City profile · Missouri · Census ACS 2023

Kansas City, MO

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Kansas City — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

508,233
Residents
$67,449
Median income
$227,000
Median home
$972
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Kansas City, MO

Kansas City is a city in Missouri with a population of 508,233 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $67,449 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 10.2%. Typical homes in Kansas City are valued around $227,000, and the median resident age is 35.7 years. About 37.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 65.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 2,878 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 92% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 6223.2 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns. NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 54.7°F with 39.3 inches of precipitation per year and 18.2 inches of snowfall.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Missouri registers 90.8 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $972 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $219 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 out of 100 (Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

508,233 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Missouri

Median Household Income

$67,449 /yr

Poverty 10.2%

Cost of Living Index

90.8 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Kansas City compare to other US cities?

Where Kansas City sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 46% higher than other cities
Home value 50% pricier than other cities
Median rent 7% pricier than other cities
Safety 2% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Kansas City against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Kansas City, MO Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Kansas City, MO. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Kansas City, MO — median $67,449/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Kansas City, MO — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 37.8%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 10.2%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 65.4%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
508,233
Median Income
$67,449
Median Home Value
$227,000
Median Age
35.7
Poverty Rate
10.2%
Labor force participation
65.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
37.8%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
6223.2
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
1547.1
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
4676.1
per 1,000 residents

Climate

Avg Temperature
54.7°F
Annual Precipitation
39.3"
Annual Snowfall
18.2"

Schools

Total Schools
155
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
2,878
housing units authorized
Single-Family
429
detached homes
Multifamily
2,449
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
5.7
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 1,498
2020 2,450
2021 2,338
2022 1,987
2023 1,234
2024 2,878

Permit volume increased 92% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
72.7%
Carpool
7.4%
Public Transit
1.9%
Walk
1.5%
Work from Home
14.8%
Other
1.7%

Based on 261,836 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Missouri — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$105
avg/month
Natural Gas
$72
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$219
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Missouri state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Missouri state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
90.8
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$972/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
50.6 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Kansas City, MO Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Kansas City, MO — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Kansas City compares to nearby Missouri cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Kansas City) plus the nearest peer cities in Missouri, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MO

Kansas City

67.45% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$67,449
Brackets
508
Selected

MO

St. Louis

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$29,310
Brackets
293
Selected

MO

Springfield

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$16,940
Brackets
169
Selected

MO

Columbia

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$12,720
Brackets
127
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MO FBI UCR NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Kansas City, MO?

What is the population of Kansas City, MO? +

Kansas City, MO has a population of 508,233 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Kansas City, MO? +

The median household income in Kansas City is $67,449 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Kansas City? +

Kansas City has a cost of living index of 90.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Kansas City, MO safe? +

Kansas City has a total crime rate of 6223.2 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Kansas City, MO? +

The median home value in Kansas City is $227,000, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Kansas City? +

Kansas City has an average annual temperature of 54.7°F, 39.3 inches of precipitation, and 18.2 inches of snowfall per year. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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