WakarusaKS
A town settled in 1870, now home to 209 people.
Is Wakarusa a good place to live?
Wakarusa’s age of the median resident is 65.2 years, against 38.1 years in Kansas’ towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Wakarusa has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
209 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Wakarusa: who provides what
Wakarusa is unincorporated, so Shawnee County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Wakarusa.
More than half of Wakarusa’s working residents commute to Topeka
In Wakarusa, the mean commuting time is 22 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 11 miles. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 12%. The top destinations are Topeka (61%), Tecumseh Township (8%) and Monmouth Township (4%).
| Wakarusa | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical home in Wakarusa is valued at about $313K
Wakarusa: 82% of households are owner-occupiers.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Four seasons and hot summers in Wakarusa
Expect July afternoons of 90° and January nights of 20°, with about 12 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Wakarusa is
Only 6 of the 151 Kansas towns we compare have a lower share of adults who worry about having enough food than Wakarusa. The town beats the Kansas average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. Also worth knowing: 28% of adults feel lonely locally.
| Wakarusa | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 26% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 77% | 79% |
| What stands out | Wakarusa | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 13% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest natural risk in Wakarusa is inland flooding, at a moderate overall level
Expected losses in Wakarusa break down as 51% from inland flooding and 19% from tornadoes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Wakarusa once, in 2007. The town’s risk rating from FEMA comes in at 48 of 100.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Combat Air Museum and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wakarusa. Close and well known come first.
4 mi MuseumCombat Air Museum
10 mi National Historical ParkBrown v. Board of Education National Historical Park18K visitors a year11 mi Zoo & aquariumTopeka Zoo
12 mi MuseumKansas Museum of History12 mi MuseumKansas Historical Society
25 mi MuseumSpencer Museum of ArtPhoto credits
Combat Air Museum: Eric Friedebach, CC BY 3.0 · Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park: James Michael DuPont, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kansas Museum of History: Sesamehoneytart, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Spencer Museum of Art: Alan Islas, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Everything we know about Wakarusa
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Wakarusa
About 0 of every 100 Wakarusa residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Kansas.
100% of working residents leave Wakarusa for work
Where Wakarusa’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Wakarusa
Unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas
Wakarusa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 242. It is located 11 miles (18 km) south of downtown Topeka.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 955 ft
- ZIP code
- 66546
Questions about Wakarusa
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wakarusa, KS a good place to live?
Wakarusa has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.