Best Places66849, KS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 66849, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
66849 ranks 21,896th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 66849
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.
66849's strengths and weaknesses
Where 66849 ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$535 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 64% of zip codes
Where 66849 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 66849
A household needs to earn about $51,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 66849 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $68,039, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 66849's effective rate of 1.29%, 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 66849
66849 runs older 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 66849.
Who works in 66849, and how
Work in 66849 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 66849
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 66849.
What the weather is like in 66849, month by month
66849 sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 30° | 20° |
| April | 71° | 56° | 44° |
| July | 92° | 80° | 69° |
| October | 73° | 58° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 66849
The nearest airport, Manhattan Regional, is about 20 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 105 miles away.
The best schools in and around 66849
Schools across 66849 average a C+, better than 41% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Sheridan ElemB+ · 53% proficient
- Council Grove Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- White City ElemD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Fort Riley Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Manhattan High School West/east CampusC+ · 39% proficient
- Council Grove Junior Senior High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- White City HighD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 66849 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
66849 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 66849 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 66849
Is 66849 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 66849 ranks 21,896th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state infrastructure, affordable childcare, and an educated workforce, and lowest on summer heat and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 66849 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $181,840. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $68,039 median income, cost of living beats 55% of zip codes.
Is 66849 safe?
Yes, 66849 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $292 per resident a year.
Compare 66849 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 66849. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 66849 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.
66849 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 66849: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 66849: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 66849: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 66849: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
66849 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.