With 125,786 people, Topeka is a city in Kansas. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $144,200. Getting to work takes 17 minutes on average. The foreign-born share is 5%. There are 2,040 people per square mile. Households here earn about 23% less than in Kansas as a whole.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $56,956, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
29% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Topeka
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$117,123 → $144,200(+23%)US over the same years: +67%
Adults with a bachelor's degree22.1% → 29.0%(+6.8 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Median household income (2024 dollars)$64,259 → $56,956(−11%)US over the same years: +14%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)24.9%(1,872)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)24.4%(1,832)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era37.5%(2,824)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.7%(354)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(55)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 7,522 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Topeka, decade by decade
Topeka population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
119,883
$64,259
$117,123
22.1%
38.8
2000
122,377
$65,448
$119,683
25.3%
51.8
2010
127,473
$58,035
$135,513
27.3%
60.4
2020
126,587
$60,174
$128,113
28.5%
68.5
2024
125,786
$56,956
$144,200
29.0%
66.7
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
