Although my original assignment included finding some other state capital cities with which to compare Topeka in the areas of population, population distribution, crime and economy, I have not yet been able to find any comparable capital cities. The reason is that, whereas the other cities I have looked at are growing, Topeka is static. Topeka's current population (2000 Census) is 122,377. In 1990, it was 120,847. It grew by a whopping 1.3% between 1980 and 1990 and by a gigantic 1.8% between 1990 and 2000, for a total growth rate of 3.1% in 20 years. Among the other capital cities I looked at, the smallest growth rate in that same period was 36% (Salem, Oregon).
Topeka's economy has grown a little since 1989 (the period for which data is available). There are more government jobs here than there were 1989, and the payroll in financial services, medical services and retail has grown. However, if the government sector is excluded from the data, the growth in financial services and retail has not been enough to offset the loss in industrial production jobs and payroll. If government operations are ignored, the Topeka economy has shrunk. Moreover, except for medical services, the non-government sectors that are growing contain mostly low-wage jobs. Better-paying industrial jobs have been replaced with retail and fast-food clerks, bank tellers and insurance company clerical jobs. This is, of course, a national trend, but it appears most pronounced in Topeka.
One positive trend in the data is that rates of both violent crimes and all crimes in Topeka have been decreasing for a few years, though it is still high compared to most cities our size. In 1998, the FBI Crime Index rate was 12,773 per 100,000 population, and Topeka ranked 2nd in the country among cities in its class. By 1999, the reported index rate was down to 11,115 per 100,000. In 2000, it had dropped to 10,669. In 2001, it appears to have dropped again, to 9,418. This is still quite high, but, thankfully, falling.
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