CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

37.82° N · 96.86° W · GEOID 2020075

El Dorado

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

KansasEl Dorado, KSEl DoradoEl Dorado

The short answer

El Dorado is home to 12,769 people. Median household income is $59,180 a year and median rent is $844 a month, 17.1% 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 $120,300, about 2.0x annual median household income.

The story in El Dorado is how fast things are changing. Household income rose 6.4% a year while rent rose 2% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay gained on rent more than in 93% of places its size. Also notable: The median home costs 2 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 97% of places its size.

70OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

El Dorado scores better than 70% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 29th of 63 in Kansas.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%87
Economy 20%53
Safety 20%36
Amenities 15%44
Education 10%37
Commute 10%91
Growth 5%56
Median gross rent
$844
38% below the median place
Median household income
$59,180
26% below the median place
Median home value
$120,300
62% below the median place
Unemployment
3.3%
32% 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 El Dorado

  • GrowthCompared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Hannibal, MO, Great Bend, KS and Webster City, IA), household income growth here is higher: 6.4% a year against a typical 4.3% a year.
01

Moving to El Dorado

Butler County gains about 4.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in3,747
Moved out3,480
Net+267

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Kansas, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within KansasOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$74K
Leavers$65K

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

Who moves here
5.8% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.8% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Butler County report $74,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $64,600, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$33,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $844 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,302 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $120,300.
Getting to work
18 minutes each way on average; 4.6% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Upper Sandusky, OH matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.8%
61% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
5.8%
1% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
4.7
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureEl DoradoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year15.8%1% above
Moved from another state10.8%61% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure4.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$73,9795% above
Income of households moving out8County figure$64,6118% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeowners pay a median of about 2% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 89% of the 2,101 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the highest of 64 Kansas places we track.

El Dorado17.1%
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
$33,760
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.1%
16% below the median place
Home price to income
2.0x
47% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$52,200
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in El Dorado, $844 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 El Dorado, but easier on the budget

Places that match El Dorado 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
Upper Sandusky, OH9214.4% vs 17.1%n/aCompare
Monmouth, IL9114.4% vs 17.1%n/aCompare
Napoleon, OH9012.8% vs 17.1%n/aCompare
Jacksonville, IL8913.0% vs 17.1%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in El Dorado.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to El Dorado? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$120,300
62% below the median place
Property tax rate1
2.0%
120% above the median place
Median year built1
1959
1% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureEl DoradoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$84438% below
Rent to income117.1%16% below
Property tax rate12.0%120% above
Home price to income12.0x47% 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$2,40726% below
Median home value1$120,30062% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.4%38% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure50.5%2% below
Homeownership160.0%10% below
Renters paying 30%+141.0%19% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,30230% below
Vacant homes112.4%76% above
Median year built119591% below
03

Work and pay

5% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 93% of the 2,241 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Works from home1
4.6%
63% below the median place
Mean commute1
18 min
30% below the median place
Unemployment1
3.3%
32% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$59,180 −26%
Income per person$30,871 −23%
Poverty rate16.6% +54%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureEl DoradoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$59,18026% below
Income per person1$30,87123% below
Unemployment13.3%32% below
Average annual pay6County figure$51,55822% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.2%41% below
Jobs6County figure19,97387% below
Poverty rate116.6%54% above
Mean commute118 min30% below
Works from home14.6%63% below
Commutes by transit1Metro figure0.5%40% below
04

Who lives here

Household size is 2.2, 12% below the median place.

Household size1
2.2
12% below the median place
Median age1
36.2
7% below the median place
High school or higher1
94.8%
3% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance8.5% +33%
Bachelor's or higher26.0% −19%
Homes with broadband91.4% −1%
All 9 people measures
MeasureEl DoradoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population112,7693420th largest
Population change since 20207-0.7%below (median 1.1%)
Median age136.27% below
Bachelor's or higher126.0%19% below
High school or higher194.8%3% above
Household size12.212% below
Born abroad1County figure4.0%54% below
No health insurance18.5%33% above
Homes with broadband191.4%1% below
05

Life in El Dorado

The nearest National Park Service site is Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, about 45 miles away.

