Housing data for Liberal, KS
Liberal, KS has an estimated 19,316 residents and 7,444 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Seward County.
40.6% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $900 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 19,316 (±422)
- Housing units
- 7,444 (±143)
- Households that rent
- 40.6%
- Median gross rent
- $900
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −2.1%
Housing in Liberal at a glance
- Median rent: $900 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $886 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 34.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 40.6% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $63,706 median household income
- Home values: $137,100 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,356 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,363 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 9.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 53.2% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 59.6% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 10.0% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 78.8% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 14.3 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 283 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: −2.1% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 30.5% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.5% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Liberal against Seward County, its state and the nation
| Liberal | Seward County | Kansas | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 19,316 (±422) | 21,486 (exact) | 2,947,197 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 7,444 (±143) | 8,308 (±33) | 1,293,635 (±880) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 40.6% (±6.0 points) | 38.2% (±5.6 points) | 32.8% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $900 (±$66) | $905 (±$62) | $1,060 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $63,706 (±$9,756) | $63,827 (±$8,322) | $74,275 (±$475) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $137,100 (±$22,354) | $136,500 (±$21,591) | $217,200 (±$1,343) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,363 (±$206) | $2,284 (±$190) | $2,798 (±$18) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 59.6% (±8.1 points) | 60.0% (±7.3 points) | 55.9% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 14.3 minutes (±2.3) | 14.7 minutes (±2.1) | 19.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 88.3% (±4.7 points) | 86.9% (±4.5 points) | 90.7% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 30.6 years (±1.1) | 31.0 years (±0.7) | 37.4 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Liberal covers 12.0 square miles of land, about 1,607 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Liberal has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 19,731 (±364) | 19,316 (±422) | −2.1% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 7,340 (±98) | 7,444 (±143) | +1.4% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $791 (±$38) | $900 (±$66) | +13.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $106,400 (±$7,421) | $137,100 (±$22,354) | +28.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $48,629 (±$4,100) | $63,706 (±$9,756) | +31.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,235 (±$83) | $1,356 (±$78) | +9.8% | Down after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,857 (±$89) | $2,363 (±$206) | +27.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 34.7% (±3.8 points) | 40.6% (±6.0 points) | +5.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 7.4% (±4.2 points) | 10.0% (±5.8 points) | +2.6 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Liberal
In 2025, the Liberal Police Department reported 283 violent and 908 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Seward County, the departments that report recorded 283 violent and 908 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Liberal
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Township | 6.0 mi | $947 | $152,500 | 30.9% |
| Tyrone | 9.9 mi | $633 | $55,400 | 11.6% |
| Fargo Township | 11 mi | $932 | $116,700 | 13.3% |
| Kismet | 17 mi | $932 | $109,000 | 26.1% |
| Seward Township | 19 mi | — | $247,300 | 0.0% |
| Hooker | 20 mi | $944 | $158,100 | 39.1% |
| Cimarron Township (Meade County) | 22 mi | — | — | 0.0% |
| Forgan | 24 mi | $564 | $60,500 | 13.3% |
Places in Kansas most like Liberal
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge City | $1,045 | $151,700 | $68,721 | 43.4% |
| Salina | $959 | $173,200 | $61,783 | 35.9% |
| El Dorado | $844 | $120,300 | $59,180 | 40.0% |
| Burlington | $834 | $149,300 | $50,882 | 41.5% |
| Mill Creek Township (Pottawatomie County) | $865 | $180,600 | $62,083 | 40.1% |
| Ottawa | $1,032 | $166,500 | $71,699 | 40.2% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Kansas.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Liberal, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $790 | $821 | $1,074 | $1,487 | $1,678 |
HUD income limits for Liberal, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $18,000 | $30,000 | $48,000 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $34,300 | $54,850 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $38,600 | $61,700 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $42,850 | $68,550 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $46,300 | $74,050 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $49,750 | $79,550 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $53,150 | $85,050 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $56,600 | $90,500 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Seward County, KS, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $82,600.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Liberal
What is the average rent in Liberal, KS?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Liberal is $900 (±$66) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Liberal?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Liberal, KS is $585 (±$240) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Liberal rent-burdened?
34.3% of renting households in Liberal pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Liberal?
Liberal has an estimated 2,652 (±419) renting households, 40.6% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Liberal?
The median household income in Liberal is $63,706 (±$9,756) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Liberal, KS?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $137,100 (±$22,354) for owner-occupied homes in Liberal (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Liberal growing?
In Liberal, the number of residents went from 19,731 in 2015–2019 to 19,316 in 2020–2024 (−2.1%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Liberal city, Kansas
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Liberal city, Kansas
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Liberal city, Kansas
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Liberal city, Kansas
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Liberal city, Kansas
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Liberal city, Kansas
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Liberal city, Kansas
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Seward County, KS
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Seward County, KS
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Liberal Police Department (ORI KS0880100)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Liberal city, Kansas (place:39825, in state:20).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .