View source for Kansas

{{Short description|U.S. state}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{Distinguish|Arkansas}}
{{About|the U.S. state}}
}}
{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
| name = Kansas
| image_flag = Flag of Kansas.svg
| flag_link = Flag of Kansas
| image_seal = Great Seal of the State of Kansas Colored.svg
| image_map = Kansas in United States.svg
| OfficialLang = English<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.us-english.org/inc/news/preleases/viewRelease.asp?ID=252 |title = Governor's Signature Makes English the Official Language of Kansas |publisher = US English |date = May 11, 2007 |access-date = August 6, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070710015939/http://www.us-english.org/inc/news/preleases/viewRelease.asp?ID=252 |archive-date = July 10, 2007 }}</ref>
| nicknames = The Sunflower State (official);<br />The Wheat State;<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Riney-Kehrberg |first1=Pamela |title=Wholesome, Home-Baked Goodness: Kansas, the Wheat State |url=https://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/2011spring_riney_kehrberg.pdf |journal=Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains |issue=Spring 2011 |pages=60–69 |publisher=Kansas State Historical Society |access-date=April 25, 2022 |archive-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308055521/https://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/2011spring_riney_kehrberg.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> America's Heartland<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/07/new-vanity-tag-rule-spurs-drivers-creativity/|title=New vanity tag rule spurs drivers' creativity|access-date=May 4, 2022|archive-date=March 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310070251/http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/mar/07/new-vanity-tag-rule-spurs-drivers-creativity/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Former = Kansas Territory
| population_demonym = Kansan
| motto = {{Lang|la|[[Per aspera ad astra|Ad astra per aspera]]}} ([[Latin language|Latin]])<br />''To the stars through difficulties''
| anthem = "[[Home on the Range]]"
| seat = [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]]
| LargestCity = [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]
| LargestCounty = [[Johnson County, Kansas|Johnson]]
| LargestMetro = Kansas portion of [[Kansas City metropolitan area|Kansas City, MO-KS area]]{{efn|name=MSA|The Kansas City area is the largest metropolitan and urban area in the state alone; however, the [[Wichita metropolitan area]] is the largest centered in the state.}}
| Governor = {{nowrap|[[Laura Kelly]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[David Toland]] (D)}}
| Legislature = [[Kansas Legislature|Legislature]]
| Upperhouse = [[Kansas Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Kansas House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[Kansas Supreme Court]]
| Senators = {{nowrap|[[Jerry Moran]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Roger Marshall]] (R)}}
| Representative = {{nowrap|[[Kansas's 1st congressional district|1]]: [[Tracey Mann]] (R)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Kansas's 2nd congressional district|2]]: [[Derek Schmidt]] (R)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Kansas's 3rd congressional district|3]]: [[Sharice Davids]] (D)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Kansas's 4th congressional district|4]]: [[Ron Estes]] (R)}}
| postal_code = KS
| TradAbbreviation = Kan., Kans.
| area_rank = 15th
| area_total_sq_mi = 82,278<ref name="state-area">{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/state-area.html |title = State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates |first = US Census Bureau |last = Geography |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180316004512/https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/state-area.html |archive-date = March 16, 2018|access-date = May 31, 2016 }}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 213,100
| area_land_sq_mi = 81,759<ref name="state-area" />
| area_land_km2 = 211,754
| area_water_sq_mi = 520<ref name="state-area" />
| area_water_km2 = 1,346
| area_water_percent = 0.6<ref>{{cite web |url=http://water.usgs.gov/edu/wetstates.html|title=Area of each state that is water |first=Howard |last=Perlman|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625011725/http://water.usgs.gov/edu/wetstates.html|archive-date=June 25, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_rank = 34th
| population_as_of = 2025
| 2020Pop = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 2,977,220<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KS/PST045224|accessdate=January 9, 2025|title= United States Census Quick Facts Kansas}}</ref>
| population_density_rank = 41st
| 2020DensityUS = auto
| 2020Density = 13.5
| MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|70333|-2}} (2<span>0</span>23)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/acsbr-023.pdf|title=Household Income in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2023|accessdate=January 12, 2025|archive-date=January 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250112072850/https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/acsbr-023.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| IncomeRank = 36th (2<span>0</span>21)<ref name=kkf>{{cite web|url=http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/median-annual-income/?currentTimeframe=0|website=The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation|title=Median Annual Household Income|access-date=April 11, 2024|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220091007/http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/median-annual-income/?currentTimeframe=0|url-status=live}}</ref>
| AdmittanceOrder = 34th
| AdmittanceDate = {{start date and age|1861|1|29}}<div>[[Kansas Day]]</div>
| timezone1 = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central]]
| utc_offset1 = −06:00
| timezone1_DST = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = −05:00
| timezone1_location = Majority of state
| timezone2 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain]]
| utc_offset2 = −07:00
| timezone2_DST = [[Mountain Daylight Time|MDT]]
| utc_offset2_DST = −06:00
| timezone2_location = [[Greeley County, Kansas|Greeley]], [[Hamilton County, Kansas|Hamilton]], [[Sherman County, Kansas|Sherman]], and [[Wallace County, Kansas|Wallace]] counties
| Latitude = [[37th parallel north|37° N]] to [[40th parallel north|40° N]]
| Longitude = 94° 35′ W to 102° 3′ W
| width_mi = 400<ref name="netstate.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ks_geography.htm|title=Kansas Geography from NETSTATE|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604162147/http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ks_geography.htm|archive-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
| width_km = 640
| length_mi = 210<ref name="netstate.com" />
| length_km = 340
| elevation_max_point = [[Mount Sunflower]]<ref name=USGS>{{cite web |url = http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title = Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher = [[United States Geological Survey]] |year = 2001 |access-date = October 21, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012701/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date = October 15, 2011 }}</ref>{{efn|name= NAVD88|Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]]}}
| elevation_max_ft = 4,041
| elevation_max_m = 1232
| elevation_ft = 2,000
| elevation_m = 610
| elevation_min_point = [[Verdigris River]] at {{nowrap|[[Oklahoma]] border}}<ref name=USGS />{{efn|name=NAVD88}}
| elevation_min_ft = 679
| elevation_min_m = 207
| iso_code = US-KS
| website = kansas.gov
| Representatives = 
}}

'''Kansas''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Kansas.ogg|ˈ|k|æ|n|z|ə|s}} {{respell|KAN|zəss}})<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Kansas|accessdate=March 8, 2024}}</ref> is a landlocked [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] region of the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/population/metro/data/metrodef.html |title = Current Lists of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Delineations |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170127162523/http://www.census.gov/population/metro/data/metrodef.html |archive-date = January 27, 2017}}</ref> It borders [[Nebraska]] to the north, [[Colorado]] to the west, [[Oklahoma]] to the south, and [[Missouri]] to the east. Kansas is named after the [[Kansas River]], in turn named after the [[Kaw people|Kansa]] people.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.kshs.org/publicat/khq/1950/50_2_langsdorf.htm |journal=Kansas Historical Quarterly|title=A Review of Early Navigation on the Kansas River|publisher=Kansas Historical Society |first1=Edgar|last1=Langsdorf|date=May 1950|access-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922040512/https://www.kshs.org/publicat/khq/1950/50_2_langsdorf.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Kansas history page |url = http://www.netstate.com/states/intro/ks_intro.htm |access-date = April 13, 2019 |archive-date = December 26, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181226000427/http://www.netstate.com/states/intro/ks_intro.htm%20 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>''The Encyclopedia of Kansas'' (1994) {{ISBN|0-403-09921-8}}</ref><ref>John Koontz, p.c.</ref> Its [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] is [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]], and its [[List of cities in Kansas|most populous city]] is [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]; however, the largest urban area is the bi-state [[Kansas City metropolitan area]] surrounding [[Kansas City, Missouri]], which straddles the border of Kansas and Missouri.

