Living in Kansas City, MO

It's elevated — there's no way to sugarcoat a violent crime index of 143 when the national average sits at 100. Property crime is at 148. That said, city-wide averages hide a lot of variation. There are safe, quiet neighborhoods in Kansas City where people raise families without much worry. The key is doing granular research: talk to residents, check precinct-level data, and visit at different times of day before signing a lease. FBI UCR numbers.

By most measures, yes. The median rent of $1,186/month against a median household income of $67,449/year works out to a 21.1% rent-to-income ratio. Financial planners generally want that number under 30%, so Kansas City clears the bar with room to spare. You'll have breathing space for savings, car payments, and the occasional splurge. Numbers from Census ACS 2023.

The average worker in Kansas City spends about 19 minutes getting to the office. Driving solo is the default (72.7%), with 14.8% working remotely and 1.9% on public transit. It's a fairly typical commute — not a selling point, not a dealbreaker.

Not particularly. The climate risk score is 37/100, which puts Kansas City in the low-risk tier. Tornado, Flood, and Heat Wave are the most relevant hazards, but none of them are frequent concerns. Standard insurance should have you covered. It's one less thing to worry about if you're comparing this city to higher-risk metros along the coast or in tornado alley. Data from FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA.

The numbers suggest some caution. Kansas City's graduation rate is 76.0% with a 16:1 student-teacher ratio — both below where most parents would feel comfortable. That said, there are standout public schools, active magnet programs, and charter options that families swear by. If education is a priority, you'll want to target specific schools and be willing to live in their attendance zones. Don't write off the whole city based on averages.

About what you'd expect anywhere. The average monthly utility bill in Kansas City runs around $237 for electricity, gas, water, and sewer combined. The national average is $230, so you're right in line. Your actual bill depends on home size, insulation quality, and how much you run the AC or heater — but no surprises here.

Good, overall. The median AQI sits at 44, which falls within the EPA's "Good" category, and Kansas City logs 258 clean-air days annually. Ozone is the main pollutant. Occasional spikes happen — wildfire smoke, temperature inversions, or high-ozone days — but they're the exception, not the rule. Check AirNow.gov during allergy season or summer heat waves.

Higher than average, yes. The total effective tax rate lands around 15.8% when you add up income, property, and sales taxes. Sales tax is 9.5%. High-tax areas often come with better public schools, infrastructure, and services — but that's not guaranteed, and it's cold comfort on payday. If you're moving from a low-tax state like Texas or Florida, brace for a noticeable dip in take-home pay.

Mostly, yes. The system scores 76/100, with 0 health-based violations on record and a "medium" lead risk rating. That's a solid track record. Most residents drink tap water without issues. If you're in an older building with pre-1986 plumbing, a basic filter is a cheap precaution. For detailed contaminant info, check EWG's Tap Water Database.

Everything on this page is built from public government sources: rent and income figures from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-Year Estimates, 2023); commute and transportation data from Census ACS tables B08303 and B08006; crime rates from the FBI Uniform Crime Report; climate risk assessments using FEMA disaster declarations and NOAA storm records; air quality measurements from the EPA's Air Quality System database; water quality compliance data from EPA records and the EWG Tap Water Database; school data from the National Center for Education Statistics; utility cost estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. We refresh each dataset monthly through an automated pipeline and cross-check for anomalies. No surveys, no user-submitted guesses — just official federal data presented in a way that's actually useful for people researching a move.