Shawnee County, Kansas
Population 178,025 · Topeka, Silver Lake, Auburn
- Overall cost of living: −11.2% vs the US average, higher than 52% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- PM2.5 air pollution: 9.5 µg/m³, higher than 92% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11.2% | higher than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Topeka, KS metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $180,900 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,000 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $141/mo | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,502/yr | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.5% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.5% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,705 | higher than 80% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $67,104 | higher than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +6.5% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 433 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈227 days | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 90°F | higher than 65% of US counties |
| January low | 19°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 17 in | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 50 days | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 114 days | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 8% of weeks | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈64.8°F | higher than 58% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 37.5 in | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $129/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $106/yr | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.93/yr | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $14/yr | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.65/yr | higher than 51% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9.5 µg/m³ | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 468.3 mi | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈315.1 ft | lower than 66% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 93.3% | higher than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 32.2% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 12.4% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13:1 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 88.5% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.01 | higher than 57% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.93 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.84 | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.6 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 77/100k | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 3 | lower than 45% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.7★ | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 75.4 yrs | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 9.5% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 405/100k | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 70/100k | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 87.1% | higher than 86% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 75 min | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 83 min | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 18 min | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 89.4% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 11.2% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 90 min | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 62 per sq mi | higher than 86% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 4.4 per 1k | higher than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 27.4 per 1k | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Population | 178,025 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.4 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -0.4 per 1k/yr | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 49.3% Dem | higher than 86% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 48.8% Rep | lower than 86% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % White | 71% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 13.8% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Black | 6.6% | higher than 70% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.3% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.4% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 6.3% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 156 parks | higher than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 14.9 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 25 min | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 2.1% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 21 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 4 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 316 km | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 44 km | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 34 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 62 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 18 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 32 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 160 km | higher than 90% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data