Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety6#867/924
Economy77#212/925
Housing82#169/925
Health48#479/925
Healthcare68#295/923
Environment24#695/917
Education74#237/925
Infrastructure71#272/925
Community83#159/925
Leisure & amenities22#719/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Topeka, KS metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Mammography screening · high59.4%
97/100Kansas 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high53.4%
94/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · low23.6%
92/100Kansas 26.9%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Drought exposure · low6%
86/100Kansas 28%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · low9 mi
85/100Kansas 30 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Lack of reliable transportation · low7.5%
83/100Kansas 7.5%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Violent crime rate · high643 /100k
4/100Kansas 457 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Property crime rate · high2,438 /100k
4/100Kansas 1,797 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Homicide rate · high8.2 /100k
13/100Kansas 4.5 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high22.4 /100k
15/100Kansas 16.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · high25.4 /100k
17/100Kansas 15.3 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high1.29%
18/100Kansas 1.21%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.5% (2015-2019) → 88.9% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New business applicationsImproving
6.7 /1k (2020) → 10.5 /1k (2025)
+57%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$51,266 (2019) → $68,306 (2024)
+33%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204
Homicide rateWorsening
6.3 /100k (2021) → 8.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+29%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Preventable hospital staysImproving
3,862 /100k (2019) → 2,748 /100k (2023)
−29%4 yearsUS 3,767 /100k → 2,769 /100k
Arts, entertainment and recreationImproving
2.4 /10k (2020) → 3.1 /10k (2025)
+28%5 yearsUS 4.8 /10k → 5.5 /10k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Topeka, KS metro area improved on 10 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 7 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved10

Broadband+14 points74.5% → 88.9%
Arts & recreation+28%2.4 /10k → 3.1 /10k
Grocery stores+14%1.2 /10k → 1.4 /10k
Weekly wage+28%$929 → $1,188
New businesses+57%6.7 /1k → 10.5 /1k

Declined7

Uninsured+2.1 points8.2% → 10.3%
Overdose deaths+28%19.9 /100k → 25.4 /100k
Suicides+22%17.8 /100k → 21.7 /100k
Transit use−0.6 points0.9% → 0.3%
Firearm deaths+14%19.5 /100k → 22.4 /100k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Topeka, KS metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.4 /10k2020	3.1 /10k2025	+28%	Improved	85%
Average commute time	20.4 min2015-2019	20.6 min2020-2024	+0.2 min	Within the margin of error	57%
Average weekly wage	$9292020	$1,1882025	+28%	Improved	85%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.7%2015-2019	30.1%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Improved	22%
Broadband subscriptions	74.5%2015-2019	88.9%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	88%
Child poverty rate	14.0%2015-2019	13.1%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Distance to an airport	56 mi2020	56 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	17%
Drug overdose deaths	19.9 /100k2020	25.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+28%	Declined	14%
Effective property tax rate	1.46%2015-2019	1.29%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	64%
Firearm deaths	19.5 /100k2020	22.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+14%	Declined	29%
Grocery stores	1.2 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+14%	Improved	84%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.6 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−6.7%	Declined	27%
High school diploma or higher	92.5%2015-2019	93.5%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	69%
Homicide rate	9.7 /100k2020	8.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−16%	Improved	38%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,2662019	$68,3062024	+33%	Improved	61%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4312015-2019	0.4292020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$57,6032015-2019	$69,8882020-2024	+21%	Improved	19%
New business applications	6.7 /1k2020	10.5 /1k2025	+57%	Improved	67%
Pharmacies	1.4 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+3%	Little change	81%
Poverty rate	11.1%2015-2019	11.4%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Public libraries	1.0 /10k2019	1.0 /10k2024	−0.4%	Little change	61%
Public transit commuters	0.9%2015-2019	0.3%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Declined	27%
Rent as share of income	27.7%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Rent-burdened households	44.5%2015-2019	43.7%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Restaurants and bars	7.2 /10k2020	7.2 /10k2025	−0.7%	Little change	43%
Suicide rate	17.8 /100k2020	21.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+22%	Declined	23%
Traffic deaths	14.7 /100k2015-2019	14.6 /100k2020-2024	−0.7%	Little change	64%
Unemployment rate	5.8%2020	3.8%2025	−2 points	Improved	22%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.2%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Declined	8%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Topeka, KS metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Topeka, KS metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Topeka, KS metro area itself moved −1.5 points in standing on average over the same 28 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

232,468 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

96,999 households (±734)

Topeka, KS metro area
United States share

Under $25k15%14,312
$25k–50k20%19,202
$50k–75k18%17,571

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

96,999 households (±734)

Topeka, KS metro area
United States share

Own70%68,083
Rent30%28,916

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.2 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

109,083 workers (±1,469)

