Best PlacesSouth Central Improvemen, Wichita, KS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Central Improvemen, 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.
South Central Improvemen, Wichita ranks 5,555th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Central Improvemen, 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.
South Central Improvemen, Wichita's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Central Improvemen, Wichita ranks high
- Cheap childcare$712 a month, better than 94% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.6 minutes each way, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 75% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 70% of neighborhoods
Where South Central Improvemen, Wichita ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD−, better than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Central Improvemen, Wichita
A household needs to earn about $31,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Central Improvemen, Wichita home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $48,690, 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 South Central Improvemen, Wichita's effective rate of 1.05%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Central Improvemen, Wichita
South Central Improvemen, Wichita runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Central Improvemen, Wichita.
Who works in South Central Improvemen, Wichita, and how
Work in South Central Improvemen, Wichita centers on manufacturing and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in South Central Improvemen, Wichita
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South Central Improvemen, Wichita.
What the weather is like in South Central Improvemen, Wichita, month by month
South Central Improvemen, Wichita sees roughly 74 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 71° | 58° | 47° |
| July | 93° | 82° | 71° |
| October | 73° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of South Central Improvemen, Wichita
The nearest airport, Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower Ntl, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 181 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Central Improvemen, Wichita
Schools across South Central Improvemen, Wichita average a D−, better than 7% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Harry Street ElemD · 17% proficient
- Washington Accelerated Learning ElemD− · 14% proficient
- Gardiner ElemD− · 11% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mead Middle SchoolF · 7% proficient
- Hamilton Middle SchoolF · 6% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Central Improvemen, Wichita school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Central Improvemen, 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 South Central Improvemen, Wichita against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Central Improvemen, Wichita
Is South Central Improvemen, Wichita a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Central Improvemen, Wichita ranks 5,555th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and state infrastructure, and lowest on distance from a big city and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Central Improvemen, Wichita expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $116,154. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $48,690 median income, cost of living beats 25% of neighborhoods.
Is South Central Improvemen, Wichita safe?
South Central Improvemen, Wichita is safer than 6% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,367 per resident a year.
Compare South Central Improvemen, Wichita with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Central Improvemen, Wichita. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Central Improvemen, 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.
South Central Improvemen, Wichita detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Central Improvemen, Wichita: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Central Improvemen, Wichita: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Central Improvemen, Wichita: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Central Improvemen, Wichita: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Central Improvemen, 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.