Rent Affordability for A Firefighter in Kansas

A typical firefighter in Kansas earns about $56,529 a year, which supports approximately $1,413 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Kansas city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.

As of May 2026. 15 of 28 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 13 are rent-burdened on this salary.

CityMedian rent% of incomeAffordability
Independence, KS$700/mo14.9%very comfortable
Great Bend, KS$812/mo17.2%very comfortable
Hutchinson, KS$848/mo18%very comfortable
Emporia, KS$860/mo18.3%very comfortable
Pittsburg, KS$931/mo19.8%very comfortable
Salina, KS$1,026/mo21.8%affordable
Newton, KS$1,051/mo22.3%affordable
Wichita, KS$1,146/mo24.3%affordable
Junction City, KS$1,261/mo26.8%affordable
Leavenworth, KS$1,269/mo26.9%affordable
Topeka, KS$1,283/mo27.2%affordable
Lawrence, KS$1,288/mo27.3%affordable
Manhattan, KS$1,293/mo27.4%affordable
Kansas City, KS$1,319/mo28%affordable
Park City, KS$1,340/mo28.4%affordable
Gardner, KS$1,569/mo33.3%stretched
Derby, KS$1,582/mo33.6%stretched
Goddard, KS$1,669/mo35.4%stretched
Bel Aire, KS$1,679/mo35.6%stretched
Lenexa, KS$1,685/mo35.8%stretched
Mission, KS$1,709/mo36.3%stretched
Shawnee, KS$1,796/mo38.1%stretched
Overland Park, KS$1,800/mo38.2%stretched
Olathe, KS$1,900/mo40.3%rent-burdened
Spring Hill, KS$2,002/mo42.5%rent-burdened
Leawood, KS$2,024/mo43%rent-burdened
Fairway, KS$2,075/mo44%rent-burdened
Prairie Village, KS$2,283/mo48.5%rent-burdened
Methodology: Salary is the BLS-derived state estimate for Kansas. Rent is the latest ZORI monthly value for each city. Affordability uses the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income).