Liberal, KS — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Kansas·Liberal

Seward County · Liberal · population 19,184

AffordabilityShrinkingSmall-town feel
View watchlist →
56
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Liberal stands

At or near all-time high. population shrinking 0.8% per year.

Median home $143,508
1-year +1.7%
5-yr CAGR +3.0%
vs 5-yr peak -1.4%
Population -0.8%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-02$144k$0k$50k$101k$151k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
64/100
Workable for remote workers
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
58 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
53 · w22%
Distance from peak
82 · w18%
Population growth
33 · w16%
Home 10-yr CAGR
48 · w10%
Long thesis

Liberal has held up across the cycle: home values at $143,508 with +3.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Liberal's population is shrinking 0.8% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Liberal

Liberal is a city in Seward County, Kansas, with an estimated population of 19,184. The population has contracted 0.8% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Liberal is $143,508 as of 2026-04, up 1.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.0% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. The composite momentum score is 56 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

Bull case

Held the highs: currently -1.4% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
Cheap entry point: $143,508 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.

Bear case

Flat or shrinking population: -0.8% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Seward County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Seward County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Liberal

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
41° / 21°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
89° / 66°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
230
~63% of year
Annual precip
30″ rain
15″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Liberal listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Liberal area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
65%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$69,700
Kansas state median
Top industries (state-level)
Aerospace (Wichita)AgricultureHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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