For thousands of years, what is now known as Kansas was home to numerous and diverse [[Plains Indians|Indigenous tribes]]. The first settlement of non-indigenous people in Kansas occurred in 1827 at [[Fort Leavenworth]]. The pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s, in the midst of political wars over the [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] debate. When it was officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854 with the [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]], conflict between abolitionist [[Free-Stater (Kansas)|Free-Staters]] from [[New England]] and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri broke out over the question of whether Kansas would become a [[Slave states and free states|free state or a slave state]], in a period known as [[Bleeding Kansas]]. On January 29, 1861,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan29.html |title = Today in History: January 29 |publisher = Memory.loc.gov |access-date = July 31, 2010 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100727012836/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan29.html |archive-date = July 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://governor.ks.gov/about-kansas/quickfacts |title = Kansas Quick Facts |website = governor.ks.gov |access-date = December 30, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110511125749/https://governor.ks.gov/about-kansas/quickfacts |archive-date = May 11, 2011 }}</ref> Kansas entered the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] as a free state, hence the unofficial nickname "The Free State". Passage of the [[Homestead Acts]] in 1862 brought a further influx of settlers, and the booming cattle trade of the 1870s attracted some of the Wild West's most iconic figures to western Kansas.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Clavin |first1=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywT0DQAAQBAJ |title=Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West |last2=Clavin |first2=Tom |date=February 28, 2017 |publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-250-07148-4 |language=en |access-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329032913/https://books.google.com/books?id=ywT0DQAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Smithsonian |title=How Dodge City Became a Symbol of Frontier Lawlessness |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-dodge-city-became-symbol-frontier-lawlessness-180967912/ |access-date=January 6, 2024 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en |archive-date=January 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106012908/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-dodge-city-became-symbol-frontier-lawlessness-180967912/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

As of 2015, Kansas was among the most productive agricultural states, producing high yields of wheat, corn, [[sorghum]], and [[soybean]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://agriculture.ks.gov/about-ksda/kansas-agriculture |title = Kansas Agriculture |website = Kansas Department of Agriculture |access-date = September 14, 2015 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150920203532/http://www.agriculture.ks.gov/about-ksda/kansas-agriculture |archive-date = September 20, 2015}}</ref> In addition to its traditional strength in agriculture, Kansas possesses an extensive aerospace industry. Kansas, which has an area of {{convert|82278|sqmi|km2|abbr=off|sp=us}} is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|15th-largest state by area]], the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|36th most-populous]] of the 50 states, with a population of 2,940,865<ref>{{cite web|date=April 26, 2021|title=2020 Census|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/apportionment-2020-table01.pdf|website=Census.gov|access-date=April 26, 2021|archive-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426194028/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/data/apportionment/apportionment-2020-table01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> according to the 2020 census, and the [[List of states and territories of the United States by population density|10th least densely populated]]. Residents of Kansas are called ''Kansans'' or ''Jayhawkers''<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Marian |date=2019-04-16 |title=Here are the Nicknames for Residents of each State |url=https://www.moving.com/tips/heres-what-you-call-residents-from-each-state/ |access-date=2026-04-14 |website=Moving.com |language=en}}</ref>. [[Mount Sunflower]] is Kansas' highest point at {{convert|4039|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://peakery.com/Mount-Sunflower/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403092525/http://peakery.com/Mount-Sunflower/|archive-date=April 3, 2011|title=Mount Sunflower—Kansas, United States • peakery|date=April 3, 2011}}</ref>

Kansas is generally considered to be the geographic center of the [[contiguous United States]], with [[Lebanon, Kansas|Lebanon]] being [[Geographic center of the contiguous United States|approximately the center]].

== Etymology ==
The name ''Kansas'' derives from the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] term ''Akansa'', referring to the [[Quapaw]] people. These were a [[Dhegiha Siouan]]-speaking people who settled in [[Arkansas]] around the 13th century. The stem -''kansa'' is named after the [[Kaw people]], also known as the ''Kansa'', a federally recognized Native American tribe.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bright|first=William|title=Native American placenames of the United States|date=2004|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=0-8061-3576-X|location=Norman|page=47|oclc=53019644}}</ref> The [[List of federally recognized tribes|tribe]]'s name (natively ''{{lang|ksk|kką:ze}}'') is often said to mean "people of the (south) wind", although this was probably not the term's original meaning.<ref>Rankin, Robert. 2005. "Quapaw". In ''Native Languages of the Southeastern United States'', eds. Heather K. Hardy and Janine Scancarelli. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, p. 492.</ref><ref>Connelley, William E. 1918. "[http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/v1/ch10p1.html Indians] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211043240/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1918ks/v1/ch10p1.html|date=February 11, 2007}}". ''A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans'', ch. 10, vol. 1.</ref>

==History==

{{Main|History of Kansas}}
{{stack|float=right|margin=true|[[File:War dance in the interiour of a Konza lodge.jpg|thumb|Samuel Seymour's 1819 illustration of a [[Kaw people|Kansa]] lodge and dance is the oldest drawing known to have been done in Kansas.]]}}

Before [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonization]], Kansas was occupied by the [[Caddoan]] [[Wichita people|Wichita]] and later the [[Siouan]] [[Kaw people]]. The Indigenous people in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys. Those in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of [[bison]].{{citation needed|date=May 2026}} The first European to set foot in present-day Kansas was the Spanish [[conquistador]] [[Francisco Vázquez de Coronado]], who explored the area in 1541.{{citation needed|date=May 2026}}

Between 1763 and 1803, the territory of Kansas was integrated into [[Spanish Louisiana]]. During that period, Governor [[Luis de Unzaga]] 'le Conciliateur' promoted expeditions and good relations with the [[Amerindians]]. Explorer Antoine de Marigny and others continued trading across the [[Kansas River]], especially at its confluence with the [[Missouri River]], tributaries of the [[Mississippi River]].<ref>Cazorla, Frank, G. Baena, Rosa, Polo, David, Reder Gadow, Marion (2019) Luis de Unzaga (1717–1793) Pioneer in the birth of the United States and in the liberalism. Foundation Malaga</ref>

In 1803, most of modern Kansas was [[United States territorial acquisitions|acquired by the United States]] as part of the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. Southwest Kansas, however, was still a part of Spain, Mexico, and the [[Republic of Texas]] until the conclusion of the [[Mexican–American War]] in 1848, when these lands were [[Mexican Cession|ceded to the United States]]. From 1812 to 1821, Kansas was part of the [[Missouri Territory]]. The [[Santa Fe Trail]] traversed Kansas from 1821 to 1880, transporting manufactured goods from [[Missouri]] and silver and furs from [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]]. [[Santa Fe Trail Remains|Wagon ruts from the trail]] are still visible in the prairie today.

