KANSAS CITY METRO REGION

• Population - Is the region growing and by how much?
• Diversity - Is the area becoming more diverse and where?
• Age - How is the region aging and where are certain age cohorts more prevalent?
• Income - How are regional incomes changing over time?
• Employment - What are the major sectors and how does this influence local incomes and housing?
• Housing Occupancy - What are trends in ownership and renters?
• Housing Vacancy - Is the region seeing more housing vacancy and where?
• Housing Age - How old is the housing stock and what does this mean for policy?
• Housing Condition - Correlated to the age of housing, a snapshot of where the condition is above or below average.
• Owner and Renter Cost Burden - Are residents in the region experiencing more or less burden to pay for housing, not including other necessary expenses like transportation?

• The Kansas City Metro, particularly Johnson County, has seen the most population growth in the state since 2010.
• Growth is more rapid in outer-ring areas in cities like Olathe, Overland Park, Lenexa, and Gardner. 
• There has been growth in already built up areas in northeast Johnson County, indicating some redevelopment and density increases. 
• The core areas of Kansas City in Wyandotte County saw growth, but not as much as other areas of the county, or compared to Johnson County.  

A population profile of the KC Metro Region

• The change in diversity of the population is more than the state in Johnson County and less than the state in Wyandotte County.
• However, Wyandotte County as a whole is much more diverse than the state and many other counties in Kansas with only 37.3% of the population identifying as white, non-Hispanic. 
• The highest concentration of minority populations in the region are also the areas with the least growth since 2010 - the Kansas City core in Wyandotte County. These are also areas of lower incomes and higher renter occupancy. 
• Of note, however, the percent of the population in Wyandotte County that identifies as white only and non-Hispanic increased since 2020. 
• Higher minority population also appears along major transportation routes like Intersate-35 through Johnson County. 

Change in Minority Population 2010-2020

Overall, the Kansas City Metro region is younger than most of the state. This region also has the highest change in employment, clearly supported by this younger population. 

• People over 55 years old are most prevalent in cities like Leawood and parts of Overland Park, Shawnee, and Lenexa. These also tend to be some of the highest income and home value areas in the region.

Population Over 55 Years Old - 2019

Population by Age – Kansas City Metro region vs Kansas - 2019

• Household income varies considerably between Wyandotte and Johnson County.
• While both counties saw real incomes increase since 2010, the difference in median incomes is over $40,000 between the two counties.  
• As mentioned in the population section, lower incomes are also areas that tend to have more renters and more minority populations.
• The difference in incomes was highlighted in the public input as a critical consideration when drafting local policies in the region. The needs are much different between the two counties. 
• The illustration below shows what typical wages might be for common jobs in the region. 
• The dramatic difference in housing costs will be noted later in this section and the ability of many workers to live in Johnson County was one of the core reasons for the recently completed Johnson County Housing Study.

Median Household Income - 2019

Median Salary of Local Metro Occupations

• Housing occupied by renters and owners generally correlates with income. 
• In Johnson County, there are some areas with higher renter households and also higher incomes. These areas include southern parts of Overland Park and central parts of Lenexa. Typically, young people or people new to a community will prefer to rent for a time before buying. 
• There also are some Census tracts with higher populations over 55 years old and higher rental occupancy. These may be empty-nesters who have downsized to high end rental options. 
• Of note, as a county overall, Johnson County had a percent owner-occupied housing of about 72% in 2010 versus about 69% in 2019. Much of this was in new construction of market rate units. 
• Wyandotte County had a percent owner-occupied housing of about 63% in 2010 versus about 57% in 2019. 

Percent Owner-Occupied Households - 2019

A 5%-6% vacancy rate is a good rate for a community to provide options in the market if these units are in good condition. The number of vacant unit for the Kansas City Metro region are illustrated to the right. 

• Vacancy rates tend to be lower than other parts of the state.
• Vacancy fell in both counties since 2010.
• This confirms conversations during public input regarding low inventory and limited options in the market. 

Change in Vacancy – Kansas City Metro region vs Kansas

Vacancy Rate - 2020

• The age and condition of housing is often reflected in the costs for housing. 
• The Kansas City Metro region has a newer housing stock than many other areas of the state. The age of housing closely matches the spread of development out from the core of Kansas City. 
• While areas with an older housing stock also tend to have lower home values this is not the case in northeast Johnson County where there are some of the highest home values in the state. 
• The age of housing is similar between Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, but the condition is not. Condition data is not available at the Census tract level, but the public input process indicated lower housing conditions overall in Wyandotte County. But there are areas of select redevelopment/rehabilitation need in Johnson County as well, particularly older apartment complexes. 

