What is the median rent in Topeka, KS?

Name: Median rent in Topeka, KS, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Topeka, KS is $979 (±$32) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 21,820 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Topeka, the median gross rent went from $816 in 2015–2019 to $979 in 2020–2024 (+20.0%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $979 (±$32)
Rented homes: 21,820 (±892)
$2,000 or more: 4.7%
Since 2015–2019: +20.0%

How much rent costs in Topeka

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Topeka	Shawnee County	Kansas	United States
Less than $500	11.0% (±2.1 points)	10.3%	7.0%	6.3%
$500 to $999	40.8% (±3.0 points)	39.7%	37.8%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	37.3% (±3.1 points)	38.1%	35.8%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	6.2% (±1.2 points)	6.8%	12.6%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	2.5% (±0.7 points)	2.7%	4.4%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	0.4% (±0.3 points)	0.5%	0.9%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	1.8% (±0.6 points)	1.8%	1.4%	6.8%

The most common range is $500 to $999, paid by 40.8% of renting households.

4.7% of rented homes in Topeka cost $2,000 or more a month.

Topeka against Shawnee County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Topeka	Shawnee County	Kansas	United States
Median gross rent	$979 (±$32)	$1,000 (±$30)	$1,060 (±$7)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	21,820 (±892)	24,230 (±969)	364,970 (±3,667)	42,849,984

In Topeka, median gross rent is not measurably different from Shawnee County ($1,000).

It is also lower than in Kansas ($1,060).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

In Shawnee County, Topeka ranks 6 of 12 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 194 of 823.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Topeka has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$816 (±$16)	$979 (±$32)	+20.0%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	43.7% (±1.2 points)	41.0% (±1.6 points)	−2.7 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	11.8% (±1.9 points)	8.4% (±1.7 points)	−3.4 percentage points	Measurable decrease

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.

Median gross rent in places near Topeka

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Topeka
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Topeka	—	$979 (±$32)	—
Mission Township (Shawnee County)	5.3 mi	$1,428 (±$514)	Not measurably different
Tecumseh Township	7.1 mi	$1,177 (±$98)	Higher
Soldier Township	8.5 mi	$1,096 (±$107)	Higher
Williamsport Township	8.6 mi	$1,350 (±$119)	Higher
Silver Lake	9.7 mi	$860 (±$69)	Lower
Silver Lake Township	9.9 mi	$860 (±$69)	Lower
Auburn	11 mi	$871 (±$126)	Not measurably different
Dover Township	11 mi	$1,708 (±$216)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Silver Lake, KS ($860), Silver Lake Township, KS ($860).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Tecumseh Township, KS ($1,177), Soldier Township, KS ($1,096), Williamsport Township, KS ($1,350).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Shawnee County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	Dover Township	$1,708 (±$216)
2	Mission Township (Shawnee County)	$1,428 (±$514)
3	Williamsport Township	$1,350 (±$119)
4	Tecumseh Township	$1,177 (±$98)
5	Soldier Township	$1,096 (±$107)
6	Topeka	$979 (±$32)
7 (tie)	Rossville	$930 (±$415)
7 (tie)	Rossville Township	$930 (±$415)
9	Auburn Township	$897 (±$192)
10	Auburn	$871 (±$126)
11 (tie)	Silver Lake	$860 (±$69)
11 (tie)	Silver Lake Township	$860 (±$69)

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Topeka

One account for renting, owning, managing and fixing homes, with these figures beside you.

Looking for a place to rent?

Browse homes for rent near Topeka, save the ones you like and apply online.

Browse rentals · Create a renter account

Own or manage a rental?

List it, sign the lease and collect rent online, with the figures for Topeka beside you.

Create a landlord account · See what landlords get

Do repairs, renovations or maintenance?

Get found by owners and renters near Topeka, and send estimates and invoices from your phone.

Join as a pro · Find a pro

Questions about Topeka

What is the average rent in Topeka, KS?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Topeka is $979 (±$32) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Topeka?

In Topeka, the median gross rent went from $816 in 2015–2019 to $979 in 2020–2024 (+20.0%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

How many rentals in Topeka cost more than $2,000 a month?

4.7% of rented homes in Topeka have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 11.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Topeka higher than in Shawnee County?

In Topeka, median gross rent is not measurably different from Shawnee County ($1,000).

It is also lower than in Kansas ($1,060).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

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 Topeka city, Kansas (place:71000, in state:20).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

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.