In 1827, [[Fort Leavenworth]] became the first permanent settlement of white Americans in the future state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a211662.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412030430/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a211662.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=April 12, 2019|title=A Brief History of Fort Leavenworth|author=Partin, John W. Partin|year=1983|access-date=January 24, 2019}}</ref> The [[Kansas–Nebraska Act]] became law on May 30, 1854, establishing [[Nebraska Territory]] and [[Kansas Territory]], and opening the area to broader settlement by whites. [[Kansas Territory]] stretched all the way to the Continental Divide and included the sites of present-day [[Denver]], [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]], and [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]].
{{stack|float=right|margin=true|[[File:Battle of Lawrence.png|thumb|[[Lawrence Massacre|Quantrill's Raid]] on [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]]]]}}

=== Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War ===
The first non-military settlement of Euro-Americans in Kansas Territory consisted of [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionists]] from [[Massachusetts]] and other [[Free-Stater (Kansas)|Free-Staters]] who founded the town of Lawrence and attempted to stop the spread of slavery from neighboring Missouri.

Missouri and [[Arkansas]] continually sent settlers into Kansas Territory along its eastern border to sway votes in favor of slavery prior to Kansas statehood elections. Directly presaging the [[American Civil War]] these forces collided, entering into skirmishes and guerrilla conflicts that earned the territory the nickname [[Bleeding Kansas]]. These included [[John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown]]'s [[Pottawatomie massacre]] of 1856.

Kansas was [[Admission to the Union|admitted to the Union]] as a free state on January 29, 1861, making it the 34th state to join the United States. By that time, the violence in Kansas had largely subsided, but during the Civil War, on August 21, 1863, [[William Quantrill]] led several hundred of his supporters on a raid into [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], destroying much of the city and killing nearly 200 people. He was roundly condemned by both the conventional [[Confederate States Army|Confederate military]] and the partisan rangers commissioned by the [[Missouri legislature]]. His application to that body for a commission was flatly rejected due to his pre-war criminal record.<ref>Jones, ''Gray Ghosts and Rebel Riders'' Holt & Co. 1956, p. 76</ref>

=== Settlement and the Wild West ===
Passage of the [[Homestead Acts]] in 1862 accelerated settlement and agricultural development in the state. After the Civil War, many veterans constructed homesteads in Kansas. Many African Americans also looked to Kansas as the land of "[[John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown]]" and, led by [[freedmen]] like [[Benjamin "Pap" Singleton]], began establishing black colonies in the state. Leaving southern states in the late 1870s because of increasing discrimination, they became known as [[Exodusters]].

At the same time, the [[Chisholm Trail]] was opened and the [[American Old West|Wild West]] era commenced in Kansas. Storied lawman [[Wild Bill Hickok]] was a deputy marshal at [[Fort Riley]] and a marshal at [[Hays, Kansas|Hays]] and [[Abilene, Kansas|Abilene]]. [[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]] was home to both [[Bat Masterson]] and [[Wyatt Earp]], who worked as lawmen in the town. The [[Dalton Gang]] robbed trains and banks throughout Kansas and the Southwest and maintained a hideout in [[Meade, Kansas|Meade]]. During its 19th-century peak, Dodge City shipped up to 500,000 Texas cattle annually, cementing its reputation as the "Queen of the Cowtowns".

=== 20th century ===
In response to demands of [[Methodists]] and other [[evangelical Protestants]], in 1881 Kansas became the first U.S. state to adopt a constitutional amendment [[Prohibition|prohibiting]] all [[Alcohol laws of Kansas|alcoholic beverages]], which was repealed in 1948. Anti-saloon activist [[Carrie Nation]] vandalized her first saloon in [[Kiowa, Kansas|Kiowa]] in 1900. In 1922, suffragist [[Ella Uphay Mowry]] became the first female gubernatorial candidate in the state when she ran as "Mrs. W.D. Mowry". She later stated: "Someone had to be the pioneer. I firmly believe that some day a woman will sit in the governor's chair in Kansas."<ref>"[https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll36/id/28707/ Less of Oratory and More Work Novel Platform] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190723/https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll36/id/28707/ |date=July 9, 2021 }}." Alliance, Ohio: ''The Alliance Review and Leader'', April 21, 1922.</ref><ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4581045/mrs-w-d-mowry-dies-aug-2-1923/ Mrs. W.D. Mowry Dies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709191028/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4581045/mrs-w-d-mowry-dies-aug-2-1923/ |date=July 9, 2021 }}." Emporia, Kansas: ''The Emporia Gazette'', August 2, 1923, p. 5.</ref><ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4581070/mrs-w-d-mowry-dies-denver-topeka/ Pioneer Woman Candidate for Governor Dies: Mrs. W.D. Mowry on Republican Ticket in Primary Last Year] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190030/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4581070/mrs-w-d-mowry-dies-denver-topeka/ |date=July 9, 2021 }}." Concordia, Kansas: ''Concordia Blade-Empire'', August 2, 1923, front page.</ref>

Kansas suffered severe environmental damage in the 1930s due to the combined effects of the [[Great Depression]] and the [[Dust Bowl]], and large numbers of people left southwestern Kansas in particular for better opportunities elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dust Bowl {{!}} Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945 {{!}} U.S. History Primary Source Timeline {{!}} Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress {{!}} Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/dust-bowl/ |access-date=September 28, 2023 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA |archive-date=October 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013115514/https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/dust-bowl/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The outbreak of [[World War II]] spurred rapid growth in aircraft manufacturing near Wichita in the so-called [[Battle of Kansas]], and the aerospace sector remains a significant portion of the Kansan economy to this day.

==Geography==

[[File:Pond in Kansas.jpg|thumb|Pond in Osage County, Kansas]]
[[File:Great Plains LCC (14285769265).jpg|thumb|The [[Great Plains]] of Kansas]]
[[File:Kanopolissp.JPG|thumb|[[Kanopolis State Park]]]]
Kansas is bordered by [[Nebraska]] to the north; [[Missouri]] to the east; [[Oklahoma]] to the south; and [[Colorado]] to the west. The state is divided into [[List of counties in Kansas|105 counties]] with [[List of cities in Kansas|628 cities]], with its largest county by area being [[Butler County, Kansas|Butler County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usa.com/rank/kansas-state--land-area--county-rank.htm|title=Kansas Land Area County Rank|website=www.usa.com|access-date=November 27, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154006/http://www.usa.com/rank/kansas-state--land-area--county-rank.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Kansas is located [[equidistant]] from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The [[Geographic center of the contiguous United States|geographic center of the 48 contiguous states]] is in [[Smith County, Kansas|Smith County]] near [[Lebanon, Kansas|Lebanon]]. Until 1989, the [[Meades Ranch Triangulation Station]] in [[Osborne County, Kansas|Osborne County]] was the geodetic center of North America: the central reference point for all maps of North America. The geographic center of Kansas is in [[Barton County, Kansas|Barton County]].

