The average commute to work in the city is about 10 minutes shorter than the national average, according to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey. A Wichita worker drives an average 17.3 minutes to work every day, for a total daily commute of 35.6 minutes. Meanwhile, the average American drives 27.2 minutes each way, making for a daily commute of 54.4 minutes. For Kansas, the statewide average is 20 minutes, according to the same data set.
As rents climb, the once-romanticized vision of living alone and eating your first cup of noodles in an unfurnished apartment recently started to feel like a dream of the past. But now, the rent-burdened generation may see some hope. The " Carrie Bradshaw Index," (named after the fictional Sex and the City character), released by The Economist, ranks 100 of the country's major cities by affordability for people who are chasing that solo-living dream, from the most expensive to the least.