Kansas

The population of Kansas is estimated to be 2.893 million people (2016). Since 2010, it has increased by 39,869 people (approximately 1.4%). Neighboring states have the following population: currently, 3.85 million people live in Oklahoma (2.6% population growth since 2010), 1.869 million live in Nebraska (2.4 % growth compared with the data for 2010).

The median household income in Kansas is $52,205 (2016). Since 2010, it has increased by $932 (1.8%). The highest median household incomes are in the following cities of Kansas: Mission Hills ($229,625), Leawood ($139,384), and Lake Quivira ($137,917). These are the median household incomes in the neighboring states: $52,997 in Nebraska and $48,173 in Missouri.

The median property value in Kansas is $132,000 (2016). These are the cities in Kansas with the highest median property values: Mission Hills ($913,700), Lake Quivira ($552,800), Mission Woods ($545,800), Leawood ($398,300), and Westwood Hills ($363,200). Median home prices in nearby states include $133,200 in Nebraska, and $132,000 in Oklahoma.

A poverty rate shows the percentage of the poor among the entire population. For the state of Kansas, the estimated poverty rate is 9.09% (based on the data for 2016). Since 2010, this figure has increased by 0.16 percentage points. The official poverty rate in the U.S. is 12.7 percent (according to the U.S. Census Bureau for 2016). Thus, we see that Kansas is below the national level based on this measure (for this indicator, lower is better). Neighboring Kansas states have the following poverty level: the poverty rate in Missouri is 11.13%, in Nebraska—8.75%.

In 2016, the median gross rent in Kansas was estimated at $757 per month. The following cities top the list of places with the highest median gross rent in Kansas: Westwood Hills ($1,705/mo), Prairie Village ($1,234/mo), Leawood ($1,234/mo), Westwood ($1,210/mo), and Fairway ($1,207/mo). For comparison purposes, we present data on median gross rent in neighboring states: in Missouri renters pay $746/mo, in Oklahoma—$757/mo.

The estimated rent burden in Kansas is 27.9% (based on Census records for 2016). It is considered that if a household spends no more than 30 percent of its income on rent, utilities, and other building costs, such housing is affordable. Rental housing in Alabama is becoming less affordable. In 2009, the rent burden was lower and estimated at 27.5%. Compare the housing affordability in Kansas and neighboring states: in Oklahoma, the rent burden is 28.3%, in Nebraska — 27.0%.

The share of renter-occupied housing units in Kansas is 33.31%. This figure has slightly increased compared to 2010, when 32.24% of houses and apartments were rented out. The following cities in Kansas have the highest share of renter-occupied units: Manhattan (61.49%), Cedar Point (60.00%), and Ogden (58.37%). Here's what rental market looks like in the nearby states: in Nebraska 33.76% of housing units are occupied by renters or tenants, in Missouri—32.76%.

Experts estimate the number of renter occupied households in Kansas at 372,342 units (based on Census and ESRI data for 2016). In 2015, there were 367,061 of such households. Cities in Kansas with the largest number of renter occupied households are the following: Wichita (63,709), Overland Park (28,109), Kansas City (23,805), Topeka (23,525), and Lawrence (20,650). Here's what rental housing looks like in nearby states: there are 515,013 renter occupied households in Oklahoma and 515,013 households in Nebraska.

The total number of eviction judgments in Kansas is 8,559 (2016). In 2015, there were 7,774 evictions. Thus, we observe an increase of 10.1%. In the neighboring states, the picture is as follows: 20,651 evictions were conducted in Missouri, 5,615 evictions were conducted in Nebraska.

There were 12,972 eviction cases filed in Kansas in 2016. There were 11,204 of such cases in 2015 (growth of 1768 filings, or 15.8% up). Nearby states recorded the following stats: 35,106 cases were registered in Missouri, 7,325 in Nebraska (data for 2016).