===Geology===

{{Main|Geology of Kansas}}

Kansas is underlain by a sequence of horizontal to gently westward [[Strike and dip|dipping]] [[sedimentary rock]]s. A sequence of [[Mississippian age|Mississippian]], [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]] and [[Permian]] rocks outcrop in the eastern and southern part of the state. The state's western half has exposures of [[Cretaceous]] through Tertiary sediments, the latter derived from the [[erosion]] of the [[Tectonic uplift|uplifted]] [[Rocky Mountains]] to the west. These are underlain by older Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments which correlate well with the outcrops to the east. The state's northeastern corner was subjected to [[glaciation]] in the [[Pleistocene]] and is covered by [[glacial drift]] and [[loess]].

===Topography===

The western third of the state, lying in the [[Great Plains|great central plain]] of the United States, has a generally flat or undulating surface, while the eastern third has many hills and forests; the middle third is generally hilly, with more sparse vegetation than the eastern third.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Physiographic Regions |url=https://geokansas.ku.edu/physiographic-regions |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=geokansas.ku.edu |language=en}}</ref> The land gradually rises from east to west. Its altitude ranges from {{convert|684|ft|m|sp=us|abbr=on}} along the [[Verdigris River]] at [[Coffeyville, Kansas|Coffeyville]] in [[Montgomery County, Kansas|Montgomery County]], to {{convert|4039|ft|m|sp=us|abbr=on}} at [[Mount Sunflower]], {{convert|0.5|mi|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} from the Colorado border, in [[Wallace County, Kansas|Wallace County]]. It is a common misconception that Kansas is the flattest state in the nation—in 2003, a tongue-in-cheek study famously declared the state "flatter than a pancake".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i3/kansas.html |title = Kansas Is Flatter Than a Pancake |publisher = Improbable.com |access-date = July 31, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100730133707/http://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i3/kansas.html |archive-date = July 30, 2010}}</ref> In fact, Kansas has a maximum topographic relief of {{convert|3360|ft|m|sp=us|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.infoplease.com/world/united-states-geography/highest-lowest-and-mean-elevations-united-states |title = Highest, Lowest, and Mean Elevations in the United States |publisher = infoplease.com |access-date = May 20, 2018 |archive-date = May 21, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180521191553/https://www.infoplease.com/world/united-states-geography/highest-lowest-and-mean-elevations-united-states |url-status = live }}</ref> making it the 23rd flattest U.S. state measured by maximum relief.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.geotimes.org/oct03/NN_pancake.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040124015708/http://www.geotimes.org/oct03/NN_pancake.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = January 24, 2004 |title = Fracas over Kansas pancake flap |publisher = Geotimes.org |access-date = July 31, 2010 }}</ref>

===Rivers===

{{See also|List of rivers of Kansas}}

[[File:Spring River 2006-07-03 2104.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Spring River (Missouri)|Spring River]], Kansas]]

Around {{convert|74|mi|km|sp=us|abbr=on}} of the state's northeastern boundary is defined by the [[Missouri River]]. The [[Kansas River]] (locally known as the Kaw), formed by the junction of the [[Smoky Hill River|Smoky Hill]] and [[Republican River|Republican]] rivers at appropriately named [[Junction City, Kansas|Junction City]], joins the Missouri River at [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]], after a course of {{convert|170|mi|km|sp=us|abbr=on}} across the northeastern part of the state.

The [[Arkansas River]] ([[Arkansas River#Pronunciations|pronunciation varies]]), rising in [[Colorado]], flows with a bending course for nearly {{convert|500|mi|km|sp=us|abbr=on}} across the western and southern parts of the state. With its tributaries, (the [[Little Arkansas River|Little Arkansas]], [[Ninnescah River|Ninnescah]], Walnut, [[Cow Creek (Kansas)|Cow Creek]], [[Cimarron River (Arkansas River)|Cimarron]], Verdigris, and the [[Neosho River|Neosho]]), it forms the southern drainage system of the state.

Kansas's other rivers are the [[Saline River (Kansas)|Saline]] and Solomon Rivers, tributaries of the Smoky Hill River; the [[Big Blue River (Kansas)|Big Blue]], [[Delaware River (Kansas)|Delaware]], and [[Wakarusa River|Wakarusa]], which flow into the Kansas River; and the [[Marais des Cygnes River|Marais des Cygnes]], a tributary of the Missouri River. Spring River is located between [[Riverton, Kansas|Riverton]] and [[Baxter Springs, Kansas|Baxter Springs]].

===Lakes and reservoirs===

{{See also|List of lakes, reservoirs, and dams in Kansas}}

===National parks and historic sites===

Areas under the protection of the [[National Park Service]] include:<ref>{{cite web |title = Kansas |publisher = National Park Service |access-date = July 15, 2008 |url = https://www.nps.gov/state/ks/index.htm |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061217124957/http://www.nps.gov/state/KS/ |archive-date = December 17, 2006}}</ref>
* [[Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site]] in Topeka
* [[Fort Larned National Historic Site]] in [[Larned, Kansas|Larned]]
* [[Fort Scott National Historic Site]] in Bourbon County
* [[Nicodemus National Historic Site]] at [[Nicodemus, Kansas|Nicodemus]]
* [[Pony Express National Historic Trail]]
* [[Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve]] near [[Strong City, Kansas|Strong City]]

