Elevation of Wichita
1,303ft
above sea level · 397 m
Wichita is a city in Kansas with 400,987 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 12th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
Loading the map…
Place facts
- Coordinates
- 37.69° N · 97.34° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 37° 41′ 32″ N · 97° 20′ 15″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 14S · 646,572 E · 4,172,969 N
- Zone 14 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 400,987 people
- 165 sq mi of land · 2,429 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from June 2020: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Wichita had 400,987 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.9% more than in April 2020, when it had 397,589. Its 165 sq mi of land work out to 2,429 people/sq mi; the state average is 36 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 740 places the Census counts in Kansas (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 13% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Sedgwick County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.5 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other big cities
Wichita sits at 1,303 ft (397 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Wichita is 445 ft above it.
The state capital, Topeka, is 130 mi away in a straight line and 355 ft lower than Wichita.
Of the 5 cities in Kansas with a page, Wichita is the highest. The others are Overland Park (1,085 ft), Olathe (1,035 ft), Topeka (948 ft), and Kansas City (860 ft).
The highest point in Kansas is Mount Sunflower, at 4,039 ft according to the USGS: 2,736 ft above Wichita, 271 mi away in a straight line.
- 12 Wichita 1,303 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 Wichita.
What is the elevation of Wichita?
Wichita is 1,303 feet (397 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 Wichita?
Latitude 37.69224 and longitude -97.33755, in decimal degrees (37° 41′ 32″ N · 97° 20′ 15″ W). In UTM, zone 14: 646,572 E and 4,172,969 N, on NAD83.
How does Wichita rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 12th highest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Wichita in?
Sedgwick County, Kansas.
Which is higher, Wichita or Topeka?
Wichita. Wichita sits at 1,303 ft and Topeka at 948 ft: a difference of 355 ft, 130 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