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METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Topeka Metro

Topeka, KS · 5 counties · 233,870 residents · 3,233 sq mi
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The short version

Topeka is a metro area of 233,870 people. Median home value sits at $115,184. 3% of people across the metro were born outside the United States. Renters pay $634 a month at the median. Median household income is $48,701, close to the national figure. Headcount has barely moved since 2000.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Mid-age
median age 39.1
US median: 37.2
Average education
27% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
233,870
+4%since 2000
from 224,551 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
72 / sq mi
+4%since 2000
from 69 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
39.1
+4%since 2000
from 37.4 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
3,233 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
208K215K222K229K237K19902000201020202024Topeka
2024232K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.8%(15,879)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 97%(16,384)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 146.9%(16,156)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 196.6%(15,483)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 245.8%(13,455)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3412.3%(28,804)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4411.8%(27,517)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.9%(34,918)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6413.1%(30,753)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 747.7%(18,109)
US avg: 7%
75 to 844.9%(11,475)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over2.1%(4,937)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$48,701
−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,125 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$25,268
+24%since 2000
from $20,312 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
28.0%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 27.3% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
13.5%
+4.3 ptssince 2000
from 9.1% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.421
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Information11.5%
US avg: 11.5%
Retail trade8.6%
US avg: 10.9%
Other services7.6%
US avg: 7%
Wholesale trade6.7%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance6.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration6.1%
US avg: 4.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.5%
US avg: 4.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.5%
US avg: 2.4%
Transportation & warehousing2.3%
US avg: 3.1%
Education & health services1.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction1.5%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$115,184
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $79,258 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$634
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $477 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
69.3%
−1.7 ptssince 2000
from 71.0% in 2000
30.7% rent
Vacancy rate
7.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.7% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.38 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.36 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
21.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 21.0% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 41.0% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
2.4
+2%since 2009
from 2.3 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic83.5%(187,516)
Black6.7%(15,110)
Hispanic / Latino5.9%(13,138)
Asian0.7%(1,662)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic79.7%(186,502)
Black6.3%(14,839)
Hispanic / Latino8.8%(20,615)
Asian0.9%(2,179)
Other3.7%(8,538)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican7.2%(16,612)
Puerto Rican0.4%(856)
Dominican0.1%(176)
Cuban0.1%(163)
Guatemalan0.1%(117)
Costa Rican0.1%(100)
Spaniard0%(81)
Colombian0%(77)
Honduran0%(47)
+ 5 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ancestry
German32.8%(75,839)
Irish14.8%(34,221)
English11%(25,431)
American7%(16,310)
French3.3%(7,679)
Swedish2.9%(6,628)
Dutch2.3%(5,431)
Scotch-Irish2.3%(5,300)
Scottish2.2%(5,057)
Italian2%(4,584)
Norwegian1.3%(2,903)
Polish1.2%(2,873)
+ 40 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.9%(2,173)
Czech0.8%(1,880)
Russian0.8%(1,819)
Danish0.6%(1,322)
Swiss0.4%(1,036)
British0.4%(911)
Belgian0.2%(455)
Austrian0.1%(316)
Arab0.2%(315)
Croatian0.1%(199)
Greek0.1%(183)
Romanian0.1%(176)
Hungarian0.1%(174)
Lithuanian0.1%(163)
Egyptian0.1%(143)
Canadian0.1%(135)
Ukrainian0.1%(132)
Portuguese0%(100)
Brazilian0.1%(96)
Macedonian0.1%(91)
Iraqi0%(74)
Nigerian0%(67)
Turkish0%(65)
Lebanese0%(62)
Slovene0%(53)
Slovak0%(49)
Haitian0%(41)
Finnish0%(28)
Ethiopian0%(26)
Iranian0.2%(25)
Bulgarian0%(19)
Serbian0.1%(14)
Jamaican0.1%(13)
Armenian0%(12)
Kenyan0%(5)
Latvian0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
26.9%
+3.2 ptssince 2000
from 23.6% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
90.5%
+2.5 ptssince 2000
from 88.0% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
9.0%
+1.1 ptssince 2000
from 7.9% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.5 min
+51%since 2000
from 13.6 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
82.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 81.7% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
10.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.9% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
0.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
1.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
6.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
17.3%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 16.8% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
34.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 34.2% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
51.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
3.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
12.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.1% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married32.2%(29,598)
Married53%(48,713)
Widowed3.2%(2,956)
Divorced11.6%(10,633)
Women 15+
Never married25.8%(25,017)
Married49.5%(47,955)
Widowed9.7%(9,405)
Divorced15%(14,559)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
8.4%
−3.8 ptssince 2013
from 12.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
60.5%
−2.0 ptssince 2020
from 62.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 16.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
21.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 20.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
15.0%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 14.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 3.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
73.9%
−2.8 ptssince 2020
from 76.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
34.5%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 32.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)26.9%(3,881)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)23.5%(3,397)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era38.5%(5,568)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.7%(675)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.5%(74)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 14,452 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
In this metro

Largest cities

TopekaCENTRAL125,795Holton3,396Osage City2,784Silver Lake1,316Carbondale1,296Auburn1,272Rossville1,088Oskaloosa1,060Valley Falls1,055Lyndon1,032Overbrook985Burlingame925Perry848McLouth832Vassar832Alma830Meriden709Scranton637Maple Hill628Ozawkie617Hoyt593Nortonville579Tecumseh457Winchester440Eskridge427Alta Vista401Mayetta353Melvern340Quenemo286McFarland274

The 30 most populous of 45 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

5 component counties

Shawnee CountyCENTRAL178,607Jefferson County18,296Osage County15,693Jackson County13,438Wabaunsee County7,018
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Topeka

Athens
Pop 224,148
Panama City
Pop 231,174
Punta Gorda
Pop 217,212
Prescott Valley
Pop 252,552
Places similar to Topeka
Head to head

Compare Topeka side by side

TOPEKA VS
Athens
Income$69,695+43%
Home value$314,999+173%
Population224,148−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
TOPEKA VS
Panama City
Income$71,687+47%
Home value$293,695+155%
Population231,174−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
TOPEKA VS
Punta Gorda
Income$69,952+44%
Home value$328,900+186%
Population217,212−7%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
TOPEKA VS
Prescott Valley
Income$69,613+43%
Home value$425,200+269%
Population252,552+8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Topeka, KS?

Topeka, KS has about 233,870 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Topeka, KS?

The typical household in Topeka, KS earns about $48,701 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Topeka, KS expensive?

In Topeka, KS, the median home is worth about $115,184, and the typical rent is about $634 a month.

How educated are people in Topeka, KS?

About 26.9% of adults age 25 and over in Topeka, KS hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Topeka, KS?

About 13.5% of people in Topeka, KS live below the federal poverty line.

Has Topeka, KS grown since 1990?

Yes, Topeka, KS has grown since 1990. The population has added about 23,613 residents, a change of about 11 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →