Elevation of Kansas City, Missouri
898ft
above sea level · 274 m
Kansas City is a city in Missouri with 521,220 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 24th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 39.10° N · 94.58° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 39° 5′ 59″ N · 94° 34′ 43″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 15S · 363,498 E · 4,329,030 N
- Zone 15 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 521,220 people
- 315 sq mi of land · 1,657 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from April 2020: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Kansas City had 521,220 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 2.6% more than in April 2020, when it had 508,012. Its 315 sq mi of land work out to 1,657 people/sq mi; the state average is 91 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 1,081 places the Census counts in Missouri (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 8.3% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 4 counties. By population: Jackson County (320,794), Clay County (144,263), Platte County (56,064), and Cass County (99). Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Jackson County.
Compared with other big cities
Kansas City sits at 898 ft (274 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: Kansas City is 40 ft above it.
The state capital, Jefferson City, is 134 mi away in a straight line and 268 ft lower than Kansas City.
Of the 7 cities in Missouri with a page, Kansas City is the 4th highest: the highest is Springfield (1,303 ft) and the lowest is St. Louis (464 ft).
The highest point in Missouri is Taum Sauk Mountain, at 1,772 ft according to the USGS: 874 ft above Kansas City, 234 mi away in a straight line.
- 24 Kansas City 898 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 898 feet (274 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 39.09973 and longitude -94.57857, in decimal degrees (39° 5′ 59″ N · 94° 34′ 43″ W). In UTM, zone 15: 363,498 E and 4,329,030 N, on NAD83.
How does Kansas City rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 24th 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 Kansas City in?
Several: Jackson County, Clay County, Platte County, and Cass County. Most of its people live in Jackson County.
Which is higher, Kansas City or Jefferson City?
Kansas City. Kansas City sits at 898 ft and Jefferson City at 630 ft: a difference of 268 ft, 134 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