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:Grinter Sunflower Farm (36985501781).jpg|thumb|Sunflower field outside of [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]]]]
In Kansas, there are currently 238 species of rare animals and 400 rare plants.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 12, 2013|title=Kansas Natural Heritage Inventory: Rare plants and animals, and natural communities|url=https://biosurvey.ku.edu/ksnhi/rare-plants-and-animals|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=Kansas Biological Survey|archive-date=May 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510002224/https://biosurvey.ku.edu/ksnhi/rare-plants-and-animals|url-status=live}}</ref> Among those include: [[Boechera laevigata|Smooth rockress]], [[Virginia rail]], [[Eurycea spelaea|Western Grotto Salamander]], [[Osmunda regalis|Royal Fern]], [[Turkey-tangle]], [[Bobolink]], [[Eurycea lucifuga|Cave salamander]], [[Asclepias meadii|Mead's Milkweed]], [[Platanthera praeclara|Western Prairie Fringed Orchid]], [[Gray bat]], [[Snowy Plover]], [[Strecker's Chorus Frog]], [[Peregrine falcon]], [[Arkansas River shiner|Arkansas River Shiner]], [[Whooping crane|Whooping Crane]], and [[Black-footed ferret]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kansas|first=Natural Heritage Inventory|date=January 9, 2014|title=Rare Vertebrates of Kansas|url=https://biosurvey.ku.edu/sites/kbs.drupal.ku.edu/files/docs/Rare%20Vertebrates%2009Jan2014.pdf|access-date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=May 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510002221/https://biosurvey.ku.edu/sites/kbs.drupal.ku.edu/files/docs/Rare%20Vertebrates%2009Jan2014.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Parks |first=Kansas Department of Wildlife & |title=Threatened and Endangered Wildlife |url=https://ksoutdoors.gov/Services/Threatened-and-Endangered-Wildlife |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=ksoutdoors.gov |language=en-US}}</ref> Common animal species and grasses include: [[crow]]s, [[deer]], [[lesser prairie-chicken]], [[Mouse|mice]], [[Eastern Mole|moles]], [[Virginia opossum]], [[Black-tailed prairie dog|prairie dog]]s, [[raccoon]], [[Tripsacum dactyloides|Eastern Gama Grass]], [[Sporobolus heterolepis|Prairie Dropseed]], [[Sorghastrum nutans|Indian Grass]], [[Schizachyrium scoparium|little bluestem]], [[Switch grass]], [[Chasmanthium latifolium|Northern Sea Oats]], [[Carex stricta|Tussock Sedge]], [[Sideoats grama]], and [[Big Bluestem]].<ref>{{cite web|last=K-State Research|first=and Extension|title=Native Plants|url=https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/docs/crops-livestock/native-grass-seed/Native%20Plants%20-%20EMG.pdf|website=www.johnson.k-state.edu|access-date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=May 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510002316/https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/docs/crops-livestock/native-grass-seed/Native%20Plants%20-%20EMG.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses|url=https://www.kswildflower.org/|access-date=March 16, 2021|website=www.kswildflower.org|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226155654/https://kswildflower.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Köppen Climate Types Kansas.png|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Kansas, using 1991–2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]]]]
[[File:Kansas Windmills.JPG|thumb|Clouds in northeastern Kansas]]
[[File:Kansas Summer Wheat and Storm Panorama.jpg|thumb|Kansas summer wheat and storm panorama]]
In the [[Köppen climate classification]], Kansas has three climates: humid continental, semi-arid steppe, and humid subtropical. The eastern two-thirds of the state (especially the northeastern portion) has a [[humid continental climate]], with cool to cold winters and hot, often humid summers. Most of the precipitation falls during both the summer and the spring. The [[USDA]] [[hardiness zone]]s for Kansas range from Zone 5b (−15&nbsp;°F to −10&nbsp;°F) in the North to Zone 7a (0&nbsp;°F to 5&nbsp;°F) in the South.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.plantmaps.com/en/us/f/hz/state/kansas/plant-hardiness-zones |title=Kansas Hardiness Zones Map - 2023 |publisher=Plantmaps |access-date=January 17, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117215948/https://www.plantmaps.com/en/us/f/hz/state/kansas/plant-hardiness-zones |archive-date= January 17, 2024 }}</ref>

The western third of the state—from roughly the [[U.S. Route 83]] corridor westward—has a [[semi-arid climate|semi-arid]] [[steppe]] climate. Summers are hot, often very hot, and generally less humid. Winters are highly changeable between warm and very cold. The western region receives an average of about {{convert|16|in|mm|abbr=off|sp=us}} of precipitation per year. [[Chinook wind]]s in the winter can warm western Kansas all the way into the {{convert|80|°F|°C|abbr=off}} range.

The south-central and southeastern portions of the state, including the [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] area, have a [[humid subtropical climate]] with hot and humid summers, milder winters, and more precipitation than elsewhere in Kansas. Some features of all three climates can be found in most of the state, with droughts and changeable weather between dry and humid not uncommon, and both warm and cold spells in the winter.

Temperatures in areas between U.S. Routes 83 and [[U.S. Route 81|81]], as well as the southwestern portion of the state along and south of [[U.S. Route 50|U.S. 50]], reach {{convert|90|°F|°C|abbr=}} or above on most days of June, July, and August. High humidity added to the high temperatures sends the [[heat index]] into life-threatening territory, especially in Wichita, [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]], [[Salina, Kansas|Salina]], [[Russell, Kansas|Russell]], [[Hays, Kansas|Hays]], and [[Great Bend, Kansas|Great Bend]]. Temperatures are often higher in [[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]], [[Garden City, Kansas|Garden City]], and [[Liberal, Kansas|Liberal]], but the heat index in those three cities is usually lower than the actual air temperature.

Although temperatures of {{convert|100|°F|°C}} or higher are not as common in areas east of U.S. 81, higher humidity and the [[urban heat island]] effect lead most summer days to heat indices between {{convert|107|and|114|°F|°C}} in [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]], [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], and the [[Kansas City metropolitan area]]. Also, combined with humidity between 85 and 95 percent, dangerous heat indices can be experienced at every hour of the day.

Precipitation ranges from about {{convert|47|in|mm}} annually in the state's southeast corner to about {{convert|16|in|mm}} in the southwest. Snowfall ranges from around {{convert|5|in|mm}} in the fringes of the south, to {{convert|35|in|mm}} in the far northwest. Frost-free days range from more than 200 days in the south, to 130 days in the northwest. Thus, Kansas is the country's ninth or tenth sunniest state, depending on the source. Western Kansas is as sunny as parts of California and [[Arizona]].

Kansas is prone to severe weather, especially in the spring and the early-summer. Despite the frequent sunshine throughout much of the state, due to its location at a climatic boundary prone to intrusions of multiple air masses, the state is vulnerable to strong and severe thunderstorms. Some of these storms become [[supercell]] thunderstorms; these can produce some [[tornado]]es, occasionally those of [[Enhanced Fujita scale|EF3]] strength or higher. Kansas averages more than 50 tornadoes annually.<ref name="Annual Average Number of Tornadoes">{{cite web |title = Annual Average Number of Tornadoes, 1953–2004 |url = http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |publisher = [[National Climatic Data Center]] |access-date = October 25, 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174155/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |archive-date = October 16, 2011}}</ref> Severe thunderstorms sometimes drop some very large [[hail]] over Kansas as well. Furthermore, these storms can even bring in flash flooding and damaging straight line winds.

According to NOAA, the all-time highest temperature recorded in Kansas is ({{convert|121|°F|°C|disp=or|sigfig=3}}) on July 24, 1936, near [[Alton, Kansas|Alton]] in [[Osborne County, Kansas|Osborne County]], and the all-time low is {{convert|-40|°F|°C}} on February 13, 1905, near [[Lebanon, Kansas|Lebanon]] in [[Smith County, Kansas|Smith County]]. Alton and Lebanon are approximately {{convert|50|mi|km}} apart.

Kansas's record high of {{convert|121|°F|°C|sigfig=3}} ties with [[North Dakota]] for the fifth-highest record high in an American state, behind California ({{convert|134|°F|°C|disp=or|sigfig=3}}), [[Arizona]] ({{convert|128|°F|°C|disp=or|sigfig=3}}), [[Nevada]] ({{convert|125|°F|°C|disp=or|sigfig=3}}), and [[New Mexico]] ({{convert|122|°F|°C|disp=or}}).

