Living in Fort Scott, KS
Bourbon County
Fort Scott is the Bourbon County seat in southeast Kansas, home to the real Fort Scott National Historic Site -- a genuine, former U.S. Army fort built in 1842, reactivated during the Civil War, and preserved today as the most complete surviving example of a Permanent-Indian-Frontier-era Army fort -- and to Fort Scott Community College, the oldest community college in Kansas (founded 1919). Fort Scott's population ran 7,552 per the 2020 Census, the most recent baseline confirmed this pass. Fort Scott's housing runs genuinely affordable, with figures ranging from approximately $63,350 to $78,000 depending on source and measure, well below Kansas's own statewide figures. Fort Scott's own 1.92% effective property tax rate (Ownwell) runs meaningfully above both the national median and Kansas's own statewide figures, though the resulting median annual tax bill ($1,192) stays modest given the area's low home prices. Kansas's comparatively low income tax and full Social Security exemption offset that property-tax picture for many movers. Fort Scott sits within southeast Kansas's historically coal-mining/manufacturing region, which carries real, documented economic-transition challenges, and shares Kansas's statewide tornado, hail, and winter-storm risk.
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Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Bourbon County level this session. Kansas's top state income tax rate is 5.58%. See the Kansas hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Fort Scott-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuinely affordable housing (approximately $63,350-$78,000 depending on measure); Kansas's comparatively low two-bracket income tax with a full Social Security exemption; a genuine, nationally significant historical landmark in Fort Scott National Historic Site; and a real, distinct education anchor in Fort Scott Community College, the oldest in Kansas.
Cons
Fort Scott's own 1.92% effective property tax rate runs meaningfully above both the national and Kansas statewide medians; a confirmed, current named-employer list and a fresher-than-2020 population figure were not found with confidence this pass; and southeast Kansas's real, documented economic-transition challenges and statewide tornado/hail/winter-storm risk both apply.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits budget-conscious movers prioritizing genuinely low home prices and Kansas's comparatively low income tax, particularly those drawn to Fort Scott's genuine historical/heritage identity or connected to Fort Scott Community College, and comfortable with southeast Kansas's documented economic-transition backdrop.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers prioritizing a low property tax bill specifically -- Fort Scott's own rate runs meaningfully above both the national and Kansas statewide medians -- or anyone needing a large, diversified local job market or nearby major-airport access.
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