Wichita has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Wichita without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Wichita: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$102,389 median income · $269,694 median home price
Rose Hill is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Wichita area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Rose Hill.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $102,389 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Wichita region. And only 2.8% are out of work. Homes average more than $269,694 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$104,787 median income · $325,994 median home price
Located in
Sedgwick County, Kansas
Andover is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Wichita for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 5.4% of residents lack insurance, good for 8th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$113,125 median income · $295,016 median home price
Here in Kechi, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Wichita metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Kechi.
$94,004 median income · $300,790 median home price
Goddard ranks as the 4th best suburb of Wichita for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Goddard and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$87,402 median income · $240,011 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is North Newton.
North Newton gets kudos for having the 11th most expensive homes in the Wichita area, where houses sell for an average of $240,011. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
$83,879 median income · $265,948 median home price
Clearwater is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 1.8%.
According to online reports, Clearwater is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Wichita area, meaning you need to get in soon.
$84,112 median income · $282,214 median home price
Located in
Sedgwick County, Kansas
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Derby.
Derby schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 10.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$85,313 median income · $270,094 median home price
Cheney is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 8.4% of people lack insurance, good for 16th in the area.
$97,795 median income · $278,866 median home price
Located in
Sedgwick County, Kansas
Is ‘Everything Better In Bel Aire?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$77,020 median income · $260,221 median home price
Located in
Sedgwick County, Kansas
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Valley Center.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Kansas’s statewide median.
Kansas statewide median: $74,275
Kansas statewide median: $244,761
Kansas statewide median: 3.9%
Kansas statewide median: 11.3%
On the map
Where the best Wichita suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Wichita for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Wichita was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Wichita.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 18 suburbs to evaluate around Wichita.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 18 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Wichita.” We’re lookin’ at you, Rose Hill.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Wichita suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Wichita Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rose Hill | 4.43 | 4,246 | $102,389 | $269,694 |
| 2 | Andover | 4.93 | 15,965 | $104,787 | $325,994 |
| 3 | Kechi | 4.93 | 2,901 | $113,125 | $295,016 |
| 4 | Goddard | 6.57 | 6,030 | $94,004 | $300,790 |
| 5 | North Newton | 7.36 | 2,155 | $87,402 | $240,011 |
| 6 | Clearwater | 7.93 | 2,716 | $83,879 | $265,948 |
| 7 | Derby | 8.14 | 26,062 | $84,112 | $282,214 |
| 8 | Cheney | 8.86 | 2,580 | $85,313 | $270,094 |
| 9 | Bel Aire | 9.21 | 9,043 | $97,795 | $278,866 |
| 10 | Valley Center | 9.57 | 8,590 | $77,020 | $260,221 |
| 11 | Maize | 10.14 | 6,824 | $72,024 | $307,838 |
| 12 | Mulvane | 10.14 | 6,171 | $74,039 | $235,791 |
| 13 | Halstead | 11.29 | 2,516 | $76,250 | $205,632 |
| 14 | Augusta | 11.64 | 9,216 | $64,919 | $214,258 |
| 15 | Haysville | 12.43 | 11,117 | $67,740 | $207,754 |
| 16 | El Dorado | 13.71 | 12,769 | $59,180 | $169,661 |
| 17 | Newton | 13.86 | 18,397 | $68,885 | $171,182 |
| 18 | Wellington | 15.86 | 7,615 | $50,333 | $110,051 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 18 suburbs within 30 miles of Wichita.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Wichita ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Wichita are Rose Hill, Andover, Kechi, Goddard, North Newton, Clearwater, Derby, Cheney, Bel Aire, and Valley Center.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Wichita but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Kansas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Wichita FAQs
What is the best suburb of Wichita?
Rose Hill is the best suburb of Wichita for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Andover and Kechi are next.
What are the best suburbs of Wichita?
The best suburbs of Wichita are Rose Hill, Andover, Kechi, Goddard, North Newton, Clearwater, Derby, Cheney, Bel Aire, and Valley Center. We ranked all 18 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Rose Hill?
The median household income in Rose Hill is $102,389 and the median home costs $269,694. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Wichita?
Any place within 30 miles of Wichita qualifies. 18 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Wichita suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Rose Hill, takes the crown.
