How much has rent gone up in your Kansas City neighborhood this summer? Check these maps

If paying rent feels more stressful than usual, you’re not alone. Rent is increasing throughout many areas in the Kansas City metro.

The median cost of rent is up 13% in Kansas City since July 2021. In certain ZIP codes, the median rent price is up by 42%.

Meanwhile, the median rent price in most of Kansas City is $1,326, according to Realtor.com’s June rental report.

If you zoom in closer, the cost of a studio apartment has gone up by nearly 4% over the past year. The price of one and two bedroom apartments have gone up by 14.3% and 11.2%, respectively. The median cost of a studio apartment in Kansas City is $1,024. The median cost of a one bedroom is $1,252 and for a two bedroom it’ll be $1,533, according to Realtor.com.

“The rate of fast increase of rents (and) rents (that) are increasing faster than income forces people who are really just living and trying to make ends meet to make really hard decisions,” said Michael Frisch, Urban Planning professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

While prices are mostly going up across the board, here’s a quick look at how rent prices are changing in zip codes throughout the Kansas City metro area.

Which neighborhoods have the highest and lowest rents?

These price points vary depending on where you are in the city. People who live in the 64106 ZIP code, which includes Kansas City’s Power and Light District, the median rent comes out to $1,420–a more than 42% increase since last year. In the 64108 area, including Kansas City’s Crossroads District, the median rent is $1,743. More than 14% higher than last year.

Meanwhile, the folks living in 64123 ZIP code, near the North Indian Mound area, have one of the lowest median rents of $895. The 64110 neighborhoods, which includes South Hyde Park, also have a comparatively low median rent of $899.

This data is from RentHub, which collects data from multiple online rental listings and collects data on rental units of different sizes—from studios to five bedroom apartments.

To see how the median price of rent has changed in the last year in your ZIP code, check out this map below:

How have rent prices changed over the summer?

Just over the past few months there has been a 5.5% increase in rent across the Kansas City Metro, according to data from RentHub. In the same ZIP codes mentioned above, there has also been a significant amount of change. In the 64106 area, there has been an 18.33% increase in rent between April 2022 and July 2022.

However, there are some areas in Kansas City, where the median rent still went down this summer. In the 64110 area rent continued to decrease by 14.38%, according to the RentHub data.

To see how rent has changed over the last three months in your ZIP code, check out this map below.

Can people even afford higher rents?

In the wake of rising costs of living and rising inflation making things more expensive, nearly 15.3% of Kansas City residents are in poverty, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. People considered low-income are also more likely to put more of their income towards rent.

At the state level in Kansas, there are 90,030 people who are considered extremely low income and 68% of those people are spending 50% or more of their income on rent. In Missouri, there are 207,850 people living in extreme low income and 86% of those people are also spending 50% or more on rent, according to 2020 data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

“We’ve seen rents, on average, increasing in that 30 to 40% [range], while wages have only been going up, you maybe 5% or so,” Geoff Jolley, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Greater Kansas City executive director. LISC works throughout the metro to revitalize neighborhoods and support economic development and financial stability in areas that need it. Creating opportunities for affordable housing is one of the organizations major goals.

When people are so severely burdened by the cost of rent, they often end up sacrificing in other areas of their lives, according to NLIHC. Many might skip out on health food or even health care to afford keeping a roof over their heads.

If there are any disruptions in housing, like an eviction, it can make it even harder to find new housing, maintain employment or in some cases to even keep custody of kids.

“Even more people are housing insecure. As a result of those, those rent increases, “ said Jolley.

“We’re working closely with the city and other housing advocates to encourage the preservation and development of more affordable housing units. But we have a significant need. And it’s only getting harder when when rents are going up.”

Here’s how prices have gone up across the country for common grocery items:

Rental Assistance

The city’s rental assistance program is available for those who don’t think they will be able to make rent. Since the onset of the pandemic, the city has distributed millions in federal relief funds to help people keep their housing.

“The city’s Housing and Community Development Department continues to work with rental residents across the city to ensure there is safe and affordable housing for all Kansas Citians,” Housing and Community Development Director Jane Brown said in an emailed statement.

The city opened its Emergency Rental Assistance Center in 2021. Since then, nearly 6,000 individuals and families have applied for and received $30 million in rent and utility assistance.

What does that mean for affordable housing?

As the market changes and neighborhoods evolve, landlords have the right to raise rents in between leases as they see fit. Decisions to raise the rent can potentially force certain families to find new housing.

One of the city’s efforts to address this is to use its housing trust fund to encourage developers to create more affordable housing.

The housing fund is a pot of government money that can be used to help build new affordable housing units or to renovate or preserve affordable places where people already live here in Kansas City, to make sure they stay affordable.

Recently, the city council approved 14 housing projects to receive $8 million from that fund.

“It results in nearly 500 affordable units, which is a pretty significant investment for the city. And what we’ve been doing is trying to encourage the city to do more,” said Jolley, who sits on the housing trust fund board.

Kansas City Council created the Housing Trust Fund in 2018 with hopes of it being a $75 million fund, but didn’t actually put any money in it. The fund sat empty for years until $12.5 million of federal COVID relief funds from the American Rescue Plan were allocated to it. In March, the city council allocated an additional $10.5 million to the fund, which will be distributed to housing projects over the next 25 years.

How many people are being evicted?

Gina Chiala, executive director of the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom, which offers guidance and legal services to renters in Kansas City, said she’s seen some clients feel the strain of rising rents.

“There are times when a landlord simply has a right to evict a tenant, their lease is up, they’ve given notice, and the law allows them to then evict them,” Chiala told the Star in February. “For those tenants, all we can do as lawyers is try to slow down their cases and negotiate with the landlord’s attorney to the best of our ability.”

According to data from the Eviction Lab, there is an overall average of 102 evictions filed in Kansas City, Missouri every week. In July there were approximately 589 evictions filed. In June, the same month the right to counsel program started, there were 636 evictions filed.

“If you are evicted, then you are less likely to be able to rent in the future because you have an eviction on your record,” 6th District-at-Large City Councilwoman Andrea Bough said. “And so it perpetuates an endless cycle of houselessness and difficulty with renting.”

Check out this visualization to see how many evictions are filed each week in Kansas City.

Right to Counsel in Kansas City

In June, the city kicked off its Right to Counsel program, which will offer legal counsel to anyone facing an eviction in Kansas City, regardless of income. The program has helped around 150 in its first month, and it continues to take on clients who need representation.

The city contracted the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom, Legal Aid of Western Missouri and UMKC Fellows to take on clients and represent tenants in housing court.

“If they’re being sued by their landlord and they live in Kansas City, they qualify for the program,” Chiala said. “That’s how the ordinance was drafted and written because we know really, the only people being sued for eviction are poor and working class people who could never afford a lawyer.”

To learn more about the Right to Counsel program call 816-474-5112. To learn more about rental assistance in Kansas City, visit here.