Housing, rent, and a comparison to the US average.
The median home value in Emporia, KS is $172,180 as of 2026-04. That places Emporia below the US average for housing cost, with a cost index of approximately 49 versus a national baseline of 100.
Over the past 12 months, the median home value in Emporia has moved sideways, and over the past five years it has averaged +5.3% annual growth. The current price sits -0.5% from its 5-year peak in 2025-11.
Renters pay a median of $808 per month in Emporia. Rents have changed +3.5% over the last year and averaged — per year over five years.
Beyond housing, day-to-day costs in Emporia are shaped by state and local taxes, utility rates, transportation, and groceries. This page focuses on the housing component, which is the largest single line in most household budgets and the easiest to compare across cities using consistent national data.
Housing
| Median home value | $172,180 |
| 1-year change | +1.8% |
| 5-year price growth | +5.3% |
| 10-year price growth | +6.2% |
| vs 5-year peak | -0.5% |
Source: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI).
How Emporia compares
| Cost index | 49 (below US) |
| Median home vs US (~$355k) | -51.5% |
| Population | 24,354 |
| Momentum score | 66 (Rising) |
Cost index is currently a housing-only proxy; full BLS basket coming with ACS pull.
Affordability reality
Prices only mean something against local pay. Here’s how Emporia’s housing lines up with what people here actually earn.
| Median rent vs income | 18% of local median income |
| Home price-to-income | 3.3× local median income |
At $808/mo, rent eats about 18% of the local median household income of $52,704 — within the 30% rule of thumb for affordable housing.
The median home runs about 3.3× the local median income (stretched).
Daily life in Emporia
Climate
Summers run warm (highs near 89°F) and winters are chilly (highs near 41°F), with about 15″ of snow a year.
Natural-hazard & insurance risk
Insurance heads-up: in Emporia, flood damage isn’t covered by standard home insurance — budget for a separate NFIP/private flood policy and check the FEMA flood zone for the exact address.
Getting around
The average commute is 14 min — shorter than the US average of ~27 min; 6% of workers are remote; 50% own their home.
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.