Photo: Srudisell · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Topeka are lower than in 78% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Topeka is better than 36% of U.S. towns (C+); for walkability it is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns (A−). 15.7% of residents are in poverty (Kansas 11.3%). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 3.1 in Wichita.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Topeka apart
Inside Topeka’s Jobs & income grade
Job access by car holds Topeka’s grade up (ahead of 75% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($56,956, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Topeka could be anywhere from C to C+.
A workday in Topeka: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 17,741 residents head out to work, 34,438 work right here, and 47,933 people come in from elsewhere.
About 156,000 people are in Topeka on a workday afternoon, 24% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Who travels to work in Topeka, and from where
Where Topeka clocks in
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The 82,371 jobs based in Topeka
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Topeka, 2013 → 2023: 78,749 → 82,371. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Topeka’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Topeka’s commute takes about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Topeka workers work from home, vs 12% across Kansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 51,241 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across Kansas: 85% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Topeka’s workers travel
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Topeka, walking beats the bus
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.4% across Kansas.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 57,509 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 86% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 37% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 71% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 9.3% of Topeka households have no vehicle (Kansas 5.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Topeka’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Topeka places 252nd of 319 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 88,000 to 170,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 2 | Clay Township IN | 104,932 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 3 | Franklin TN | 90,226 | $120K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 31% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Olathe KS | 150,025 | $114K | 5.6% | 2.7% | 26% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 89 | Lawrence KS | 96,367 | $65K | 17.4% | 4.4% | 52% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 234 | Kansas City KS | 157,805 | $62K | 16.0% | 5.8% | 30% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 250 | Santa Maria CA | 111,390 | $85K | 17.3% | 7.3% | 39% | C+ |
| 251 | Lafayette LA | 123,311 | $62K | 18.3% | 5.2% | 53% | C+ |
| 252 | Topeka KS | 125,795 | $57K | 15.7% | 4.9% | 66% | C+ |
| 253 | Wichita Falls TX | 101,951 | $60K | 17.7% | 3.8% | 62% | C+ |
| 254 | Redding CA | 94,092 | $70K | 14.1% | 5.3% | 61% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 319 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Topeka, the top three, the last and three more from Kansas.
Next door to Topeka
The biggest share goes to Mission Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Topeka workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topeka | – | C+ | A− | 17 min | $56,956 |
| Mission Township | 2% | A | C− | 19 min | $121,565 |
| Topeka Township | 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Tecumseh Township | 1% | A+ | C− | 22 min | $109,856 |
| Soldier Township | 2% | A− | C− | 20 min | $99,994 |
| Williamsport Township | under 2% | C | D | 22 min | $56,471 |
| Menoken Township | under 2% | A | D− | 22 min | $119,792 |
Same-state neighbors only. Topeka Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Topeka’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Topeka: questions
What is the median household income in Topeka?
$56,956 (±$1,954) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,275 across Kansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Topeka?
15.7%, against 11.3% across Kansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Topeka?
17 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Kansas and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Topeka work?
66% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lawrence (4%, 24 mi), Soldier Township (2%, 8 mi), Overland Park (2%, 55 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Topeka walkable?
Topeka is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.2 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Topeka without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 37% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Topeka, from the people who make the trip.
More of Topeka
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.