Wichita, IA Demographics

Population 161 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Wichita, IA map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Wichita

Household size in Wichita

Household size, people per household
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–102.392.512.442.68
2010–142.432.562.452.73
2015–192.202.552.432.71
2020–242.202.522.432.65
Change−0.19+0.01−0.01−0.03
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Households in Wichita are small: just 2.20 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 2.39, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

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 Wichita

Median age, years
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–1048.636.238.837.7
2010–1447.236.739.338.6
2015–1946.337.239.739.6
2020–2445.737.639.840.1
Change−2.9+1.4+1.0+2.3
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With a median age of 45.7, Wichita 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 Wichita

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–104.7%10.2%9.5%12.3%
2010–146.4%11.1%9.9%12.3%
2015–192.6%10.9%10.0%11.6%
2020–246.1%11.2%10.0%11.6%
Change+1.4 pts+0.9 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single-parent households are relatively rare in Wichita: 6.1% of households, against 11.6% nationally.

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 Wichita

Renters in Wichita

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–1017.3%27.3%26.8%33.3%
2010–1417.7%29.3%28.2%35.6%
2015–1918.9%30.3%28.9%36.0%
2020–2416.8%30.5%28.3%34.8%
Change−0.6 pts+3.2 pts+1.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Wichita is largely a place of homeowners: only 16.8% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 59.5% 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 Wichita

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–1017.5%7.7%8.7%11.4%
2010–1414.8%7.2%8.6%11.4%
2015–1918.5%7.2%9.4%11.1%
2020–2413.4%7.0%8.8%9.6%
Change−4.1 pts−0.7 pts+0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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More homes sit empty in Wichita than nationally: 13.4%, against 9.6%. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones.

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 Wichita

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–101938197619651974
2010–141938197719671975
2015–191947197919691977
2020–241943198319711980
Change+5+7+6+6
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Wichita is a place of older homes: half were built before 1943, 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 Wichita

Rent, per month
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–10$468$808$669$965
2010–14$647$899$732$1,040
2015–19$596$986$821$1,213
2020–24$850$1,210$1,020$1,571
Change+$381+$402+$351+$606
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The median renter in Wichita pays $850 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 13.3% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.

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 Wichita

Bachelor's degrees in Wichita

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–1011.7%33.6%26.5%28.4%
2010–1419.6%35.5%27.9%29.6%
2015–1915.7%37.1%29.3%32.1%
2020–2424.1%40.3%32.3%35.6%
Change+12.4 pts+6.6 pts+5.8 pts+7.2 pts
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Fewer adults in Wichita have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 24.1%, 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 Wichita

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–1085.7%91.9%90.4%84.9%
2010–1491.0%92.8%91.4%86.1%
2015–1990.8%92.7%92.1%87.7%
2020–2497.2%92.9%93.0%89.3%
Change+11.5 pts+1.0 pts+2.7 pts+4.3 pts
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Finishing high school is nearly universal in Wichita: 97.2% 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 Wichita

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodWichitaDes Moines areaIowaU.S.
2006–104.2%4.8%5.2%8.1%
2010–144.7%5.4%5.4%9.4%
2015–193.1%3.8%3.7%5.6%
2020–242.1%4.5%3.7%5.4%
Change−2.0 pts−0.3 pts−1.5 pts−2.7 pts
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The job market in Wichita has been strong: 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).

Wichita compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Wichita2.2045.76.1%16.8%13.4%1943$85024.1%97.2%2.1%
Guthrie Center2.3439.19.8%20.3%14.2%1952$83821.2%92.7%1.1%
Bayard2.2244.36.7%18.1%13.1%1943$85723.7%96.6%2.2%
North Branch2.3349.44.3%15.5%10.6%1938$83719.7%96.9%1.3%
Coon Rapids2.5938.411.6%21.2%10.8%1946$78620.2%92.2%1.7%
Bagley2.0556.44.3%16.7%28.8%1975$60129.5%96.3%1.7%
Monteith2.3646.34.3%13.0%21.5%1969$56728.2%94.6%4.3%
Panora2.3744.911.0%17.3%27.6%1975$1,02826.6%97.2%3.7%
Yale2.3446.94.6%11.7%27.3%1975$1,25332.5%97.6%0.7%
Dedham2.6039.311.5%21.4%10.9%1945$78020.4%92.0%1.4%
Ross2.3949.56.0%20.1%12.5%1938$77524.1%93.7%0.0%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Fourmile Hill, AR · Sunnyside, PA · Sunbury, IL · Summer Hill, IL · Gassetts, VT · Garwood, MO · Gardiner, IA · Gabe, KY · Gabbs, NV · Fugates Hill, VA

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 Wichita. 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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