CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

37.78° N · 97.25° W · GEOID 2005337

Bel Aire

Sedgwick County, Kansas · part of the Wichita, KS metro

KansasBel Aire, KSBel AireBel Aire

The short answer

Bel Aire is home to 9,043 people. Median household income is $97,795 a year and median rent is $1,649 a month, 20.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $238,100, about 2.4x annual median household income.

The story in Bel Aire is how fast things are changing. Housing became less affordable between 2019 and 2024: rent went from 14.6% to 20.2% of income. Also notable: Owning with a mortgage costs only about $26 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 93% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 64 Kansas places we track.

88OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Bel Aire scores better than 88% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 11th of 63 in Kansas.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%72
Economy 20%79
Safety 20%70
Amenities 15%20
Education 10%79
Commute 10%81
Growth 5%54
Median gross rent
$1,649
21% above the median place
Median household income
$97,795
22% above the median place
Median home value
$238,100
25% below the median place
Unemployment
2.9%
41% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Bel Aire

  • GrowthCompared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Kasson, MN, Eureka, MO and Brandon, SD), population growth since 2020 here is higher: 24.4% against a typical 8.1%.
  • GrowthThe population has grown 24.4% since 2020, faster growth than in 95% of the 1,634 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Bel Aire

Sedgwick County gains about 0.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in16,699
Moved out16,397
Net+302

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Kansas, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within KansasOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$56K
Leavers$62K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Sedgwick County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
7.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.3% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Sedgwick County report $56,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $61,700, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$66,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,649 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,675 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $238,100.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 12.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Troy, IL matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
7.7%
34% above the median place
Income of households moving in8
$56,311
20% below the median place
Income of households moving out8
$61,719
12% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBel AireAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year17.7%34% above
Moved from another state1County figure2.3%15% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure0.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$56,31120% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$61,71912% below
02

What it costs to live here

Rent is about 29% higher than we would expect for a place with these incomes, education levels, housing age and household types in the same metro area. The premium usually reflects location, amenities or schools that these figures do not capture.

Bel Aire20.2%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$65,960
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.2%
1% below the median place
Home price to income
2.4x
36% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
20%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$83,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Bel Aire, $1,649 a month, and local prices for everything else (93.6 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Bel Aire, but easier on the budget

Places that match Bel Aire on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Troy, IL9511.9% vs 20.2%$17,300Compare
Chatham, IL9514.1% vs 20.2%$11,100Compare
Eureka, MO9513.9% vs 20.2%$11,600Compare
Bixby, OK9416.0% vs 20.2%$10,400Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Bel Aire.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Bel Aire? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median year built1
1996
1% above the median place
Homeownership1
81.8%
23% above the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
43.4%
14% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureBel AireAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,64921% above
Rent to income120.2%1% below
Property tax rate11.4%48% above
Home price to income12.4x36% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure89.012% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,04335% below
HUD area median income4County figure$96,50010% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,2132% below
Median home value1$238,10025% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure3.3%2% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure49.4%4% below
Homeownership181.8%23% above
Renters paying 30%+143.4%14% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,67511% below
Vacant homes1County figure9.2%30% above
Median year built119961% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Unemployment1
2.9%
41% below the median place
Mean commute1
20 min
20% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$97,795 +22%
Poverty rate11.8% +10%
Works from home12.7% +2%
Income per person$40,069 −0%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBel AireAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$97,79522% above
Income per person1$40,0690% below
Unemployment12.9%41% below
Average annual pay6County figure$63,1144% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.1%11% above
Jobs6County figure265,86976% above
Poverty rate111.8%10% above
Mean commute120 min20% below
Works from home112.7%2% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Population change since 2020 is 24.4%, above the median place (median 1.1%).

