Topeka, KS

Census Place

2024 Population

125,786

US Senator

Jerry Moran

Republican Party

US Senator

Roger Marshall

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

0.524% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

15.7%

0.935% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$56,956

1.89% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$144,200

Population & Diversity

Topeka, KS is home to a population of 126k people, from which 96.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.11% of Topeka, KS residents were born outside of the country (6.43k people).

In 2024, there were 7.64 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (81.9k people) in Topeka, KS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 10.7k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 7.64k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.5%

2024 Citizenship

96.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.5% of Topeka, KS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Topeka, KS was 96.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Topeka, KS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Topeka, KS

White (Non-Hispanic)
81.9k ± 1.23k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
10.7k ± 941
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
7.64k ± 869

16.9%

Hispanic Population

21.3k people

16.9% of the people in Topeka, KS are hispanic (21.3k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Topeka, KS as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Kansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
84,373 ± 7,029 people
India
14,412 ± 2,940 people
Vietnam
10,201 ± 2,475 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kansas was Mexico, the natal country of 84,373 Kansas residents, followed by India with 14,412 and Vietnam with 10,201.

Foreign-Born Population

5.11%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

6.43k people

5.24%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

6.61k people

As of 2024, 5.11% of Topeka, KS residents (6.43k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Topeka, KS was 5.24%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Topeka, KS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,714 ± 454
Gulf War (2001-)
1,872 ± 348
Gulf War (1990s)
1,078 ± 232

Topeka, KS has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.45 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Topeka, KS.

Economy

The economy of Topeka, KS employs 58.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Topeka, KS were Health Care & Social Assistance (10,172 people), Public Administration (5,884 people), and Manufacturing (5,491 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($82,023), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($60,658), and Finance & Insurance ($59,492).

Employment

Occupations

58.4k

2024 Value

± 1,988

−1.97%

1 Year decline

± 4.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Topeka, KS declined at a rate of −1.97%, from 59.5k employees to 58.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Topeka, KS, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (6,927 people), Management Occupations (5,097 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,237 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Topeka, KS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kansas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kansas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

58.4k

2024 Value

± 1,988

−1.97%

1 Year decline

± 4.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Topeka, KS declined at a rate of −1.97%, from 59.5k employees to 58.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Topeka, KS, are Health Care & Social Assistance (10,172 people), Public Administration (5,884 people), and Manufacturing (5,491 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Topeka, KS, though some of these residents may live in Topeka, KS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,175

Median earning men ± $1,766

$40,627

Median earning women ± $1,488

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,868), Public Administration ($61,867), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($54,658).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($52,879), Public Administration ($48,508), and Wholesale Trade ($45,625).

Education

The student population of Topeka, KS in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,980 male students and 4,753 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Topeka, KS are White (1,617 and 68.1%), Hispanic or Latino (308 and 13%), Black or African American (162 and 6.83%), and Two or More Races (112 and 4.72%).

The largest universities in Topeka, KS by number of degrees awarded are Washburn University (1,352 and 55.6%), Washburn Institute of Technology (904 and 37.2%), and Rasmussen University-Kansas (160 and 6.58%).

The most popular majors in Topeka, KS are Registered Nursing (264 and 10.9%), Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (168 and 6.91%), and Welding Technology (126 and 5.18%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $9,828 for in-state students and $20,832 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

Measure

In 2023 in Topeka, KS, the percentage of applicants admitted was 40.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 77.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 7,733 (38.5% men and 61.5% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 7,733 students enrolled in Topeka, KS, 38.5% men and 61.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 4,683 records, of which 60.4% were women and 39.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
155 degrees awarded
Health Care Administration & Management
39 degrees awarded
General Finance
33 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Topeka, KS was Registered Nursing with 155 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Topeka, KS according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Washburn University
1,352 degrees awarded
Washburn Institute of Technology
904 degrees awarded
Rasmussen University-Kansas
160 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Washburn University with 1,352 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 1,000 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Topeka, KS, which is 0.698 times less than the 1,433 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,617 degrees mean that there were 5.25 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 308 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($14,116) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($2,200) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, less-than 2-year ($1,008) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Topeka, KS was $144,200 in 2024, which is 0.433 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $130,600 to $144,200, a 10.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Topeka, KS is 59%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Topeka, KS have an average commute time of 16.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Topeka, KS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$144,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,002

$32,342

Median Property Taxes

±$1,474

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Topeka, KS the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Topeka, KS compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

59%

Homeownership

2024

60.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 59% of the housing units in Topeka, KS were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 59.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Topeka, KS compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$56,956

Median Household Income

± $1,954

54.8k

Number of Households

± 1,938

In 2024, the median household income of the 54.8k households in Topeka, KS grew to $56,956 from the previous year's value of $55,902.

The following chart displays the households in Topeka, KS distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Topeka, KS is from Kansas.

0.459

2024 Wage GINI in Kansas

0.458

2023 Wage GINI in Kansas

In 2024, the income inequality in Kansas was 0.459 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.185% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Kansas was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kansas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kansas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (75.5%)
Worked At Home (10.9%)
Carpooled (10.1%)

In 2024, 75.5% of workers in Topeka, KS drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.9%) and those who carpooled to work (10.1%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

16.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Topeka, KS have a shorter commute time (16.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.96% of the workforce in Topeka, KS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Topeka, KS compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Topeka, KS distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Topeka, KS have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Topeka, KS (19.1k out of 122k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Topeka, KS is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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