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