This college town has the hottest real estate market in Kansas, new ranking says
The city home to the second largest college in Kansas is also the hottest real estate market in the state, according to one study done by Becker, a multi-practice commercial law firm.
The study, focused on bustling real estate markets for 2026, analyzed federal data for eight metrics, including growth in home prices, rent, employment, new home purchases, housing cost burden and more. Becker also ranked each state on its real estate market as a whole, putting Kansas in the 32nd spot for the hottest real estate market in the U.S., right behind Nevada and ahead of Indiana.
“As we enter 2026, new states are emerging as real estate hot spots as Americans spread out even further across the country in search of affordability,” the Becker article reads. “Driven by remote work and inflation, more Americans are moving to smaller and less traditional markets … For the average American, this unprecedented shift has made navigating real estate trends more challenging than ever.”
The city of Manhattan was named the hottest real estate market in Kansas in the ranking.
Manhattan is home to Kansas State University and sits about two hours from Wichita. According to the city’s website, the population is around 55,000. In addition to the Becker ranking, the city has also been named as one of the top 100 places to live by Livability and one of the top places to retire by Money Magazine, the city’s website reads.
Kansas’ middle-of-the-road ranking on real estate markets nationwide was influenced by coming last in the U.S. for employment growth, at -0.7%, according to the Becker analysis. The state placed 12th, however, in annual home price change and eighth in the nation for cost-burdened renters.
What does real estate in south-central Kansas look like?
While Wichita wasn’t named the hottest real estate market in Kansas by Becker, south-central Kansas still saw more sales volume in December 2025 than December 2024, according to data from Realtors of South Central Kansas.
Here are some quick facts about recent real estate trends in Sedgwick County and surrounding counties, from Realtors of South Central Kansas:
- Total home sales in December rose 9.7% compared to previous year.
- Total sales volume last month was up 10.8% compared to December 2024.
- The median active listing price was $265,990.
- The median sale price was $223,000.
- The area had 895 closed listings in December.
South-central Kansas realtors cover 18 counties, including Sedgwick, Butler, Chase, Cowley, Marion and Sumner.
Becker’s states with the hottest real estate markets in 2026
Here are the top five states with the hottest real estate markets in the U.S., according to Becker:
No. 1: Idaho
No. 2: South Carolina
No. 3: Delaware
No. 4: North Carolina
No. 5: Utah
California was ranked last.