{{Weather box
| location = Kansas
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 88
| Feb record high F = 92
| Mar record high F = 104
| Apr record high F = 107
| May record high F = 108
| Jun record high F = 118
| Jul record high F = 121
| Aug record high F = 119
| Sep record high F = 117
| Oct record high F = 104
| Nov record high F = 96
| Dec record high F = 92
| year record high F = 121
| Jan high F = 42.6
| Feb high F = 47.2
| Mar high F = 57.7
| Apr high F = 67.1
| May high F = 76.4
| Jun high F = 86.7
| Jul high F = 91.5
| Aug high F = 89.5
| Sep high F = 81.9
| Oct high F = 69.4
| Nov high F = 55.7
| Dec high F = 44.5
| year high F =
| Jan record low F = -35
| Feb record low F = -40
| Mar record low F = -25
| Apr record low F = -2
| May record low F = 14
| Jun record low F = 30
| Jul record low F = 32
| Aug record low F = 33
| Sep record low F = 15
| Oct record low F = -3
| Nov record low F = -20
| Dec record low F = -34
| year record low F = -40
| Jan low F = 19.5
| Feb low F = 22.7
| Mar low F = 32.0
| Apr low F = 40.7
| May low F = 51.4
| Jun low F = 61.7
| Jul low F = 66.5
| Aug low F = 64.7
| Sep low F = 55.8
| Oct low F = 43.1
| Nov low F = 30.8
| Dec low F = 22.0
| year low F =
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 0.7
| Feb precipitation inch = 1.0
| Mar precipitation inch = 1.8
| Apr precipitation inch = 2.7
| May precipitation inch = 4.2
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.0
| Jul precipitation inch = 3.9
| Aug precipitation inch = 3.5
| Sep precipitation inch = 2.5
| Oct precipitation inch = 2.3
| Nov precipitation inch = 1.3
| Dec precipitation inch = 1.1
| year precipitation inch = 29.0
| source = https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/states/kansas
| source 2 = https://www.factmonster.com/math-science/weather/kansas-temperature-extremes
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various Kansas cities (°F)<ref>

{{multiref2|1={{cite web |url = http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/concordia.htm |title = Concordia Weather—Kansas—Average Temperatures and Rainfall |website = Country Studies US |access-date = April 9, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161103013842/http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/concordia.htm |archive-date = November 3, 2016}}|2={{cite web |url = http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/dodge-city.htm |title = Dodge City Weather—Kansas—Average Temperatures and Rainfall |website = Country Studies US |access-date = April 9, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011453/http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/dodge-city.htm |archive-date = March 5, 2016}}|3={{cite web |url = http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/goodland.htm |title = Goodland Weather—Kansas—Average Temperatures and Rainfall |website = Country Studies US |access-date = April 9, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202037/http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/goodland.htm |archive-date = March 4, 2016}}|4={{cite web |url = http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/topeka.htm |title = Topeka Weather—Kansas—Average Temperatures and Rainfall |website = Country Studies US |access-date = April 9, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305012221/http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/topeka.htm |archive-date = March 5, 2016}}|5={{cite web |url = http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/wichita.htm |title = Wichita Weather—Kansas—Average Temperatures and Rainfall |website = Country Studies US |access-date = April 9, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221935/http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/kansas/wichita.htm |archive-date = March 4, 2016}}}}</ref>
|-
! City
! Jan
! Feb
! Mar
! Apr
! May
! Jun
! Jul
! Aug
! Sep
! Oct
! Nov
! Dec
|-
! Concordia
| 36/17
| 43/22
| 54/31
| 64/41
| 74/52
| 85/62
| 91/67
| 88/66
| 80/56
| 68/44
| 51/30
| 40/21
|-
! Dodge City
| 41/19
| 48/24
| 57/31
| 67/41
| 76/52
| 87/62
| 93/67
| 91/66
| 82/56
| 70/44
| 55/30
| 44/22
|-
! Goodland
| 39/16
| 45/20
| 53/26
| 63/35
| 72/46
| 84/56
| 89/61
| 87/60
| 78/50
| 66/38
| 50/25
| 41/18
|-
! Topeka
| 37/17
| 44/23
| 55/33
| 66/43
| 75/53
| 84/63
| 89/68
| 88/65
| 80/56
| 69/44
| 53/32
| 41/22
|-
! Wichita
| 40/20
| 47/25
| 57/34
| 67/44
| 76/54
| 87/64
| 93/69
| 92/68
| 82/59
| 70/47
| 55/34
| 43/24
|}

==Settlement==

{{Main|Rural flight}}

{{See also|List of cities in Kansas}}
{{See also|List of counties in Kansas}}
{{See also|Kansas statistical areas}}

{{Kansas urban pop chart}}

Known as [[rural flight]], the last few decades have been marked by a migratory pattern out of the countryside into cities. Out of all the cities in these Midwestern states, 89% have fewer than 3,000 people, and hundreds of those have fewer than 1,000. In Kansas alone, there are more than 6,000 [[List of ghost towns in Kansas|ghost towns]] and dwindling communities,<ref>{{cite web |last=Fitzgerald |first=Daniel C. |title=KS extinct locations |url=http://www.danielcfitzgerald.com/kansasextinctlocations.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121206000131/http://www.danielcfitzgerald.com/kansasextinctlocations.html |archive-date=December 6, 2012}}</ref> according to one Kansas historian, Daniel C. Fitzgerald. At the same time, some of the communities in Johnson County (metropolitan Kansas City) are among the fastest-growing in the country.

