Living in Johnson County
Johnson County is 478 square miles, nestled in the southwestern quadrant of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
In 2019, USA Today ranked Johnson County the 18th best U.S. county to live in based on education, poverty and life expectancy.
The county is the most populous of Kansas' 105 counties with more than 591,178 residents. The county has 185,612 residences, including single-family homes, multi-family units, condos, townhouses and farmsteads. The median household income in Johnson County is $81,121, and the unemployment rate is low – 2.6%, as of December 2018, according to CERI. There are more than 23,600 employment establishments in the county and more than 352,000 workers, as of January 2019, according to the County Economic Research Institute, Inc. The mean travel time to work is 21 minutes.
Across the county, there are 43 fire stations and 20 law enforcement stations. The county has an extensive network of medical facilities, including numerous surgical centers, urgent care facilities and eight hospitals.
The county has 3,518 miles of city streets and 438 miles of county roadways.
Money Magazine ranked Overland Park one of the “100 best cities to live in in the United States.” Overland Park was also ranked as 11th on the livability.com list of the “Top 100 Best Places to live in 2018.” Livability.com also listed Overland Park, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa and Mission among the best places to live in Kansas.
Cities in Johnson County
- Bonner Springs
- De Soto
- Edgerton
- Fairway
- Gardner
- Lake Quivira
- Leawood
- Lenexa
- Merriam
- Mission
- Mission Hills
- Mission Woods
- Olathe
- Overland Park
- Prairie Village
- Roeland Park
- Shawnee
- Spring Hill
- Westwood
- Westwood Hills
Metro Area Sporting Teams/Entertainment
The Kansas City area is host to many attractions just outside of Johnson County. For example, the Kansas Speedway has NASCAR races or you can catch a Kansas City Royals, Chiefs or Sporting KC game. You can shop on the Country Club Plaza or enjoy nightlife in the Kansas City Power & Light District.
Ride a roller coaster at Worlds of Fun, spend the night at the Great Wolf Lodge, catch a rodeo at the American Royal or spend the day at the Kansas City Zoo. And remember, Kansas City barbeque is what it is at! There are several famous spots in and around Johnson County.
Public School Districts
As of September 2018, enrollment for the 2018-2019 school year was more than 95,500 students, according to district communications staff and board clerks.
- Blue Valley Schools (#229)
- De Soto Schools (#232)
- Gardner-Edgerton Schools (#231)
- Olathe Public Schools (#233)
- Shawnee Mission Schools (#512)
- Spring Hill Schools (#230)
Colleges
There are four colleges in the county, including Johnson County Community College, which had fall 2018 credit enrollment of 18,373 with more than 10,000 full-time equivalent students.
Amenities
- Public libraries
- Museums and historical sites
- Restaurants and eateries
- Golf courses
- Swimming pools, beaches and aquatic facilities
- Parks
- Hiking, biking and jogging trails
- Shopping centers and more
Data provided by Johnson County AIMS, unless otherwise noted, based on Dec. 31, 2018, information and data.