Residents of Johnson County continue to report being highly satisfied with Johnson County as a place to live, raise children and feel safe in their neighborhoods. The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners received the results of the 2025 Community Survey from ETC Institute on March 27. 

Information on satisfaction levels

Overall satisfaction with Johnson County as place to live, work and raise children is among the highest in the nation.

• Nearly all (95%) of residents surveyed said they viewed the county as a good or excellent place to live.
• A similar amount (93%) considered the county as a good or excellent place to raise children.
• Nearly 90% of residents reported an overall feeling of safety in Johnson County.
• 88% said they have an overall positive image of Johnson County.
• 88% reported satisfaction with Johnson County as a place to work.

“Johnson County residents are clearly proud to live, work, raise a family and retire in a county that performs better than most in the nation,” said Johnson County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Mike Kelly. “We are listening to our residents by prioritizing the fundamental services that create our excellent quality of life, and our residents recognize that. We see several areas where the same services and programs that rank highest in satisfaction also rank as the highest priority services and programs for the county to provide.”

The feeling of safety and our low crime rate tops the list of why people choose to live in Johnson County. It also makes the “top 3 list” of important quality of life issues in Johnson County, along with health care access and well-maintained roads.

One of the areas that received the highest satisfaction was the Johnson County Election Office; 91% of people said the county has enough advanced voting locations, and 94% said polling places are conveniently located.

Consistent with other areas of the country, the survey revealed a few decreases in satisfaction, including the value people feel they receive for their taxes and the fairness of how their property is valued. However, satisfaction with the performance of most departments, programs and services stayed consistent compared to prior years.

“I am so proud of our organization’s ongoing efforts to provide high quality programs and services that align with our Board and community priorities, while balancing the reality of our finances and the priority to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars,” said County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson. “We take very seriously the feedback we receive in the annual survey, and while it is our understanding that the decreases we saw are consistent with the rest of the country, we appreciate the feedback for our focus on continuous improvement.”

Top priorities for county residents

When asked what they think is most important for the county to provide, respondents picked these top five priority services: 

• Department of Emergency Services (Med-Act, Emergency Preparedness)
• Parks
• Election Office
• Libraries
• Sheriff’s Office

Residents feel the most critical roles for Johnson County Government in the next 10-20 years are making sure necessary health and human services are available, coordinating public safety and law enforcement and maintaining high quality emergency services. They also prioritize well-maintained roads.

The county received some important feedback on providing housing resources to those who need that support.

• Satisfaction with this category of service provision increased 6% over last year.
• The more popular resources for the county to provide included energy efficiency improvements, utility assistance and a housing services and resource center for those experiencing homelessness.

ETC distributed the survey to randomly selected households from each district. The survey was administered by mail, phone and online. 1,212 respondents completed the survey, resulting in a 95% confidence level for the survey findings. More information is available here.