Wichita, Kansas
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Wichita.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Wichita compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 396,488City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $63,072Incorporated place (ACS)20% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 65ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)35% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $179,500City limits (ACS)41% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $960City limits (ACS)29% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.0%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 19 min24% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3522% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1141annualized per 100k · citywide89% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 5321.7annualized per 100k · citywide73% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 91°F4.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 25°F9.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 34.3 inNear U.S. avg (32.9 in)U.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 278Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Wichita with another city
Wide-open plains weather — wind, heat, and tornado season — is a planning factor. Roughly 278 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Average one-way commute time is about 19 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 35/100. Labor-market readings near 4.0% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1141 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Relocators eyeing Wichita, Kansas will find roughly 396,488 residents within city limits. With median income around $63,072 and a cost index of 65, the market reads among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs. Entry home prices around $179,500 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Wichita is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Wichita with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Wichita city, 1600000US2079000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN201730000000003 (Sedgwick County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00003928 WICHITA)
Last updated 2026-07-28