Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 55/100
C−
Median home value$306,200
Kansas City $287,300
Median rent$1,306/mo
Kansas City $1,249/mo
Cost-burdened households29%
Kansas City 28%
Gardner
Johnson County24,526 residentsGardner Edgerton
63
C+
Suburbgrade score
14th of 25 Kansas City suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by amenities.
63
Kansas City median 65
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Gardner yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 63 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Gardner is like to live in, by category
Bars show Gardner against Kansas City. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 73/100
B
Within-state proficiency63rd pct
Kansas City median 83rd pct
Student–teacher ratio12.8
Kansas City median 14.1
Graduation rate95%
Kansas City median 93%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Housing cost index105
Kansas City 100
Eff. tax rate1.15%
Kansas City 1.09%
Local sales tax8.69%
Kansas City median 8.44%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 63/100
C+
Mean commute22.9 min
Kansas City 23.2 min
Under 30 minutes69%
Kansas City 70%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Kansas City median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés22
Kansas City median 27 · within 2 miles
Groceries2
Kansas City median 3 · within 2 miles
Parks37
Kansas City median 32 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Median household income$96,818
Kansas City $83,460
Unemployment3.8%
Kansas City 4.0%
Professional occupations40%
Kansas City 45%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Gardner yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Gardner on amenities
Gardner's weakest grade is C−. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Overland Park14 mi from GardnerB+ 75 B Merriam19 mi from GardnerB 68 B− Prairie Village20 mi from GardnerB 75 B Olathe7 mi from GardnerB− 73 B Lenexa12 mi from GardnerB− 71 B− Leawood17 mi from GardnerB− 76 B Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Gardner
Is Gardner, KS a good place to live?
Gardner scores 63 out of 100, 14th of 25 Kansas City suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Gardner expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $306,200, 7% above the Kansas City median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.15%. $1,306/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Gardner?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Gardner sit at the 63rd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 95% graduation rate and a 12.8 student–teacher ratio. Gardner is served by Gardner Edgerton. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Gardner?
The mean commute is 22.9 min, with 69% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 14% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Gardner?
Within two miles there are 2 groceries, 22 restaurants and cafés and 37 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Gardner old or new?
The median home in Gardner was built in 2003 — newer than the Kansas City median of 1980. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 77% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.
Six Kansas City lists
Best Kansas City suburbs for familiesMost affordable Kansas City suburbsBest Kansas City suburbs for schoolsShortest commutes to Downtown Kansas CityMost walkable Kansas City suburbsBest Kansas City suburbs for young professionalsCompare Gardner
Every Kansas City suburb, side by side