Should I Move To
Roughly 126,431 people live in Topeka, Kansas. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 18% below the national average. Median rent runs about $926/mo; the typical household pulls in $54,052. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 44/100 — a D, putting it at #703 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Topeka sits at 82 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($926/mo against $54,052 median household income), housing eats roughly 21% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $124,700.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is varied: roughly 87°F in summer, 22°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 39 inches. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential. Crime runs notably high by national standards. As always, neighborhood-level data tells a more nuanced story than the citywide figure. AQI runs about 49 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Topeka isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 48/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (95/100); the soft spot is safety (15/100).
For retirees, Topeka isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 51/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (95/100); the soft spot is safety (15/100).
For remote workers, Topeka is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 56/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is affordability (95/100); the soft spot is safety (15/100).
For young professionals, Topeka isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 52/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (95/100); the soft spot is safety (15/100).
Our overall score for Topeka is 44/100 — a D, sitting at #703 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Topeka sits at 82 — very affordable, 18% below the national average. Median renter pays around $926 a month.
Topeka runs varied on the weather. Summer's near 87°F, winter's near 22°F; 39 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 71/100. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential.
Roughly 126,431 people live here, with 28% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 38.
Drop Topeka into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Topeka with other Kansas cities scored on UrbRank.
Take the 2-minute UrbRank quiz to get a personalized ranking of US cities based on your priorities — cost, climate, commute, jobs, and more.