Elevation of Kansas City, Kansas
860ft
above sea level · 262 m
Kansas City is a city in Kansas with 157,805 people, the 3rd most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 73rd highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 39.11° N · 94.63° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 39° 6′ 51″ N · 94° 37′ 39″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 15S · 359,298 E · 4,330,707 N
- Zone 15 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 157,805 people
- 125 sq mi of land · 1,265 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from June 2020: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Kansas City had 157,805 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.8% more than in April 2020, when it had 156,610. Its 125 sq mi of land work out to 1,265 people/sq mi; the state average is 36 people/sq mi.
It’s the 3rd most populous of the 740 places the Census counts in Kansas (cities, towns and CDPs), after Wichita (400,987), and holds 5.3% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Wyandotte County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 6.2 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Kansas City sits at 860 ft (262 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Kansas City is 2 ft below it.
The state capital, Topeka, is 57 mi away in a straight line and 88 ft higher than Kansas City.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Kansas City (Missouri), 2.8 mi away in a straight line and 38 ft higher.
Of the 5 cities in Kansas with a page, Kansas City is the lowest. The others are Wichita (1,303 ft), Overland Park (1,085 ft), Olathe (1,035 ft), and Topeka (948 ft).
The highest point in Kansas is Mount Sunflower, at 4,039 ft according to the USGS: 3,179 ft above Kansas City, 397 mi away in a straight line.
- 73 Kansas City 860 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Kansas City.
What is the elevation of Kansas City?
Kansas City is 860 feet (262 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Kansas City?
Latitude 39.11417 and longitude -94.62746, in decimal degrees (39° 6′ 51″ N · 94° 37′ 39″ W). In UTM, zone 15: 359,298 E and 4,330,707 N, on NAD83.
How does Kansas City rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 73rd highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Kansas City in?
Wyandotte County, Kansas.
Which is higher, Kansas City or Topeka?
Topeka. Kansas City sits at 860 ft and Topeka at 948 ft: a difference of 88 ft, 57 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know