Topeka, KS metro area
United States share

Drive alone77%83,708
Carpool9.2%10,085
Public transit0.3%†291

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Topeka, KS employ 26,170 people. 1 pay a median above the US median and 9 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Topeka, KS by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers3,260 jobs	3,260	$27,810US $31,200	−11%	1.14×
Registered Nurses3,190 jobs	3,190	$81,820US $97,550	−16%	1.27×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides3,090 jobs	3,090	$31,470US $35,800	−12%	0.96×
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive2,920 jobs	2,920	$39,500US $47,540	−17%	2.29×
General and Operations Managers2,450 jobs	2,450	$85,080US $105,770	−20%	0.94×
Customer Service Representatives2,340 jobs	2,340	$43,180US $44,770	−4%	1.21×
Nursing Assistants2,270 jobs	2,270	$38,720US $42,260	−8%	2.1×
Retail Salespersons2,270 jobs	2,270	$32,820US $35,410	−7%	0.78×
Cashiers2,240 jobs	2,240	$28,580US $32,880	−13%	0.98×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand2,140 jobs	2,140	$49,140US $40,240	+22%	0.97×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Topeka, KS.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Topeka, KS has 4,927 employer establishments, 212 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248), with 85,571 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,981. The Census Bureau also counts 14,110 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,927; 14,110 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 212; US 248
Paid employees: 85,571
Average annual pay: $56,981; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Topeka, KS by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	363	15.6	1.01×About typical	3,278	$59,872	1,120
Restaurants and other eating places	348	15	0.82×About typical	6,814	$18,558	58
Ambulatory health care services	322	13.9	0.66×Fewer than typical	4,998	$61,684	469
Lessors of real estate	210	9	0.73×Fewer than typical	776	$41,695	1,448
Religious organizations	192	8.3	1.49×More than typical	1,551	$24,624	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	150	6.5	1.47×More than typical	2,337	$110,665	229
Limited-service restaurants	148	6.4	0.79×Fewer than typical	3,178	$17,901	27
Full-service restaurants	140	6	0.78×Fewer than typical	2,907	$19,946	19
Services to buildings and dwellings	124	5.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,218	$36,874	928
Building equipment contractors	121	5.2	0.87×About typical	1,489	$65,705	183
Banks and credit unions	117	5	1.56×More than typical	1,568	$64,577	5
Offices of other health practitioners	113	4.9	0.80×About typical	992	$40,530	268

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 232,355 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $90M on contracts performed in Topeka, KS metro area: $386 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $90M; −20% vs FY2025
Per resident: $386; US $1,994
Sole-source: 49%; US 30%
Single offer: 5.1%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$35.9M40%
Department of Veterans Affairs$22.1M25%
Defense Logistics Agency$11M12%
Department of the Army$7.1M7.9%
Consumer Product Safety Commission$3.7M4.1%
USTRANSCOM$2.3M2.6%
Public Buildings Service$2.3M2.6%
Social Security Administration$1M1.1%

Top recipients

KPB SERVICES LLC$35.9M40%
US FOODS INC$7.7M8.5%
ONSITE CONSTRUCTION GROUP LLC$6.3M7.0%
UTILITY MAINTENANCE CONTRACTORS LLC$5.9M6.5%
KANSAS HEALTH INFORMATION NETWORK, INC$3.7M4.1%

Spending by fiscal year

38.8MFY2017
59.4MFY2018
47.4MFY2019
43.1MFY2020
70.8MFY2021
66.5MFY2022
59.7MFY2023
44.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Offices of real estate agents and brokers · 5312$35.9M40%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$14.7M16%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$7.5M8.3%
Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$4.2M4.7%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$3.2M3.6%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Topeka, KS metro area: $8,673 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $2B; +5.3% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,673; US $12,955
Loan face value: $57.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1B50%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$259.4M13%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$168.3M8.3%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$125.5M6.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$78.1M3.9%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$75.1M3.7%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$67M3.3%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$47.8M2.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$21.5M1.1%
TOPEKA, KS
PRAIRIE BAND POTAWATOMI NATION$18.2M0.9%
MAYETTA, KS
WASHBURN UNIVERSITY OF TOPEKA$16.6M0.8%
TOPEKA, KS
METROPOLITAN TOPEKA$14.4M0.7%
TOPEKA, KS
CITY OF TOPEKA$10.8M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1.3B62%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$382.3M19%
Department of Health and Human Services
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$189.5M9.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Railroad Retirement Board$67M3.3%
Federal Highway Administration$37.9M

Assistance by fiscal year

1.6BFY2021
1.6BFY2022
1.6BFY2023
1.7BFY2024
1.9BFY2025
2BFY2026

County aggregates

94%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Topeka, KS

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

TopekaPrincipal city125,786

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Kansas

Areas based in Kansas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M45820

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Topeka, KS metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Topeka, KS

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Kansas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved10

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

What was bought