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Mid-size city

Living in Topeka, KS

Topeka is a mid-size city of 125,786 people in Shawnee County, Kansas. It's part of the Topeka, KS area. Summer highs average 90°F and winter highs 40°F, with about 16 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $144k and rent runs about $979 a month.

125,786people
$144kTypical home
$979/moRent
90° / 40°Summer / winter
16"Snow
251Sunny days
98Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Mid-size city of 125,786
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 2,032 people per sq mi
  • 62 mi to Kansas City, MO
  • In the Topeka, KS area
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $144k (≈$909/mo)
  • Median rent $979/mo
  • Median household income $57k
  • Property tax about 1.5% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 90°F
  • Winter highs around 40°F
  • Muggy summers (dew point 66°F)
  • 251 sunny days a year (103 totally clear)
  • 114 cloudy days a year
  • 35 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 98 days a year with rain or snow
  • 16" of snow a year
  • 5 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • 5 days a year over 100°F
  • 14 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (61 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (211 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 38
  • 26% of households have kids
  • 18% are 65 or older
  • 29% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 18 min
  • 3% walk or take transit to work
  • 53 mi to MHK airport
  • 56 mi to MCI (major hub)
  • 2 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 69% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1967
  • 88% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 938 ft
  • 634 mi to the ocean
  • 315 mi to a big lake
  • Trailhead in town
  • 49 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 3 mi to the nearest campground
  • 18 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 120 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 17 bars within 25 mi
  • 49 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 16 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 17 museums within 25 mi
  • 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
  • Farmers market in town

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 12% of Kansas districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 2 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 2 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 8 congregations per 10k people
  • College in town

Politics

  • Shawnee County: Purple — split almost evenly
  • Kansas: R+16 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • High heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Topeka

More places in Kansas →