Kansas City

Shortest commutes to Downtown Kansas City

Ranked on distance to Downtown Kansas City at 50% and the mean commute time residents report to the Census at 50%. The mean commute includes people who work locally, which is why the two numbers do not always agree.

Updated Sep 2026·25 suburbs considered, 10 listed
1
Kansas City, KS
Kansas City$167k median · 22.4 min commute
Commute C+Housing FCost of living C+
90
Commute score
overall 48 D+
2
Prairie Village$436k median · 19.6 min commute
Commute A−Housing B−Cost of living C
87
Commute score
overall 75 B
3
Events are commonly held at the new Lenexa civic campus
Lenexa$395k median · 19.4 min commute
Commute A−Housing CCost of living C
87
Commute score
overall 71 B−
4
Merriam$263k median · 22.2 min commute
Commute B+Housing D+Cost of living B−
85
Commute score
overall 68 B−
5
Kansas, Shawnee. Johnson County Museums: Museum of History. Entry sign.
Shawnee$360k median · 22.3 min commute
Commute B−Housing C+Cost of living C+
85
Commute score
overall 69 B−
6
Downtown
Kansas City$243k median · 21.7 min commute
Commute B+Housing D−Cost of living C+
83
Commute score
overall 61 C
7
The Lansing High School band marches in the 2015 Leavenworth County Veterans Day Parade.
Lansing$271k median · 21.3 min commute
Commute C+Housing CCost of living C
82
Commute score
overall 61 C
8
Overland Park$414k median · 19.7 min commute
Commute A−Housing C+Cost of living C+
79
Commute score
overall 75 B
9
The corner of Delaware Street and Fifth Street in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas, in 2014.
Leavenworth$193k median · 19.6 min commute
Commute B−Housing D−Cost of living C+
78
Commute score
overall 55 C−
10
City Hall of Gladstone
Gladstone$232k median · 22.9 min commute
Commute C+Housing DCost of living B
78
Commute score
overall 67 C+
This list's weighting
Distance to downtown 50%Mean commute time 50%
Other Kansas City lists
Best Kansas City suburbs for familiesMost affordable Kansas City suburbsBest Kansas City suburbs for schoolsMost walkable Kansas City suburbsBest Kansas City suburbs for young professionalsHow we score Kansas City suburbs →

Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Kansas City (Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5); Lenexa (Kelseyneth · CC BY-SA 4.0); Shawnee (Brylie · CC BY-SA 3.0); Kansas City (Stephen Edmonds · CC BY-SA 3.0); Lansing (Melissa Bower · CC BY-SA 4.0); Leavenworth (Melissa Bower · CC BY-SA 4.0); Gladstone (SamuelNelsonGISP · CC0).