Best PlacesSouthwest Topeka, Topeka, KS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Southwest Topeka, Topeka, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Southwest Topeka, Topeka ranks 1,850th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and transit ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Southwest Topeka, Topeka
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.
Southwest Topeka, Topeka's strengths and weaknesses
Where Southwest Topeka, Topeka ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$796 a month, better than 89% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.4 minutes each way, better than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Southwest Topeka, Topeka ranks low
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Southwest Topeka, Topeka
A household needs to earn about $63,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Southwest Topeka, Topeka home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $79,446, 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 Southwest Topeka, Topeka's effective rate of 1.47%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Southwest Topeka, Topeka
Southwest Topeka, Topeka runs older 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 Southwest Topeka, Topeka.
Who works in Southwest Topeka, Topeka, and how
Work in Southwest Topeka, Topeka centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Southwest Topeka, Topeka
Southwest Topeka, Topeka has more restaurants and bars per resident than 81% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 90% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Southwest Topeka, Topeka and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Southwest Topeka, Topeka, month by month
Southwest Topeka, Topeka sees roughly 96 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 30° | 21° |
| April | 70° | 56° | 44° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 69° |
| October | 72° | 58° | 47° |
Flying in and out of Southwest Topeka, Topeka
The nearest airport, Manhattan Regional, is about 50 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 59 miles away.
The best schools in and around Southwest Topeka, Topeka
Schools across Southwest Topeka, Topeka average a C, better than 41% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Jay Shideler ElementaryA− · 56% proficient
- Farley ElementaryB+ · 51% proficient
- Indian Hills ElementaryB+ · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Washburn Rural Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- Marjorie French Middle SchoolD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- Washburn Rural HighC · 33% proficient
- Topeka West HighD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Southwest Topeka, Topeka school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Southwest Topeka, Topeka 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 Southwest Topeka, Topeka against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Southwest Topeka, Topeka
Is Southwest Topeka, Topeka a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Southwest Topeka, Topeka ranks 1,850th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on a stable housing market, health care access, and low crime, and lowest on transit 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 Southwest Topeka, Topeka expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $221,015. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $79,446 median income, cost of living beats 75% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwest Topeka, Topeka safe?
Yes, Southwest Topeka, Topeka is safer than 93% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $235 per resident a year.
Compare Southwest Topeka, Topeka with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Southwest Topeka, Topeka. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Southwest Topeka, Topeka 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.
Southwest Topeka, Topeka detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Southwest Topeka, Topeka: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Southwest Topeka, Topeka: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Southwest Topeka, Topeka: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Southwest Topeka, Topeka: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Southwest Topeka, Topeka 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.