Kansas City, Missouri
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Kansas City.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Kansas City compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 508,233City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $67,449Incorporated place (ACS)14% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 81ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)19% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $227,000City limits (ACS)25% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,186City limits (ACS)12% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.5%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 23 min8% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3522% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1431.4annualized per 100k · citywide137% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 3855.9annualized per 100k · citywide25% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 88°FNear U.S. avg (87°F)U.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 25°F9.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 38.1 in16% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 279Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Kansas City with another city
About 508,233 people live in Kansas City, MO. Median household income is roughly $67,449, while the ACS housing-cost index sits near 81 — among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs (100 ≈ U.S. average). Entry home prices around $227,000 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Kansas City sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Kansas City with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Continental seasons and a central U.S. logistics position shape daily life. Roughly 279 sunny days a year give outdoor routines unusual calendar reliability. Plan on roughly 23 minutes each way for a typical commute; Walk Score is about 35. Unemployment recently ran near 3.5%, broadly in line with many large U.S. counties. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1431.4 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Kansas City city, 1600000US2938000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN290950000000003 (Jackson County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00013988 KANSAS CITY DOWNTOWN AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28