Wichita cracks top 5 of Forbes’ best cities to move to in 2024. Why it ranked so high

If you’re wanting to move away from Wichita anytime soon, a new ranking may change your mind.

A recent analysis from Forbes Home named the city fourth in its list of best places to move to in 2024, citing things like employment rates, housing costs and median family incomes. Wichita ranked right below Oklahoma City, Okla., and right above Colorado Springs, Colo. The top city to move to this year, according to the publication, is Omaha, Neb.

So, how does Wichita’s affordability compare to the other cities on this list? Here’s what to know.

Scoring 80.02 out of 100, Wichita gained a top spot by having a low median monthly housing cost of $930, lower than all of Forbes’ top five cities. The median family income in Wichita is $60,856, with an employment rate of 98%, according to Forbes. The company found its information through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, MIT’s Living Wage Project, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and NeighborhoodScout, a real estate platform.

While Forbes reports Wichita’s housings costs is below $1,000 per month, the south-central Kansas real estate market has seen growing home prices recently. The median home sale price in the area was $220,000 in February, with a median of 12 days on the market, according to the South Central Kansas MLS. Real estate experts told the Eagle in December 2024 is expected to be a fast-paced environment for buying homes.

With an average of 128 sunny days a year, Wichita’s weather also helped the city get a top spot on Forbes’ best places list. National Weather Service data from 1991 to 2020 shows the average high temperature in the city is 68.8 degrees Fahrenheit, with the average minimum at 46.5 degrees.

While Forbes’ top city, Omaha, has a higher monthly median housing cost of $1,188, it also has a higher median household salary than Wichita, at $68,198. Omaha scored 100 out of 100 in the analysis, released in March.

This is not the only recent ranking Wichita has been featured in. It was also named the No. 1 worst city for allergies by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America for the second year in a row.

Forbes’ top cities to move to in 2024

The top 10 U.S. cities to move to in 2024 are, according to Forbes:

1. Omaha, Neb.
2. Raleigh, N.C.
3. Oklahoma City, Okla.
4. Wichita, Kansas
5. Colorado Springs, Colo.
6. Tulsa, Okla.
7. Louisville, Ky.
8. Tucson, Ariz.
9. Virginia Beach, Va.
10. Columbus, Ohio

Lindsay Smith

The Wichita Eagle

Lindsay Smith is a suburban news reporter for the Wichita Eagle, covering the communities of Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Haysville and Kechi. She has been on The Eagle staff since 2022 and was the service journalism reporter for three years. She has a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Wichita State, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. You can reach her via email at lsmith@wichitaeagle.com.