Population 4,183 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in West Southwest 3
Household size in West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.25 | 2.37 | 2.54 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.16 | 2.45 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.25 | 2.42 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.18 | 2.35 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.06 | −0.02 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in West Southwest 3 are small: just 2.18 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.
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 West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 42.8 | 38.6 | 37.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 44.2 | 39.1 | 37.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 39.1 | 39.9 | 38.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 44.8 | 40.2 | 38.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.0 | +1.5 | +1.4 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 44.8, West Southwest 3 is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 42.8, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
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 West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.1% | 14.5% | 10.8% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 14.5% | 13.0% | 10.9% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.0% | 10.5% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.2% | 12.4% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| Change | −5.9 pts | −2.0 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 6.2% of households in West Southwest 3, 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 West Southwest 3
Renters in West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.0% | 34.9% | 30.6% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 24.7% | 37.4% | 32.9% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 31.9% | 37.4% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 34.1% | 34.9% | 32.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | +7.1 pts | +0.0 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in West Southwest 3 is about as common as it is nationally: 34.1% of households rent, against 34.8%. Among owners, 46.3% have paid off their mortgages, 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 West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.1% | 7.8% | 10.1% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 12.6% | 9.9% | 10.4% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.9% | 10.7% | 11.3% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.6% | 8.6% | 9.7% | 9.6% |
| Change | +1.5 pts | +0.8 pts | −0.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in West Southwest 3 as nationally: 8.6%, against 9.6%.
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 West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1963 | 1968 | 1971 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1962 | 1969 | 1972 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1963 | 1969 | 1973 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1963 | 1971 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | −0 | +3 | +5 | +6 |
West Southwest 3 is a place of older homes: half were built before 1963, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating.
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 West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $785 | $758 | $769 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $720 | $843 | $858 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $873 | $953 | $950 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,120 | $1,109 | $1,159 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$335 | +$351 | +$390 | +$606 |
Rent in West Southwest 3 runs $1,120 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Topeka as a whole looks much the same. The typical renter here spends 25.1% 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 West Southwest 3
Bachelor's degrees in West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 29.6% | 29.1% | 30.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 28.1% | 29.3% | 31.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 33.0% | 30.1% | 33.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 24.6% | 30.8% | 35.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | −5.0 pts | +1.7 pts | +4.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in West Southwest 3 have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 24.6%, against 35.6% 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 West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 92.2% | 89.5% | 89.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 92.4% | 90.2% | 90.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 93.7% | 91.5% | 90.8% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 96.2% | 92.3% | 91.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.0 pts | +2.8 pts | +2.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in West Southwest 3: 96.2% 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 West Southwest 3
| Period | West Southwest 3 | Topeka | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.6% | 7.4% | 6.1% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 3.5% | 7.5% | 6.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.6% | 4.4% | 4.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.2% | 4.5% | 4.0% | 5.4% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | −2.9 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in West Southwest 3 is close to the national rate: 5.2% of the labor force, against 5.4%. The rate is higher than in Topeka overall (4.5%). Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
West Southwest 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Southwest 3 | 2.18 | 44.8 | 6.2% | 34.1% | 8.6% | 1963 | $1,120 | 24.6% | 96.2% | 5.2% |
| Southwest Topeka | 2.29 | 42.7 | 11.7% | 34.8% | 4.6% | 1986 | $1,226 | 43.3% | 97.0% | 4.0% |
| West Southwest 2 | 2.01 | 44.4 | 11.7% | 55.9% | 10.5% | 1977 | $1,195 | 31.1% | 93.5% | 3.8% |
| Central Topeka 2 | 2.20 | 35.9 | 6.1% | 42.2% | 10.0% | 1958 | $894 | 37.4% | 95.4% | 6.7% |
| South Southeast 1 | 2.02 | 39.9 | 8.2% | 58.6% | 10.7% | 1971 | $939 | 34.3% | 96.9% | 4.6% |
| South Southeast 3 | 2.42 | 40.6 | 10.5% | 17.7% | 9.9% | 1985 | $1,657 | 26.3% | 94.1% | 1.2% |
| East Topeka | 2.43 | 34.5 | 26.9% | 44.9% | 8.3% | 1979 | $651 | 19.7% | 89.3% | 7.6% |
| Sunset Hills | 1.99 | 25.6 | 5.1% | 60.9% | 23.4% | 1969 | $904 | 48.1% | 96.1% | 11.5% |
| Oread | 2.37 | 22.0 | 7.7% | 90.1% | 13.0% | 1953 | $1,033 | 49.1% | 96.5% | 8.8% |
| Prairie-Piper-KC-KS | 2.94 | 39.1 | 18.7% | 28.0% | 6.0% | 2002 | $1,712 | 38.3% | 94.7% | 0.4% |
| I-435 West KC-KS | 2.95 | 37.2 | 9.1% | 25.3% | 4.6% | 2000 | $2,318 | 44.2% | 93.3% | 6.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Five Points, Atlanta, GA · Timber Ridge, San Antonio, TX · Tierra Oeste, Albuquerque, NM · Southwood, Old Bridge, NJ · Schenley, Youngstown, OH · Hallsville, Manchester, NH · Govalle, Austin, TX · Ghent, Norfolk, VA · Gert Town, New Orleans, LA · Garden District, Baton Rouge, LA
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 West Southwest 3. 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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