Moving to
Lee's Summit.

All Lee's Summit data Compare Lee's Summit

103,656people live here $102,531median household income▲ 27% above US $1,422median rent per monthNear US average $340,900median home valueNear US average

What it's like to live in Lee's Summit

Lee's Summit is a mid-size city in Missouri with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lee's Summit deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and cold winters.

The good

Low unemployment
Higher-than-average incomes
Low crime rates
Highly educated workforce
Growing population
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Air quality concerns
High rent burden for renters
Cold winters

How Lee's Summit compares

Median household income

Lee's Summit$102,531

Missouri avg$70,702

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Lee's Summit$1,422

Missouri avg$1,033

US$1,413

Median home value

Lee's Summit$340,900

Missouri avg$230,300

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Lee's Summit

Based on Lee's Summit's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$2,844

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $56,880 a year
50% of Lee's Summit renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$68,180

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $34,090
Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of livingNear US average

$1,422/mo median rent

Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,422 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $340,900. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.

Median home value $340,900 · 50% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 21% below US

3.4% unemployment

Unemployment here is 3.4%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 66% below US

112 violent crimes per 100k

Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.

Property crime 1953/100k · Lee's Summit Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

25 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 25.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 21% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

71%

Work from home

21%

Carpool

5.9%

Other

1.1%

Walk

0.8%

Public transit

0.1%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 86°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 25°F and snow a regular occurrence.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

2 hospitals

There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.5 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 36% above US

49% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 49% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

30 public schools inside the boundary

There are 30 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Harry S Truman National Historic Site (7 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Lee's Summit's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin. A year of median rent ($1,422/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (21% of workers here already work from home).

See all the data for Lee's Summit →·All Missouri cities →