Wakarusa, KS Demographics

Population 978 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Wakarusa, KS map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Wakarusa

Household size in Wakarusa

Household size, people per household
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–102.552.542.68
2010–142.402.582.73
2015–192.492.562.71
2020–242.222.532.65
Change−0.34−0.01−0.03
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Households in Wakarusa are small: just 2.22 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.55, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

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 Wakarusa

Median age, years
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–1045.637.437.7
2010–1449.137.838.6
2015–1949.838.539.6
2020–2453.138.840.1
Change+7.5+1.4+2.3
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With a median age of 53.1, Wakarusa is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.

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 Wakarusa

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–109.2%10.8%12.3%
2010–148.5%10.9%12.3%
2015–194.1%10.4%11.6%
2020–248.5%10.5%11.6%
Change−0.7 pts−0.4 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 8.5% of households in Wakarusa, well below the national share of 11.6%.

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 Wakarusa

Renters in Wakarusa

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–109.0%30.6%33.3%
2010–1411.8%32.9%35.6%
2015–1911.4%33.7%36.0%
2020–2413.0%32.8%34.8%
Change+3.9 pts+2.3 pts+1.5 pts
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Wakarusa is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 13.0% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 55.9% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.

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 Wakarusa

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–102.6%10.1%11.4%
2010–144.5%10.4%11.4%
2015–194.7%11.3%11.1%
2020–243.9%9.7%9.6%
Change+1.3 pts−0.4 pts−1.8 pts
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Empty homes are scarce in Wakarusa: just 3.9% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market.

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 Wakarusa

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–10197919711974
2010–14197719721975
2015–19198319731977
2020–24198019761980
Change+1+5+6
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The typical home in Wakarusa was built around 1980, the same vintage as the country's housing overall.

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 Wakarusa

Rent, per month
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–10$722$769$965
2010–14$820$858$1,040
2015–19$774$950$1,213
2020–24$1,131$1,159$1,571
Change+$409+$390+$606
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Rent in Wakarusa runs $1,131 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The picture is much the same across Kansas. The typical renter here spends 25.6% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.

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 Wakarusa

Bachelor's degrees in Wakarusa

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–1024.8%30.8%28.4%
2010–1432.7%31.7%29.6%
2015–1927.2%33.6%32.1%
2020–2430.3%35.6%35.6%
Change+5.5 pts+4.8 pts+7.2 pts
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About three in ten adults 25 and older in Wakarusa (30.3%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a little below the national share of 35.6%.

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 Wakarusa

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–1092.6%89.5%84.9%
2010–1495.1%90.0%86.1%
2015–1996.3%90.8%87.7%
2020–2496.5%91.7%89.3%
Change+3.9 pts+2.2 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion is high in Wakarusa: 96.5% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.

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 Wakarusa

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodWakarusaKansasU.S.
2006–104.8%6.1%8.1%
2010–144.1%6.7%9.4%
2015–192.8%4.1%5.6%
2020–242.1%4.0%5.4%
Change−2.7 pts−2.1 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Wakarusa has been low: just 2.1% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. 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).

Wakarusa compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Wakarusa2.2253.18.5%13.0%3.9%1980$1,13130.3%96.5%2.1%
Auburn2.5440.914.8%21.7%3.0%1982$89230.6%95.8%2.3%
Carbondale2.3042.38.0%18.6%5.2%1978$68521.1%92.4%0.5%
Berryton2.2252.94.0%6.1%2.6%1983$1,16739.2%97.6%0.8%
Scranton2.4844.910.3%8.9%11.7%1980$81118.7%92.8%3.0%
Topeka2.3540.212.4%34.9%8.6%1971$1,10930.8%92.3%4.5%
Richland2.2854.03.4%4.0%4.8%1984$1,07437.2%98.0%0.5%
Burlingame2.4142.87.5%25.4%14.7%1960$75615.3%91.3%6.9%
Tecumseh2.5044.09.3%10.3%2.5%1971$1,07136.8%95.1%2.2%
Dover2.6344.98.9%3.9%9.7%1984$1,15236.0%97.6%1.1%
Overbrook2.3945.79.1%12.7%11.1%1976$80028.0%94.1%1.2%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Rork, LA · Marysburg, MN · Maytown, PA · Millersburg, MI · Minnesota Lake, MN · Montgomery Center, VT · Montville, NY · New Greenleaf, MI · Phillipsville, PA · Rehrersburg, PA

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 Wakarusa. 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.

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