Is El Dorado, KS a Good Place to Live?
El Dorado is a small city of 12,882 in Kansas, with a median household income of $52,921 and a 3.4% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 90 (US average = 100), which is 10% below the national average.
Strengths: El Dorado stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether El Dorado is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All El Dorado 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: 89.5El Dorado's overall cost of living index is 89.5, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in El Dorado costs roughly 10% less than the average American city.
| Metric | El Dorado, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $104,200 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $852 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 61.2% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $52,921 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageEl Dorado's violent crime rate is 270.5 per 100,000 residents — 29% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
El Dorado is served primarily by El Dorado. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13.7:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | El Dorado, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | El Dorado | — |
| Elementary Schools | 3 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 13.7:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 27.2% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 95.0% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
El Dorado sees average highs of 44.1°F in January and 91.3°F in July, with 38.7 inches of annual precipitation and 4.5 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | El Dorado, KS |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 44.1°F |
| Average High — July | 91.3°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 38.7" |
| Annual Snowfall | 4.5" |
Demographics
| Metric | El Dorado, KS | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,882 | — |
| Median Age | 34.3 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 17.0 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 88.6% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 1.5% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3.1% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 1.5% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 24.4% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 15.9% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in El Dorado
El Dorado, KS is covered by 1 ZIP code: