Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Elk County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $21,607 | $104,507 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -11.7% | 5.0% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $533 | $1,029 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 1.4% | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Elk County is about 79% lower than in Kansas. Rent is about 48% lower than the Kansas average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2023
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Elk County: home prices fell about 11.7% a year while rent rose about 1.4% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Elk County rose about 0.3% between 2015 and 2023, from $532 to $533. Over the same span, rent in Kansas rose about 35.9%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 0.4 yearly household incomes in Elk County.
Buying the median-priced home in Elk County costs roughly 3.4 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Elk County. The price-to-rent ratio in Kansas is about 8.5.
| Metric | Elk County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $21,607 | $104,507 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $56,865 | $72,682 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 0.4 | 1.4 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Elk County fell about 62.0%, while median household income rose about 78.6% between 2009 and 2023 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Elk County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 55.6% | 60.4% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 16.0% | 29.9% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 28.4% | 9.7% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 20.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2006 | 2012 | 2011 |
Elk County has a homeownership rate of 55.6%, lower than the Kansas average of 60.4%. Its housing vacancy rate is 28.4%, compared with 9.7% in Kansas.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Elk County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.28 people | 2.45 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1961 | 1974 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 6.2 | 6.0 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Elk County was built around 1961. On average, 2.3 people live in a home with about 6.2 rooms, staying for about 20.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Elk County, Kansas.
What is the median home price in Elk County, Kansas?
The median home price in Elk County, Kansas is $21,607, lower than the Kansas average of $104,507.
What is the average home price in Elk County, Kansas?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Elk County, Kansas?
The median gross rent in Elk County, Kansas is $533 per month, lower than the Kansas average of $1,029.
What was the median gross rent in Elk County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Elk County, Kansas was $482 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Elk County, Kansas?
The price-to-rent ratio in Elk County, Kansas is about 3.4, meaning it would take roughly 3.4 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Elk County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Elk County, Kansas?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Elk County: home prices fell about 11.7% a year while rent rose about 1.4% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Elk County, Kansas?
55.6% of households in Elk County, Kansas own their home, lower than the Kansas average of 60.4%.
What is the vacancy rate in Elk County, Kansas?
The housing vacancy rate in Elk County, Kansas is 28.4%, higher than the Kansas average of 9.7%.