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Cost of living, pay and housing

38.92° N · 94.38° W · GEOID 2941348

Lee's Summit

Cass County, Missouri · part of the Kansas City, MO metro

MissouriLee's Summit, MOLee's SummitLee's Summit

The short answer

Lee's Summit is home to 103,656 people. Median household income is $102,531 a year and median rent is $1,422 a month, 16.6% 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 $340,900, about 3.3x annual median household income.

The story in Lee's Summit is how fast things are changing. Rent rose 5.7% a year while household income rose 2.6% between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by more than in 95% of cities its size. Also notable: The median rent takes 16.6% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 96% of cities its size.

78OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Strong

Lee's Summit scores better than 78% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 45th of 140 in Missouri.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%73
Economy 20%73
Safety 20%47
Amenities 15%51
Education 10%78
Commute 10%49
Growth 5%43
Median gross rent
$1,422
4% above the median place
Median household income
$102,531
28% above the median place
Median home value
$340,900
7% above the median place
Unemployment
3.8%
23% 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.

01

Moving to Lee's Summit

Cass County gains about 15.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in7,121
Moved out5,671
Net+1,450

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Jackson County, MO3,0422,095+947
Bates County, MO177217−40

Within Missouri, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MissouriOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$76K
Leavers$70K

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

Who moves here
4.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.0% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Cass County report $75,700 a year in income on average; those leaving, $69,600, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$56,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,422 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,062 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $340,900.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 20.8% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Olathe, KS matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
3.0%
53% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
4.5%
21% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people8
15.5
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLee's SummitAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.5%21% below
Moved from another state13.0%53% above
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure15.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$75,6557% above
Income of households moving out8County figure$69,5871% below
02

What it costs to live here

After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household keeps about $91,200 a year, more than in 87% of the 256 cities of 100,000 to 250,000 people we track.

Lee's Summit16.6%
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
$56,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
16.6%
19% below the median place
Home price to income
3.3x
13% 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
$91,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lee's Summit, $1,422 a month, and local prices for everything else (93.7 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lee's Summit, but easier on the budget

Places that match Lee's Summit 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
Olathe, KS9613.8% vs 16.6%$13,600Compare
Urbandale, IA9312.9% vs 16.6%$14,400Compare
Papillion, NE9013.6% vs 16.6%$12,500Compare
Madison, AL9012.9% vs 16.6%$30,700Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lee's Summit.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lee's Summit? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
4.1%
42% below the median place
Median year built1
1994
1% above the median place
Homeownership1
73.4%
11% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLee's SummitAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4224% above
Rent to income116.6%19% below
Property tax rate11.1%24% above
Home price to income13.3x13% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure92.58% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,5464% below
HUD area median income4County figure$113,4006% above
Property tax paid (median)1$3,86919% above
Median home value1$340,9007% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.5%20% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure52.0%1% above
Homeownership173.4%11% above
Renters paying 30%+152.8%4% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,06210% above
Vacant homes14.1%42% below
Median year built119941% above
03

Work and pay

OpenStreetMap shows 0 bus and rail stops per square mile, fewer than in 92% of the 256 cities of 100,000 to 250,000 people we track.

Poverty rate1
5.7%
47% below the median place
Works from home1
20.8%
67% above the median place
Unemployment1
3.8%
23% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$102,531 +28%
Income per person$48,894 +22%
Mean commute25 min +1%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLee's SummitAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$102,53128% above
Income per person1$48,89422% above
Unemployment13.8%23% below
Average annual pay6County figure$50,17924% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.8%3% above
Jobs6County figure31,43179% below
Poverty rate15.7%47% below
Mean commute125 min1% above
Works from home120.8%67% above
Commutes by transit1Metro figure0.6%29% below
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 97.5%, 6% above the median place.

High school or higher1
97.5%
6% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
95.8%
4% above the median place
Population change since 20207
6.3%
above the median place (median 1.1%)

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher48.8% +52%
Born abroad4.3% −51%
No health insurance4.9% −23%
Household size2.5 +2%
Median age38.8 −1%
All 9 people measures
MeasureLee's SummitAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population1103,656327th largest
Population change since 202076.3%above (median 1.1%)
Median age138.81% below
Bachelor's or higher148.8%52% above
High school or higher197.5%6% above
Household size12.52% above
Born abroad14.3%51% below
No health insurance14.9%23% below
Homes with broadband195.8%4% above
05

Life in Lee's Summit

The nearest National Park Service site is Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, about 8 miles away.

