Population 12,473 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Southwest: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Southwest
Household size in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.51 | 2.58 | 2.54 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.54 | 2.64 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.58 | 2.60 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.49 | 2.59 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.02 | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Southwest run a little small, averaging 2.49 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. The biggest households, usually families with children, are concentrated in the north.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 35.7 | 36.3 | 37.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 36.1 | 36.6 | 37.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 36.1 | 37.4 | 38.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.3 | 37.8 | 38.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.6 | +1.6 | +1.4 | +2.3 |
Southwest is a little younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 38.3, against 40.1 nationally. The picture is much the same across the Wichita area. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 35.7, in line with the national trend.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.0% | 11.9% | 10.8% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 14.5% | 11.6% | 10.9% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 16.6% | 11.6% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 17.9% | 11.7% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −0.2 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in Southwest: 17.9% of all households, against 11.6% nationally. Southwest has a higher share of single-parent households than most Wichita neighborhoods.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Southwest
Renters in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.9% | 31.2% | 30.6% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 34.9% | 33.5% | 32.9% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 45.5% | 35.0% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 37.2% | 34.7% | 32.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +8.3 pts | +3.5 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in Southwest is about as common as it is nationally: 37.2% of households rent, against 34.8%. Among homeowners, 38.0% have no mortgage at all, about the same as nationally. Renting is most common in the north and least common in the center. The renter share has risen 8.3 points since 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.4% | 9.1% | 10.1% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.5% | 10.1% | 10.4% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 14.2% | 10.2% | 11.3% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.1% | 9.8% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | +1.7 pts | +0.7 pts | −0.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy runs high in Southwest: 13.1% of homes are empty, against 9.6% nationally. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones. Since 2006–10, vacancy has risen 1.7 points, even as the national rate fell.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1958 | 1973 | 1971 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1960 | 1974 | 1972 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1961 | 1976 | 1973 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1961 | 1978 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +6 | +5 | +6 |
Southwest is a place of older homes: half were built before 1961, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Newer construction is concentrated in the east, while the southwest has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $722 | $763 | $769 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $784 | $847 | $858 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $902 | $947 | $950 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,080 | $1,118 | $1,159 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$358 | +$355 | +$390 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Southwest costs $1,080 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $358 a month from 2006–10, a 50% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 28.7% of the typical renter's income, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. Rents run highest in the west and lowest in the north.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Southwest
Bachelor's degrees in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.1% | 27.4% | 30.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.5% | 29.2% | 31.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 14.5% | 30.6% | 33.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 12.9% | 32.0% | 35.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +0.8 pts | +4.7 pts | +4.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Southwest have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 12.9%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree is up 0.8 points from 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 82.0% | 88.6% | 89.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 85.1% | 89.3% | 90.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 87.1% | 89.9% | 90.8% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 90.4% | 90.2% | 91.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +8.3 pts | +1.6 pts | +2.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Southwest have finished high school as nationally: 90.4%, against 89.3%. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has risen 8.3 points, as it has nationally. Southwest has a higher share of high school graduates than at least four in five Wichita neighborhoods.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Southwest
| Period | Southwest | Wichita area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.2% | 7.3% | 6.1% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 12.1% | 7.7% | 6.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.6% | 4.8% | 4.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.4% | 5.0% | 4.0% | 5.4% |
| Change | −5.7 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Southwest runs below the national rate: 3.4% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Since 2006–10, unemployment has fallen 5.7 points, as it has nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Southwest compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest | 2.49 | 38.3 | 17.9% | 37.2% | 13.1% | 1961 | $1,080 | 12.9% | 90.4% | 3.4% |
| Riverside | 2.29 | 39.5 | 14.6% | 41.8% | 7.1% | 1965 | $1,078 | 19.6% | 87.4% | 6.5% |
| Southwest Village | 3.14 | 30.4 | 26.8% | 41.1% | 17.0% | 1979 | $853 | 17.4% | 76.3% | 19.8% |
| Stanley-Aley | 2.12 | 39.9 | 13.7% | 34.7% | 15.2% | 1957 | $890 | 9.8% | 78.8% | 6.5% |
| South Central Improvemen | 2.35 | 39.5 | 13.6% | 57.1% | 20.6% | 1950 | $870 | 13.6% | 77.6% | 4.0% |
| South City Community | 2.49 | 36.3 | 12.3% | 57.3% | 18.6% | 1959 | $987 | 9.2% | 71.0% | 2.2% |
| Sunflower | 2.48 | 36.5 | 17.8% | 47.5% | 12.1% | 1963 | $929 | 14.9% | 78.8% | 6.8% |
| Mead | 2.45 | 38.0 | 21.2% | 56.2% | 12.4% | 1957 | $980 | 12.2% | 83.0% | 10.5% |
| Delano | 2.44 | 33.0 | 8.8% | 59.7% | 14.4% | 1963 | $1,153 | 27.1% | 89.0% | 4.4% |
| South Area | 3.27 | 32.0 | 24.8% | 30.3% | 7.3% | 1984 | $1,117 | 12.3% | 85.1% | 14.3% |
| Orchard Breeze | 2.59 | 32.9 | 29.2% | 46.0% | 15.4% | 1961 | $873 | 14.3% | 90.2% | 10.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Rancho West, San Bernardino, CA · Nevin, Los Angeles, CA · North and East, Richmond, CA · North Coconut Grove, Miami, FL · North Hayward, Hayward, CA · North Ridge Rosemont, Alexandria, VA · Old Town, Torrance, CA · Orchards Area, Orchards, WA · Original Daly City, Daly City, CA · Ormewood Park-East Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Southwest. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.