Housing Stock % Single Family Detached Households - 2019

Median Age of Housing - 2019

• One metric to evaluate whether a home is affordable to a home buyer is to compare their household income to the value of the home. This metric can be adapted to evaluate the affordability of housing markets in different counties.
• An affordable, self-sustaining housing market with adequate value and revenues to support market-rate new construction, typically exhibits a value to income ratio between 2.0 to 3.0. Ratios above 3.0 present significant affordability issues while ratios below 2.0 are significantly undervalued relative to income. 
• Under the value to income metric, Johnson County is approaching widespread affordability concerns while Wyandotte County is almost undervalued. However, input indicates market rate development happening in different extents and locations in both counties. 
• Another important metric in housing affordability is what the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines as, “families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care.” The map above shows the percent of owners who spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
• There is more cost burden for homeowners in Wyandotte County. However, the share of cost-burden owners decreased in both counties since 2010. 
• Those burdened by their home are less financially resilient to other changes that may occur including job loss, rising fuel costs, and medical expenses.

Value to Income Ratio - 2019

• A metric to measure affordability of rentals is to compare gross rent and rental household incomes, in addition to the HUD defined cost burden status of paying more than 30 percent of income on housing.
• Both Johnson and Wyandotte County saw an increase in the share of cost burdened renters since 2010.  
• While estimated gross rents are below the rent at 30 percent of median rental incomes in Johnson County, this does not mean the units available match renter needs. Lower rent units might be lower condition, have a limited number of bedrooms, further from jobs, or missing other accommodations needed by families or seniors.
• Many of the rental units in Johnson County do not accommodate individuals working in Johnson County. To avoid being cost burdened these workers are living outside of Johnson County and incurring higher transportation costs. 
• In Wyandotte County, the burden on renters is more extreme as the median gross rent is estimated to be more than a rent calculated at 30 percent of median renter income. This is likely a reflection of both lower incomes and low vacancy rates limiting rental competition. 

Renter Conditions - 2019

Of the 353 respondents living in the Kansas City Metro:

• The largest share of survey respondents were 35-44 years old (28%)

• Nearly 81% of survey respondents are white alone. 

• Hispanic or Latino respondents represent 4% of respondents. 

• Most are homeowners (65%). Of those that rent, 61% do so by necessity. This is more than most other regions. 

• When asked if they were interested in moving, 33% noted they are happy with where they live. Of those indicating they would consider moving, the most (20%) said from a rental to purchase a home followed closely by finding a lower cost option. 

• The largest share of respondents’ household income was between $50,000 and $74,999.

Respondents from the Kansas City Metro feel that seniors would be most interested in an owner-occupied home with shared maintenance. 

What type of housing do you believe area seniors and the elderly are most interested in?

Which types of housing solutions would you support to reduce the cost of housing in your county (select all that apply)?

Respondents and stakeholder discussions showed good support for policy directed at new development but also direct assistance to residents. When questioned further, respondents favored programs targeted at:

• Down payment or mortgage assistance to owners

• Housing rehabilitation loans

• Duplex or townhome construction

• Public development of infrastructure

Respondents where not sure about using public funds to remove dilapidated housing. They were more receptive to using funds for rehab of housing, but just slightly a majority. Notably, many did not know and likely would need more information on the programs.

Does your city or county need increased or continued use of city/public funding for housing rehabilitation or renovations?

Over the past decade Wyandotte County has made significant community investments and partnered with the larger region to improve transit, downtown, and commercial services. 

Wyandotte County has the community structures and organizations to deliver new housing products and services but often lack the finances.

Wyandotte County has some of the poorest Census tracts in the state. Reinvesting in housing, job training, and overall economic development will be essential to stabilizing neighborhoods.

Like rural communities the, a number of older neighborhoods in Wyandotte County have a gap between what it costs to build or rehabilitate housing and the value to existing housing. This can discourage and limit reinvestment. Gap financing will be essential but it should not be done at the expense of existing residents’ ability to live in these neighborhoods.

Over the past decade most of the housing produced in Johnson County has either been larger single-family detached or large scale multi-family. Very little has been built in smaller footprints and lower maintenance.

Many are choosing to live in housing at their income limits because of the school districts and amenities that the communities offer. 

Large job centers adjacent to transportation create great opportunities to produce housing that brings employees to the county and provides the transportation options those employees seek.