Founded or incorporated in 1865. 19 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Longview Farm listed 1985
  • Saint Paul's Episcopal Church listed 1985
  • Lee's Summit Downtown Historic District listed 2005
  • Bailey Family Farm Historic District listed 2006
  • Howard Neighborhood Historic District listed 2007
  • Northeast Douglas Street Residential Historic District listed 2008

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents8.6 −16%
Playgrounds per 10k18.5 +97%
Grocery stores per 10k2.1 +0%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k10.5 −6%
Libraries per 10k0.6 −33%
Named paths and bike trails58 km 29.0×
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −86%

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

  • Harry S. Truman National Historic Site 8 miles
  • Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park 70 miles
  • Fort Scott National Historic Site 76 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars15.7 −25%
Shops25.8 −15%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.2 −46%
Doctors' offices and clinics12.4 −39%
Child care centers1.6 −30%

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

Nearest National Park Service site11
8.1
74% below the median place
Public school students14
18,504
278% above the median place
Public schools14
30
233% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLee's SummitAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools1430233% above
Public school students1418,504278% above
Students per teacher1414.84% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure15.725% below
Shops per 10k9County figure25.815% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure2.246% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure12.439% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure1.630% below
Parks per 10k108.616% below
Playgrounds per 10k1018.597% above
Grocery stores per 10k102.10% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1010.56% below
Libraries per 10k100.633% below
Named paths and bike trails1058.0above (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi100.086% below
Nearest National Park Service site118.174% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11150% below
National Register listings121946% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

The city police department reported 114 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, fewer than in 92% of the 234 cities of 100,000 to 250,000 people we track.

Violent crime per 100k
114
40% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
1,946
60% 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.

Hurricane risk16
17.8
75% below the median place
Wildfire risk16
29.4
52% below the median place
Natural hazard risk16
74.9
19% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureLee's SummitAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high15County figure88°F2% above
January average low15County figure21°F17% below
Average temperature15County figure55°F1% above
Annual precipitation15County figure41.9 in4% below
Natural hazard risk16County figure74.919% below
Hurricane risk16County figure17.875% below
Tornado risk16County figure89.810% above
Wildfire risk16County figure29.452% below
Heat wave risk16County figure88.91% below
Median air quality index17County figure415% below
Good air days17County figure77.6%13% above
08

Lee's Summit 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, Lee's Summit does better than 70% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 58%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,422/mo (2024)$1,830/mo$1,500 to $2,230/mo+4.3%
Median household income$102,531 (2024)$128,500$108,500 to $152,000+3.9%
Median home value$340,900 (2024)$491,000$356,000 to $676,000+6.3%
Population107,514 (2025)111,410106,860 to 116,140+0.7%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.3 now.

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

09

Places like Lee's Summit

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

PlaceRentIncome
Downingtown, PA$1,518$96,228Compare
Gahanna, OH$1,466$109,061Compare
Vadnais Heights, MN$1,455$98,685Compare
Woodridge, IL$1,494$101,000Compare
Woodridge, ILVadnais Heights, MNGahanna, OHDowningtown, PALee's Summit, MOLee's SummitDowningtownVadnais HeightsWoodridgeLee's SummitDowningtownVadnais HeightsWoodridge

Places built like Lee's Summit

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 Lee's Summit performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Lee's Summit, MO16.6%2.6%/yr6.3%
Shawnee, KS14.4%4.8%/yr3.7%Compare
O'Fallon, MO15.7%4.2%/yr5.2%Compare
Olathe, KS13.8%4.7%/yr6.2%Compare
Apple Valley, MN21.4%1.8%/yr-2.0%Compare
Urbandale, IA12.9%4.4%/yr6.6%Compare
St. Peters, MO17.3%3.1%/yr6.5%Compare

Common questions

Is Lee's Summit a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 78 out of 100, better than 78% of the places we rate and 45th of 140 in Missouri. On cost, space and class size it scores 84 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lee's Summit expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 16.6% 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 $340,900.

What salary do you need to live in Lee's Summit?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $56,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Lee's Summit safe?

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

What places are similar to Lee's Summit?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Downingtown, PA, Gahanna, OH, Vadnais Heights, MN and Woodridge, 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 Lee's Summit with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lee's Summit itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lees-summit-missouri

Citytistics. “Lee's Summit, Missouri.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lees-summit-missouri/

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