Population
Jackson
149,827
Topeka
126,103
Median Income
Jackson
$43,238
Topeka
$55,902
Home Value
Jackson
$108,200
Topeka
$130,600
Rent
Jackson
$1,018
Topeka
$947
Crime Rate
Jackson
8.19
Topeka
8.57
Cost of Living
Jackson
82.5
Topeka
88.9
Avg Temp
Jackson
N/A
Topeka
N/A
Unemployment
Jackson
9.4%
Topeka
4.9%
How Similar Are Jackson & Topeka?
Topeka is Jackson's #20 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Jackson
149,827
Topeka
126,103
Jackson has a 16% larger population than Topeka.
Violent Crime
Jackson
8.19
Topeka
8.57
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Jackson
45.38
Topeka
36.43
Jackson has a 20% higher property crime than Topeka.
Political Leaning
Jackson
26.3%
Topeka
48.8%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Topeka has a stronger Democratic lean (46% difference).
Unemployment
Jackson
9.4%
Topeka
4.9%
Jackson has a 48% higher unemployment than Topeka.
Median Income
Jackson
$43,238
Topeka
$55,902
Topeka has a 23% higher median income than Jackson.
Home Values
Jackson
$108,200
Topeka
$130,600
Topeka has a 17% higher home values than Jackson.
Education
Jackson
18.4%
Topeka
19.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Jackson
14.5%
Topeka
71.0%
Topeka's demographics is significantly higher than Jackson's — 80% difference.
Cost of Living
Jackson
82.5
Topeka
88.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Jackson and Topeka differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Jackson
0
Topeka
Topeka leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Jackson leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDTopeka has a fair market rent (1br) of $820 vs $1,097 in Jackson (34% lower). Topeka has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,057 vs $1,288 in Jackson (22% lower). Jackson scores 83.0 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 92.7 in Topeka.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Topeka leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSTopeka has a vacancy rate of 9.4% compared to 17.5% in Jackson. Jackson has a median property tax of $1,341 vs $1,991 in Topeka (33% lower). Topeka has a owner-occupied of 59.1% compared to 48.6% in Jackson.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Topeka leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSTopeka has a unemployment rate of 4.9% compared to 9.4% in Jackson. Topeka has a poverty rate of 15.6% compared to 26.8% in Jackson. Topeka: 15 min vs Jackson: 19 min for mean commute.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Topeka leads
Source: FBI UCRTopeka has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.81 compared to 2.93 in Jackson. Topeka has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.16 compared to 0.47 in Jackson. Jackson has a property crime clearance of 11.4% compared to 5.8% in Topeka.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Topeka leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauTopeka has a high school diploma or higher of 41.1% compared to 34.7% in Jackson. Topeka has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 18.4% in Jackson.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSJackson has a population of 149,827, about 1.2x the size of Topeka (126,103). Jackson skews younger with a median age of 34.7 vs 38.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Jackson
Topeka
Healthcare — Topeka leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareTopeka: 4.0 vs Jackson: 1.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Topeka: 5 vs Jackson: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Topeka leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSJackson has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Topeka. Topeka has a public transit of 0.9% compared to 0.6% in Jackson. Topeka: 15 min vs Jackson: 19 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Jackson, MS
Compare Jackson against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.