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

All states·Kansas·Topeka

Shawnee County · Topeka · population 125,467

Affordability
Topeka, KS
Image: Wikipedia · Topeka, Kansas
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
63
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Topeka stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $193,522
1-year -0.8%
5-yr CAGR +6.6%
vs 5-yr peak -1.7%
Population -0.2%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-09$194k$97k$133k$169k$205k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
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.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,224/mo$804$1,051$1,298202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent138143100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.2
Buy

At a 13.2 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Topeka on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.2 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
46 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
72 · w22%
Distance from peak
80 · w18%
Population growth
42 · w16%
Rent YoY
72 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
69 · w10%
Long thesis

Topeka offers a $193,522 median home with +6.6% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Topeka's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Topeka

Topeka is a city in Shawnee County, Kansas, with an estimated population of 125,467. The median home value in Topeka is $193,522 as of 2026-04, down 0.8% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Topeka average $1,224 per month, up 4.0% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 63 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +6.6% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -1.7% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Cheap entry point: $193,522 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Topeka (Wikipedia)

Topeka is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 126,587.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorSpencer Duncan
Area62.76 sq mi
Elevation938 ft
Founded1854
Densityauto/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

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

NWS active alerts (KS)Kansas Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

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

Neighborhoods of Topeka

54 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Clarion Woods$564,791-0.6%
2Lincolnshire Link$431,304+2.0%
3Lauren's Bay$427,118-3.8%
4Shadywood$394,534-1.5%
5Miller's Glen$393,617+2.8%
6Sherwood Park$389,600+2.7%
7Aquarian Acres$343,893+0.2%
8Prospect Hills$328,336-0.8%
9Colly Creek$300,622-1.0%
10Brookfield$294,215+1.5%
11Horseshoe Bend$275,352+1.0%
12Westboro$268,925+2.1%
13River Hill$265,157+0.7%
14Briarwood$252,606+4.0%
15Westport$249,072+2.7%
16Indian Hills$244,729-4.7%
17Foxcroft$241,492+2.5%
18Lake Shawnee$239,654-0.9%
19Southboro$238,765-3.2%
20Northland$234,769-0.9%
21Ellenwand$219,798+1.7%
22Woodbridge$218,895+1.2%
23Wesparke$213,055-2.2%
24Rolling Meadows$210,662-0.5%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Topeka

Pittsburg, KS64 · RisingKansas City, KS68 · RisingDodge City, KS62 · RisingGarden City, KS60 · Stable

Run the numbers for Topeka

ToolCan I afford Topeka?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Topeka rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Topeka to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolTopeka cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

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 Topeka listings on the major real-estate sites.

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

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Topeka 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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