Founded or incorporated in 1868. 8 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

  • El Dorado Carnegie Library listed 1987
  • El Dorado Missouri Pacific Depot listed 1994
  • Butler County Courthouse listed 2002
  • Oldham, James T., House listed 2006
  • Yingling Brothers Auto Company listed 2011
  • El Dorado Historic District listed 2013

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents18.8 +85%
Playgrounds per 10k10.2 +8%
Grocery stores per 10k3.1 +48%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k10.2 −9%
Libraries per 10k1.6 +80%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
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 45 miles
  • Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park 106 miles
  • Fort Scott National Historic Site 118 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.4 −26%
Shops22.1 −27%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.2 −22%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.4 −14%
Child care centers1.6 −30%

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

Public school students14
2,030
59% below the median place
Students per teacher14
14.0
9% below the median place
Nearest National Park Service site11
45.3
47% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureEl DoradoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools14722% below
Public school students142,03059% below
Students per teacher1414.09% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure15.426% below
Shops per 10k9County figure22.127% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure3.222% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure17.414% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.630% below
Parks per 10k1018.885% above
Playgrounds per 10k1010.28% above
Grocery stores per 10k103.148% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1010.29% below
Libraries per 10k101.680% above
Named paths and bike trails100.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1145.347% above
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11150% below
National Register listings12838% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 324, 69% above the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
324
69% above the median place
Property crime per 100k
1,365
13% above 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.

Wildfire risk16
95.6
56% above the median place
Natural hazard risk16
74.4
20% below the median place
Hurricane risk16
29.8
58% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureEl DoradoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high15County figure91°F4% above
January average low15County figure22°F14% below
Average temperature15County figure56°F3% above
Annual precipitation15County figure37.1 in15% below
Natural hazard risk16County figure74.420% below
Hurricane risk16County figure29.858% below
Tornado risk16County figure90.211% above
Wildfire risk16County figure95.656% above
Heat wave risk16County figure84.07% below
Median air quality index17Metro figure5016% above
Good air days17Metro figure50.4%26% below
08

El Dorado in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% 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, El Dorado does better than 87% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 26%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$844/mo (2024)$1,070/mo$880 to $1,300/mo+4.0%
Median household income$59,180 (2024)$76,000$64,000 to $89,500+4.2%
Median home value$120,300 (2024)$170,000$123,000 to $234,000+5.9%
Population12,696 (2025)12,74012,220 to 13,280+0.1%

The median home would be worth 2.2 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.0 now.

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

09

Places like El Dorado

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

PlaceRentIncome
Huron, SD$888$61,452Compare
Greenville, IL$783$62,089Compare
DuBois, PA$899$62,697Compare
Rock Island, IL$842$59,041Compare
Rock Island, ILDuBois, PAGreenville, ILHuron, SDEl Dorado, KSEl DoradoHuronGreenvilleDuBoisRock IslandEl DoradoHuronGreenvilleDuBoisRock Island

Places built like El Dorado

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 El Dorado performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
El Dorado, KS17.1%6.4%/yr-0.7%
Hannibal, MO18.0%4.6%/yr-1.7%Compare
Great Bend, KS16.8%2.6%/yr-3.2%Compare
Webster City, IA17.2%2.7%/yr-0.1%Compare
Arkansas City, KS18.9%3.1%/yr-1.4%Compare
Moberly, MO21.0%3.6%/yr-0.6%Compare
Creston, IA16.0%3.8%/yr-2.7%Compare

Common questions

Is El Dorado a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 70 out of 100, better than 70% of the places we rate and 29th of 63 in Kansas. Compared with the 25 places most like it in size, age, education, housing and region (such as Hannibal, MO, Great Bend, KS and Webster City, IA), household income growth here is higher: 6.4% a year against a typical 4.3% a year. On cost, space and class size it scores 57 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is El Dorado expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.1% 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 $120,300.

What salary do you need to live in El Dorado?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $33,760 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is El Dorado safe?

There were 324 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to El Dorado?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Huron, SD, Greenville, IL, DuBois, PA and Rock Island, IL.

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 El Dorado with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for El Dorado itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/el-dorado-kansas

Citytistics. “El Dorado, Kansas.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/el-dorado-kansas/

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