{| class="wikitable sortable floatleft"
|+'''Cities with population of at least 15,000'''
|-
! !!City!!Population*!!Growth rate**!!Metro area
|-
|1||[[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]|| align="right" |397,532|| style="text-align:center;" |3.97%||[[Wichita metropolitan area, Kansas|Wichita]]
|-
|2||[[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]]|| align="right" |197,238|| style="text-align:center;" |13.77%||[[Kansas City metropolitan area|Kansas City, MO-KS]]
|-
|3||[[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]]|| align="right" |156,607|| style="text-align:center;" |7.42%||Kansas City
|-
|4||[[Olathe, Kansas|Olathe]]|| align="right" |141,290|| style="text-align:center;" |12.25%||Kansas City
|-
|5||[[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]]|| align="right" |126,587|| style="text-align:center;" |−0.70%||[[Topeka metropolitan area, Kansas|Topeka]]
|-
|6||[[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]]|| align="right" |94,934|| style="text-align:center;" |8.32%||[[Lawrence, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area|Lawrence]]
|-
|7||[[Shawnee, Kansas|Shawnee]]|| align="right" |67,311|| style="text-align:center;" |8.20%||Kansas City
|-
|8||[[Lenexa, Kansas|Lenexa]]|| align="right" |57,434|| style="text-align:center;" |19.18%|| Kansas City
|-
|9||[[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]]|| align="right" |54,100|| style="text-align:center;" |3.48%||[[Manhattan, Kansas, metropolitan area|Manhattan]]
|-
|10||[[Salina, Kansas|Salina]]|| align="right" |46,889|| style="text-align:center;" |-1.71%|| ‡
|-
|11||[[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]]|| align="right" |40,006|| style="text-align:center;" |−4.93%|| ‡
|-
|12||[[Leavenworth, Kansas|Leavenworth]]|| align="right" |37,351|| style="text-align:center;" |5.96%||Kansas City
|-
|13||[[Leawood, Kansas|Leawood]]|| align="right" |33,902|| style="text-align:center;" |6.39%||Kansas City
|-
|14||[[Garden City, Kansas|Garden City]]|| align="right" |28,151|| style="text-align:center;" |5.60%|| ‡
|-
|15||[[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]]|| align="right" |27,788|| style="text-align:center;" |1.64%|| ‡
|-
|16||[[Derby, Kansas|Derby]]|| align="right" |25,625|| style="text-align:center;" |15.65%|| Wichita
|-
|17||[[Emporia, Kansas|Emporia]]|| align="right" |24,139|| style="text-align:center;" |-3.12%|| ‡
|-
|18||[[Gardner, Kansas|Gardner]]|| align="right" |23,287|| style="text-align:center;" |21.77%||Kansas City
|-
|19||[[Prairie Village, Kansas|Prairie Village]]|| align="right" |22,957|| style="text-align:center;" |7.04%||Kansas City
|-
|20||[[Junction City, Kansas|Junction City]]|| align="right" |22,932|| style="text-align:center;" |-1.80%||Manhattan
|-
|21||[[Hays, Kansas|Hays]]|| align="right" |21,116|| style="text-align:center;" |2.95%|| ‡
|-
|22||[[Pittsburg, Kansas|Pittsburg]]|| align="right" |20,646|| style="text-align:center;" |2.04%|| ‡
|-
|23||[[Liberal, Kansas|Liberal]]|| align="right" |19,825|| style="text-align:center;" |−3.41%|| ‡
|-
|24||[[Newton, Kansas|Newton]]|| align="right" |18,602|| style="text-align:center;" |−2.77%||Wichita
|- class=sortbottom
| colspan="5" |*2020 census<ref name="2017SubEst">{{cite web |title=Population Estimates |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KS/POP010220 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512022347/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KS/POP010220 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |access-date=August 4, 2022}}</ref><br />**Growth rate 2010–2020<br />‡Defined as a [[United States micropolitan area|micropolitan area]]
|}
{{clear right}}
Kansas has 627 [[Municipal corporation|incorporated cities]]. By state statute, cities are divided into three classes as determined by the population obtained "by any census of enumeration". A city of the third class has a population of less than 5,000, but cities reaching a population of more than 2,000 may be certified as a city of the second class. The second class is limited to cities with a population of less than 25,000, and upon reaching a population of more than 15,000, they may be certified as a city of the first class. First and second class cities are independent of any [[Civil township|township]] and are not included within the township's territory.

===Birth data===
''Note: Births in table do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.''
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother
|-
! [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Race]]
! 2013<ref name="auto5">{{cite web |title = Births: Final Data for 2013 |url = https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf |website = [[National Vital Statistics System|National Vital Statistics Reports]] |publisher = [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]] |date = January 15, 2015 |access-date = June 7, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170911162514/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf |archive-date = September 11, 2017}}</ref>
! 2014<ref name="auto4">{{cite web |title = Births: Final Data for 2014 |url = https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf |website = National Vital Statistics Reports |publisher = CDC |date = December 23, 2015 |access-date = June 7, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170214040341/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf |archive-date = February 14, 2017}}</ref>
! 2015<ref name="auto2">{{cite web |title = Births: Final Data for 2015 |url = https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf |website = National Vital Statistics Reports |publisher = CDC |date = January 5, 2017 |access-date = June 7, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170831155911/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf |archive-date = August 31, 2017}}</ref>
! 2016<ref name="auto6">{{cite web|url= https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf|title= data|website= www.cdc.gov|access-date= May 30, 2018|archive-date= June 3, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180603002249/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf|url-status= live}}</ref>
! 2017<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=May 17, 2019 |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201210916/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2018<ref name="cdc_gov">{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=December 2, 2019 |archive-date=November 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128161211/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2019<ref name="auto3">{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=March 29, 2021 |archive-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324160631/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2020<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210175206/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/NVSR70-17.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2021<ref name=":1" />
! 2022<ref name="auto7">{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=April 5, 2024 |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404230758/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| [[White Americans|White]]:
| 34,178 (88.0%)
| 34,420 (87.7%)
| 34,251 (87.5%)
| ...
| ...
| ...
| ...
| ...
| ...
| ...
|-
| > [[Non-Hispanic whites|Non-Hispanic White]]
| 28,281 (72.8%)
| 28,504 (72.7%)
| 28,236 (72.1%)
| 26,935 (70.8%)
| 25,594 (70.1%)
| 25,323 (69.8%)
| 24,549 (69.4%)
| 23,663 (68.8%)
| 24,056 (69.3%)
| 23,669 (68.8%)
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
| 2,967 (7.6%)
| 3,097 (7.9%)
| 3,090 (7.9%)
| 2,543 (6.7%)
| 2,657 (7.3%)
| 2,575 (7.1%)
| 2,458 (6.9%)
| 2,412 (7.0%)
| 2,316 (6.7%)
| 2,208 (6.4%)
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
| 1,401 (3.6%)
| 1,359 (3.5%)
| 1,483 (3.8%)
| 1,299 (3.4%)
| 1,255 (3.4%)
| 1,228 (3.4%)
| 1,216 (3.4%)
| 1,146 (3.3%)
| 1,031 (3.0%)
| 1,055 (3.1%)
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]
| 293 (0.7%)
| 347 (0.9%)
| 330 (0.8%)
| 173 (0.5%)
| 248 (0.7%)
| 217 (0.6%)
| 214 (0.6%)
| 162 (0.5%)
| 183 (0.5%)
| 241 (0.7%)
|-
| ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]'' (of any race)
| ''6,143'' (15.8%)
| ''6,132'' (15.6%)
| ''6,300'' (16.1%)
| ''6,298'' (16.5%)
| ''5,963'' (16.3%)
| ''5,977'' (16.5%)
| ''6,071'' (17.2%)
| ''5,970'' (17.4%)
| ''6,122'' (17.6%)
| ''6,309'' (18.3%)
|-
| '''Total Kansas'''
| '''38,839''' (100%)
| '''39,223''' (100%)
| '''39,154''' (100%)
| '''38,053''' (100%)
| '''36,519''' (100%)
| '''36,261''' (100%)
| '''35,395''' (100%)
| '''34,376''' (100%)
| '''34,705''' (100%)
| '''34,401''' (100%)
|}

* Since 2016, data for births of [[White Hispanic and Latino Americans|White Hispanic]] origin are not collected, but included in one ''Hispanic'' group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

