Is Bel Aire, KS a Good Place to Live?
Bel Aire is a small town of 8,341 in Kansas, with a median household income of $91,979 and a 2.3% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 90 (US average = 100), which is 10% below the national average.
Strengths: Bel Aire stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (A-), a well-educated population, short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Bel Aire is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Bel Aire city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 89.5Bel Aire's overall cost of living index is 89.5, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Bel Aire costs roughly 10% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Bel Aire, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $188,000 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $1,418 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 77.9% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $91,979 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeBel Aire's violent crime rate is 80.1 per 100,000 residents — 79% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Bel Aire is served primarily by Wichita. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14.3:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Bel Aire, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Wichita | — |
| Elementary Schools | 54 | — |
| Middle Schools | 14 | — |
| High Schools | 11 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 14.3:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 53.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 97.1% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Bel Aire sees average highs of 43.2°F in January and 91.6°F in July, with 35.6 inches of annual precipitation and 12.7 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Bel Aire, KS |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 43.2°F |
| Average High — July | 91.6°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 35.6" |
| Annual Snowfall | 12.7" |
Demographics
| Metric | Bel Aire, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,341 | — |
| Median Age | 34.7 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.3% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 19.0 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 73.4% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 10.1% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 6.2% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 5.9% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 26.3% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 13.6% | 16.8% |