Rice County, Kansas Housing Market Prices
Rice County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
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Median home price 86% below the Kansas median Cheaper than 91% of counties in Kansas$14,343
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Median rent 29% below the Kansas median$753
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Rice County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $14,343 | $104,644 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -14.9% | 4.4% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $753 | $1,060 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 4.7% | 4.0% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Rice County is about 86% lower than in Kansas. Rent is about 29% lower than the Kansas average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Rice County: home prices fell about 14.9% a year while rent rose about 4.7% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Rice County rose about 46.1% between 2015 and 2024, from $515 to $753. Over the same span, rent in Kansas rose about 40.0%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 0.2 yearly household incomes in Rice County.
Buying the median-priced home in Rice County costs roughly 1.6 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 Rice County. The price-to-rent ratio in Kansas is about 8.2.
| Metric | Rice County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $14,343 | $104,644 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $62,898 | $74,287 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 0.2 | 1.4 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Rice County fell about 76.3%, while median household income rose about 35.4% between 2009 and 2025 — 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 | Rice County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 65.6% | 60.9% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 19.1% | 29.8% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 15.3% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 15.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2011 | 2012 | 2011 |
Rice County has a homeownership rate of 65.6%, higher than the Kansas average of 60.9%. Its housing vacancy rate is 15.3%, compared with 9.2% in Kansas.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Rice County | Kansas Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.36 people | 2.44 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1959 | 1975 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.9 | 6.0 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Rice County was built around 1959. On average, 2.4 people live in a home with about 5.9 rooms, staying for about 15.0 years on average.
Rice County, KS Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Rice County, KS is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 9,350 residents against a local median of 30,205. Rice County, KS's median home price, at $14,343, runs 81% below the $74,649 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $160,042 on median home price, so Rice County, KS sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Rice County, KS has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice County, KS | 9,350 | $14,343 #4/4 | $753 #4/4 | 77.4% #1/4 |
| Reno County, KS | 61,553 | $184,782 | $863 | 69.2% |
| McPherson County, KS | 30,205 | $24,740 | $916 | 75.5% |
| Barton County, KS | 25,097 | $74,649 | $761 | 65.2% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Rice County, Kansas.
What is the median home price in Rice County, Kansas?
The median home price in Rice County, Kansas is $14,343, lower than the Kansas average of $104,644.
What is the average home price in Rice County, Kansas?
The typical home price in Rice County, Kansas, reported as the median sale price, is $14,343. 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 Rice County, Kansas?
The median gross rent in Rice County, Kansas is $753 per month, lower than the Kansas average of $1,060.
What was the median gross rent in Rice County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Rice County, Kansas was $604 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Rice County, Kansas?
The price-to-rent ratio in Rice County, Kansas is about 1.6, meaning it would take roughly 1.6 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 Rice County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Rice County, Kansas?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Rice County: home prices fell about 14.9% a year while rent rose about 4.7% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Rice County, Kansas?
65.6% of households in Rice County, Kansas own their home, higher than the Kansas average of 60.9%.
What is the vacancy rate in Rice County, Kansas?
The housing vacancy rate in Rice County, Kansas is 15.3%, higher than the Kansas average of 9.2%.
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