, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 30° | 21° |
| April | 71° | 56° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 68° |
| October | 72° | 57° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 66502
The nearest airport, Manhattan Regional, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 100 miles away.
The best schools in and around 66502
Schools across 66502 average a B−, better than 51% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- West ElemA− · 59% proficient
- St George ElemA− · 58% proficient
- Riley County Grade SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Rock Creek Middle SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Susan B Anthony Middle SchoolB · 44% proficient
- Wabaunsee Junior HighB · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Rock Creek High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Manhattan High School West/east CampusC+ · 39% proficient
- Wabaunsee Sr HighC · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 66502 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
66502 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 66502 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 66502 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 66502
Is 66502 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 66502 ranks 14,379th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, short commutes, and population health, and lowest on civic engagement and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 66502 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $240,177. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $59,773 median income, cost of living beats 31% of zip codes.
Is 66502 safe?
66502 is safer than 48% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $385 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 66502?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 42 with lows near 21. That works out to about 114 pleasant days a year, more than 72% of zip codes.
Is 66502 good for families?
Schools beat 51% of zip codes, crime safety beats 48%, and childcare runs $712 a month.
Compare 66502 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 66502. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 66502 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
66502 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 66502: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 66502: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 66502: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 66502: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
66502 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.