City Topeka is a city in Kansas, in Shawnee County.
The median owner-occupied home in Topeka had a real-estate tax bill of $1,991 (± $84) a year, compared with $2,643 in Kansas and $2,969 nationwide. The median home value was $130,600 (± $5,168), compared with $203,400 in Kansas and $303,400 nationwide.
| Measure | Topeka | Kansas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 126,103 ± 43 | 2,937,569 | 332,387,540 |
| Median annual property tax bill (homeowners) | $1,991 ± $84 | $2,643 ± $16 | $2,969 ± $3 |
| Median home value | $130,600 ± $5,168 | $203,400 ± $1,329 | $303,400 ± $362 |
| Median household income | $55,902 ± $2,030 | $72,639 ± $453 | $78,538 ± $176 |
| Property tax as a share of home value (calculated) | 1.52% ± 0.09 points | 1.30% ± 0.01 points | 0.98% ± under 0.01 points |
| Homes lived in by their owners | 59.2% ± 1.4 points | 66.9% ± 0.4 points | 65.0% ± 0.3 points |
| Owner households headed by someone 65 or older | 34.6% ± 2.1 points | 31.4% ± 0.3 points | 32.6% ± 0.2 points |
| Owners spending 30% or more of income on housing costs | 17.5% ± 1.9 points | 17.1% ± 0.3 points | 22.2% ± 0.1 points |
How to read these numbers
- These are estimates from a survey, not a count. The American Community Survey asks a sample of households. The ± figure is the Census Bureau’s margin of error: the true value is very likely within that range of the estimate. Small places have large margins.
- “Too imprecise to report” means the margin of error is at least half of the estimate, so printing the number would suggest accuracy that does not exist. A “rough guide only” note means the margin is a quarter to a half of the estimate.
- Property tax bill and home value are medians for owner-occupied homes. Half of the homes are above the figure and half below. A median bill is not the rate set by a city or town; the bill combines taxes levied by every local government that serves the home, such as the school district and county.
- “Calculated” rows are worked out by Untax the Roof from the Census figures above them. They compare two medians, so they describe the place, not a particular household.
- Missing is not zero. Where the Census Bureau publishes no figure, this page says so.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2019–2023: tables B25103 (real estate taxes), B25077 (home value), B19013 (household income), B01003 (population), B25003 (owners and renters), B25007 (age of householder), B25091 (housing costs as a share of income); see the Census ACS data page.
If property taxes go unpaid in Kansas
How it works. County judicial foreclosure under K.S.A. Article 28 followed by sheriff public auction, court confirmation, and recorded sheriff deed
Excess sale money. K.S.A. 79-2803 (final sentence, read on kslegislature.gov 2026-11-02; last amended 1945) states: if a tract sells for more than the judgment lien plus its share of costs, charges and expenses, "such excess shall be ordered by the court paid upon due proof to the owner or party entitled thereto." K.S.A. 79-2805 separately directs foreclosure-sale/resale proceeds into costs and tax-fund apportionment. Statutory entitlement to the excess is therefore verified for judicial-foreclosure sales; how courts apply the due-proof requirement, and whether any route (for example a county bid at the lien amount, or resale) leaves an owner without recourse, has not been reviewed and remains open for case-law review
These rules are set by Kansas, not by Topeka, so this section is the same for every place in the state. Last verified 2026-09-25. See the full Kansas entry with statute links.