Wichita, KS

The affordability dashboard for Wichita, KS aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 26 ZIP codes covering 409,656 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (68/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $68,570, median home value of $189,383, median rent of $1,015 per month, and 29.8% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,099 per month (studio $782, 1BR $849, 3BR $1,444, 4BR $1,784). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $8,181 per year, consuming 12% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Strengths visible in the raw data for Wichita, KS include housing, commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 5.4% and poverty 16.1% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.