Population
South Bend
102,866
Topeka
126,103
Median Income
South Bend
$52,512
Topeka
$55,902
Home Value
South Bend
$124,500
Topeka
$130,600
Rent
South Bend
$1,000
Topeka
$947
Crime Rate
South Bend
9.65
Topeka
8.57
Cost of Living
South Bend
87.5
Topeka
88.9
Avg Temp
South Bend
N/A
Topeka
N/A
Unemployment
South Bend
6.0%
Topeka
4.9%
How Similar Are South Bend & Topeka?
Topeka is South Bend's #5 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
South Bend
102,866
Topeka
126,103
Topeka has a 18% larger population than South Bend.
Violent Crime
South Bend
9.65
Topeka
8.57
South Bend has a 11% higher violent crime than Topeka.
Property Crime
South Bend
20.44
Topeka
36.43
Topeka has a 44% higher property crime than South Bend.
Political Leaning
South Bend
48.5%
Topeka
48.8%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
South Bend
6.0%
Topeka
4.9%
South Bend has a 18% higher unemployment than Topeka.
Median Income
South Bend
$52,512
Topeka
$55,902
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
South Bend
$124,500
Topeka
$130,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
South Bend
18.9%
Topeka
19.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
South Bend
54.1%
Topeka
71.0%
Topeka has a 24% higher demographics than South Bend.
Cost of Living
South Bend
87.5
Topeka
88.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. South Bend and Topeka share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
South Bend
0
Topeka
Topeka leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — South Bend leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDTopeka has a fair market rent (1br) of $820 vs $1,105 in South Bend (35% lower). Topeka has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,057 vs $1,292 in South Bend (22% lower). Topeka scores 75.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 80.3 in South Bend.
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 13.5% in South Bend. South Bend has a median property tax of $1,235 vs $1,991 in Topeka (38% lower). South Bend has a single-family homes of 75.0% compared to 70.4% in Topeka.
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 poverty rate of 15.6% compared to 22.6% in South Bend. Topeka has a unemployment rate of 4.9% compared to 6.0% in South Bend. Topeka: 62,868 vs South Bend: 49,983 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — South Bend leads
Source: FBI UCRSouth Bend has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.03 compared to 0.16 in Topeka. South Bend has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.30 compared to 6.38 in Topeka. South Bend has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 13.80 compared to 25.05 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 37.9% in South Bend. Topeka has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.6% compared to 18.9% in South Bend.
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 ACSTopeka has a population of 126,103, about 1.2x the size of South Bend (102,866). South Bend skews younger with a median age of 33.9 vs 38.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
South Bend
Topeka
Healthcare — Topeka leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareTopeka: 5 vs South Bend: 3 for with emergency services. Topeka: 4.0 vs South Bend: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — South Bend leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSouth Bend has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.1% in Topeka. South Bend has a public transit of 1.7% compared to 0.9% in Topeka. Topeka has a drive alone of 76.7% compared to 71.4% in South Bend.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to South Bend, IN
Compare South Bend 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.