Population change since 20207
24.4%
above the median place (median 1.1%)
Bachelor's or higher1
50.1%
56% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
95.6%
4% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Median age35.5 −9%
Born abroad5.4% −39%
Household size2.7 +8%
High school or higher94.5% +2%
No health insurance5.3% −17%
All 9 people measures
MeasureBel AireAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19,0434470th largest
Population change since 2020724.4%above (median 1.1%)
Median age135.59% below
Bachelor's or higher150.1%56% above
High school or higher194.5%2% above
Household size12.78% above
Born abroad15.4%39% below
No health insurance15.3%17% below
Homes with broadband195.6%4% above
05

Life in Bel Aire

The nearest National Park Service site is Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, about 59 miles away.

Founded or incorporated in 1955. 146 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.3 +30%
Playgrounds per 10k9.9 +6%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1.1 −90%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails1 km −70%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve 59 miles
  • Fort Larned National Historic Site 111 miles
  • Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park 122 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.7 +4%
Shops31.0 +2%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.2 −22%
Doctors' offices and clinics23.8 +18%
Child care centers1.5 −35%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools14
2
78% below the median place
Public school students14
1,307
73% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site11
58.8
91% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureBel AireAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools14278% below
Public school students141,30773% below
Students per teacher1413.512% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure21.74% above
Shops per 10k9County figure31.02% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure3.222% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure23.818% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.535% below
Parks per 10k1013.330% above
Playgrounds per 10k109.96% above
Grocery stores per 10k100.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k101.190% below
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails100.670% below
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1158.891% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11150% below
National Register listings12County figure146above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 114, 41% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
114
41% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
795
34% below the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

Tornado risk16
99.3
22% above the median place
July average high15
93°F
7% above the median place
Heat wave risk16
98.5
9% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureBel AireAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high15County figure93°F7% above
January average low15County figure22°F12% below
Average temperature15County figure57°F4% above
Annual precipitation15County figure34.5 in21% below
Natural hazard risk16County figure96.64% above
Hurricane risk16County figure42.740% below
Tornado risk16County figure99.322% above
Wildfire risk16County figure94.454% above
Heat wave risk16County figure98.59% above
Median air quality index17County figure4812% above
Good air days17County figure57.5%16% below
08

Bel Aire in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 21% of the median income in 2030, up from 20% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Bel Aire does better than 68% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 48%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,649/mo (2024)$2,130/mo$1,750 to $2,600/mo+4.4%
Median household income$97,795 (2024)$122,000$103,000 to $144,500+3.8%
Median home value$238,100 (2024)$341,000$247,000 to $470,000+6.2%
Population10,287 (2025)11,66011,180 to 12,160+2.5%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.4 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Bel Aire

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Pike Creek Valley, DE$1,751$102,434Compare
Andover, KS$1,450$104,787Compare
Brownsburg, IN$1,486$102,235Compare
Auburn Hills, MI$1,477$84,375Compare
Auburn Hills, MIBrownsburg, INAndover, KSPike Creek Valley, DEBel Aire, KSBel AireAndoverBrownsburgAuburn HillsBel AireAndoverBrownsburgAuburn Hills

Places built like Bel Aire

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Bel Aire performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Bel Aire, KS20.2%1.5%/yr24.4%
Kasson, MN14.3%4.1%/yr6.7%Compare
Eureka, MO13.9%-0.5%/yr14.7%Compare
Brandon, SD10.6%4.9%/yr2.5%Compare
Asbury, IA14.6%4.4%/yr1.5%Compare
Carl Junction, MO18.9%4.6%/yr4.2%Compare
Delano, MN10.5%1.6%/yr19.7%Compare

Common questions

Is Bel Aire a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 88 out of 100, better than 88% of the places we rate and 11th of 63 in Kansas. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Kasson, MN, Eureka, MO and Brandon, SD), population growth since 2020 here is higher: 24.4% against a typical 8.1%. The population has grown 24.4% since 2020, faster growth than in 95% of the 1,634 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 86 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Bel Aire expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.2% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $238,100.

What salary do you need to live in Bel Aire?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $65,960 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Bel Aire safe?

There were 114 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Bel Aire?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Pike Creek Valley, DE, Andover, KS, Brownsburg, IN and Auburn Hills, MI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Bel Aire with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Bel Aire itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/bel-aire-kansas

Citytistics. “Bel Aire, Kansas.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/bel-aire-kansas/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.