Best PlacesNorth Central, Wichita, KS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Central, Wichita, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
North Central, Wichita ranks 5,706th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in North Central, Wichita
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
North Central, Wichita's strengths and weaknesses
Where North Central, Wichita ranks high
- Cheap childcare$712 a month, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.5 minutes each way, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 70% of neighborhoods
Where North Central, Wichita ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$35,390 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Central, Wichita
A household needs to earn about $20,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Central, Wichita home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $35,390, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses North Central, Wichita's effective rate of 0.99%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 2 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North Central, Wichita
North Central, Wichita runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North Central, Wichita.
Who works in North Central, Wichita, and how
Work in North Central, Wichita centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in North Central, Wichita
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across North Central, Wichita.
What the weather is like in North Central, Wichita, month by month
North Central, Wichita sees roughly 113 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 24. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 33° | 24° |
| April | 71° | 57° | 46° |
| July | 93° | 80° | 70° |
| October | 73° | 59° | 48° |
Flying in and out of North Central, Wichita
The nearest airport, Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower Ntl, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 178 miles away.
The best schools in and around North Central, Wichita
Schools across North Central, Wichita average a D−, better than 8% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Mueller Aerospace/engineering Discovery MagneD− · 12% proficient
- Spaght Multimedia MagnetF · 10% proficient
- Buckner Performing Arts Magnet ElemF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wilbur Middle SchoolD · 21% proficient
- Stucky Middle SchoolF · 11% proficient
- Coleman Middle SchoolF · 9% proficient
Top high schools
- Wichita Alternative HighD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Central, Wichita school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Central, Wichita measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare North Central, Wichita against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in North Central, Wichita
Is North Central, Wichita a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Central, Wichita ranks 5,706th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and state infrastructure, and lowest on empty homes and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North Central, Wichita expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $73,373. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $35,390 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is North Central, Wichita safe?
North Central, Wichita is safer than 4% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,064 per resident a year.
Compare North Central, Wichita with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Central, Wichita. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Central, Wichita represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
North Central, Wichita detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Central, Wichita: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Central, Wichita: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Central, Wichita: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Central, Wichita: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Central, Wichita detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.