Kansas City, Missouri population is 521,220 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #37 nationally and #1 in Missouri. Cost of living runs 7.5% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $57,081/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
521,220
+4,681 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 92.5
−7.5% vs US
Kansas City, MO-KS metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$57,081/yr
−29% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$69,166
−11% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$242,900
−20% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$1,358/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
89°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
92%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
How many people live in Kansas City?
521,220 people live in Kansas City as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #37 largest U.S. city.
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 2.6% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 508,012 → 2025: 521,220 (+2.6%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
508,012
April 1, 2020
2020
508,128
July 1, 2020
2021
509,175
July 1, 2021
2022
509,218
July 1, 2022
2023
511,549
July 1, 2023
2024
516,539
July 1, 2024
2025
521,220
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 7.5% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Kansas City is the #37 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #1 in Missouri.
▸ Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
508,012
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+13,208
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+2.6%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+4,681
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.9%
within V2025 only
Density
1,657
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
314.5
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#37
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#1
of 936 in Missouri
What is the median household income in Kansas City?
Median household income is 11% below the U.S. median ($69,166 vs $77,719); 14.6% live in poverty — 2.1 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$69,166
US
Kansas City: $69,166 — 11% below the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Kansas City
$69,166
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Kansas City from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
69,166-11.0% vs US
±1,445
Per capita income
41,393-4.4% vs US
±718
Population in poverty
14.6%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 20% below the U.S. median ($242,900 vs $303,400); median rent is 8% below ($1,238 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 3.5×, making it 1.1× as affordable as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Median home value$242,900
US
Kansas City: $242,900 — 20% below the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,358/mo
US
Kansas City: $1,358/mo — 26% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Kansas City. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
3.7%
Kansas City (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
280,347
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
17.0%+21.6% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Kansas City spans 4 counties; all are listed (no weighted average):
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Cass County
7.0%
$83,378
3.4%
Clay County
8.9%
$88,044
3.2%
Jackson County
14.3%
$70,661
3.9%
Platte County
5.5%
$92,305
3.2%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Kansas City's linked 4 counties in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
74,571
$1,226 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
59,360
$736 / wk
#3
Accommodation and food services (72)
56,060
$542 / wk
#4
Manufacturing (31-33)
50,962
$1,551 / wk
#5
Professional and technical services (54)
43,899
$2,183 / wk
What workers earn in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
General and Operations Managers is the largest tracked occupation in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro (31,080 jobs, median $90,490/yr).
▸ Show all 12 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Cashiers
24,160
$30,700
$14.76
Stockers and Order Fillers
23,580
$36,850
$17.72
Customer Service Representatives
22,240
$44,350
$21.32
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
20,870
$32,780
$15.76
Fast Food and Counter Workers
20,120
$29,560
$14.21
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
19,070
$41,700
$20.05
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
31,080
$90,490
$43.51
Registered Nurses · benchmark
29,650
$83,040
$39.92
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
26,110
$34,320
$16.50
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
18,230
$60,170
$28.93
Software Developers · benchmark
12,160
$124,990
$60.09
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 7.5% below the U.S. average (RPP 92.5); rents run 13.4% below (RPP 86.6) — the metro's housing affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 92.5
US
Kansas City's cost of living runs 7.5% below the U.S. average (RPP 92.5 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 92.5
−7.5% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Kansas City, MO-KS metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,358/mo
FY2026 · Kansas City, MO-KS HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
4.70%
8 brackets · TY2025
Family-of-four monthly budget total
$4,757/mo
3BR rent + food + taxes + transport (childcare not modeled — county outside NDCP 2022 coverage) · federal sources Note: family-of-four total excludes childcare — modeled NDCP counties typically add $1,500–$2,900/mo for two children at center-based preschool + school-age care.
Single-adult monthly budget total
$4,053/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources
Local income tax (monthly, single adult)
$41/mo
Kansas City (earnings tax) · F3 pipeline · details
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
8.6% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (7.8% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Kansas City's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
13 districts serve Kansas City, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts. Expand the list below to see every district sorted primary first. See methodology §12.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Kansas City?
Hottest month: July (89°F avg high). Coldest: January (20°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 39.3 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Kansas City from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk spans 71.4–96.5/100 across 4 counties; most-cited top hazard is Hail (in 1 of 4).
Natural-hazard exposure for Kansas City from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
Kansas City spans 4 counties. We list each separately because hurricane, flood, and fire risk varies meaningfully across county lines — manufacturing a single “city-level” risk score would hide that signal.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Kansas City?
21 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 92% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Kansas City from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
21 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
19
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
92.4%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
92.3%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
261,171
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Kansas City?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 7,914 violent and 23,920 property offenses in the Kansas City jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 1,547.1 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Kansas City — an FBI jurisdiction population of 511,535, versus the Census place population of 521,220. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
7,914
1,547.1
359.1
Property crime
23,920
4,676.1
1,760.1
▸ Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
141
Rape
382
Robbery
1,299
Aggravated assault
6,092
Burglary
2,508
Larceny-theft
12,555
Motor vehicle theft
8,857
Arson (12-month reporters only)
89
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
1,481.4
4,715.5
508,856
2023
1,477.7
4,958.5
509,855
2024
1,547.1
4,676.1
511,535
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Kansas City · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Kansas City sits at state rank #1 among 936 cities in Missouri. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Atlanta, GA · #36 · 529,110 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Mesa, AZ · #38 · 513,656 residents.
Quick travel facts for Kansas City
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Kansas City International Airport(MCI) ·
15 mi 24 km from city centroid
Best months to visit
Oct · months when the avg high sits in 65–80°F and precipitation is at or below the city's median monthly precip
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Kansas City.
How many people live in Kansas City, MO?
Kansas City has 521,220 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #37 largest city in the United States and #1 in Missouri. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Kansas City growing or shrinking?
Kansas City has grown 2.6% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 13,208 residents, including a 0.9% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Kansas City's population in the 2020 census?
Kansas City spans Cass County, Clay County, Jackson County, Platte County in Missouri.
How big is Kansas City?
Kansas City covers 314.5 square miles of land, with a population density of about 1,657 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Kansas City?
$69,166, about 11% below the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID2938000
Last build2026-07-05
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Kansas City is 2938000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