===Life expectancy===
The residents of Kansas have a life expectancy near the U.S. national average. In 2013, males in Kansas lived an average of 76.6 years compared to a male national average of 76.7 years and females lived an average of 81.0 years compared to a female national average of 81.5 years. Increases in life expectancy between 1980 and 2013 were below the national average for males and near the national average for females. Male life expectancy in Kansas between 1980 and 2014 increased by an average of 5.2 years, compared to a male national average of a 6.7-year increase. Life expectancy for females in Kansas between 1980 and 2014 increased by 4.3 years, compared to a female national average of a 4.0 year increase.<ref>{{cite web |title=US Health Map |url=https://vizhub.healthdata.org/subnational/usa |website=Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation |publisher=University of Washington |access-date=December 27, 2020 |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223175609/https://vizhub.healthdata.org/subnational/usa |url-status=live }}</ref>

Using 2017–2019 data, the [[Robert Wood Johnson Foundation]] calculated that life expectancy for Kansas counties ranged from 75.8 years for [[Wyandotte County, Kansas|Wyandotte County]] to 81.7 years for [[Johnson County, Kansas|Johnson County]]. Life expectancy for the state as a whole was 78.5 years.<ref name="Robert Wood Johnson">{{cite web |title=Kansas: Life Expectancy |url=https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/kansas/2021/rankings/outcomes/1 |website=Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |access-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=June 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628134449/https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/kansas/2021/rankings/outcomes/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Life expectancy for the United States as a whole in 2019 was 78.8 years.<ref name="Mortality">{{cite web |title=Mortality in the United States, 2019 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db395-H.pdf |website=Centers for Disease Control |access-date=June 25, 2021 |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110091332/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db395-H.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Regions===
====Northeast Kansas====
[[File:UK Strong Hall Lawrence Nima 02.jpg|thumb|left|[[University of Kansas]] Strong Hall in Lawrence]]
The northeastern portion of the state, extending from the eastern border to [[Junction City, Kansas|Junction City]] and from the Nebraska border to south of Johnson County is home to more than 1.5&nbsp;million people in the Kansas City (Kansas portion), Manhattan, Lawrence, and Topeka [[metropolitan area]]s. [[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]], a young city incorporated in 1960, has the largest population and the largest land area in the county. It is home to [[Johnson County Community College]].

Olathe is the [[county seat]] and home to [[Johnson County Executive Airport]]. The cities of Olathe, [[Shawnee, Kansas|Shawnee]], [[De Soto, Kansas|De Soto]] and [[Gardner, Kansas|Gardner]] have some of the state's fastest growing populations. The cities of Overland Park, [[Lenexa, Kansas|Lenexa]], Olathe, De Soto, and Gardner are also notable because they lie along the former route of the [[Santa Fe Trail]]. Among cities with at least one thousand residents, [[Mission Hills, Kansas|Mission Hills]] has the highest median income in the state.

Several institutions of higher education are located in Northeast Kansas including [[Baker University]] (the oldest university in the state, founded in 1858 and affiliated with the [[United Methodist Church]]) in Baldwin City, [[Benedictine College]] (sponsored by [[St. Benedict's Abbey]] and [[Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica|Mount St. Scholastica Monastery]] and formed from the merger of St. Benedict's College (1858) and Mount St. Scholastica College (1923)) in Atchison, [[MidAmerica Nazarene University]] in Olathe, [[Ottawa University]] in Ottawa and Overland Park, Kansas City Kansas Community College and KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Less than an hour's drive to the west, [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]] is home to the [[University of Kansas]], the largest public university in the state, and [[Haskell Indian Nations University]].

To the north, [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]], with the second largest land area in the state, contains a number of diverse ethnic neighborhoods. Its attractions include the [[Kansas Speedway]], [[Sporting Kansas City]], [[Kansas City Monarchs (American Association)|Kansas City Monarchs]], and [[The Legends at Village West]] retail and entertainment center. Nearby, Kansas's first settlement [[Bonner Springs, Kansas|Bonner Springs]]<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite book |last1 = Miller |first1 = Rober B. |title = Bonner Springs (Images of America) |date = 2013 |publisher = Arcadia Publishing |page = 7 |isbn = 978-1-4671-1043-3 }}</ref> is home to several national and regional attractions including the [[Cricket Wireless Amphitheater (Bonner Springs, Kansas)|Providence Medical Center Amphitheater]], the [[National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame]], and the annual [[Kansas City Renaissance Festival]]. Further up the [[Missouri River]], the city of [[Lansing, Kansas|Lansing]] is the home of the state's first maximum-security prison. Historic [[Leavenworth, Kansas|Leavenworth]], founded in 1854, was the first incorporated city in Kansas. North of the city, [[Fort Leavenworth]] is the oldest active Army post west of the [[Mississippi River]]. The city of [[Atchison, Kansas|Atchison]] was an early commercial center in the state and is well known as the birthplace of [[Amelia Earhart]].

[[File:Kansas State Capitol in summer 2024.jpg|thumb|The [[Kansas Statehouse]]]]

To the west, nearly a quarter million people reside in the Topeka metropolitan area. [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]] is the state capital and home to [[Washburn University]] and [[Washburn Institute of Technology]]. Built at a [[Kansas River]] crossing along the old [[Oregon Trail]], this historic city has several nationally registered historic places. Further westward along [[Interstate 70 (Kansas)|Interstate 70]] and the Kansas River is [[Junction City, Kansas|Junction City]] with its historic limestone and brick buildings and nearby [[Fort Riley]], well known as the home to the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]'s [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]] (nicknamed "the Big Red One"). A short distance away, the city of [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]] is home to [[Kansas State University]], the second-largest public university in the state and the nation's oldest land-grant university, dating back to 1863. South of the campus, [[Aggieville]] dates back to 1889 and is the state's oldest shopping district of its kind.

====South Central Kansas====
[[File:Wichita, Kansas skyline aerial view.jpg|thumb|Downtown Wichita in the winter]]
In south-central Kansas, the [[Wichita metropolitan area, Kansas|Wichita metropolitan area]] is home to more than 600,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = N/A |title = Wichita (city), Kansas |url = http://census.gov/ |access-date = September 5, 2018 |archive-date = July 3, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190703162107/http://www.census.gov/ |url-status = live }}</ref> [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] is the largest city in the state in terms of both land area and population. 'The Air Capital' is a major manufacturing center for the aircraft industry and the home of [[Wichita State University]]. Before Wichita was 'The Air Capital' it was a Cowtown.<ref name="gowichita1">{{cite web |url = http://www.gowichita.com/contact/who-we-are/from-cowtown-to-air-capital/ |title = Go Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau |publisher = Gowichita.com |access-date = September 28, 2013 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130719203353/http://www.gowichita.com/contact/who-we-are/from-cowtown-to-air-capital/ |archive-date = July 19, 2013}}</ref> With a number of nationally registered historic places, museums, and other entertainment destinations, it has a desire to become a cultural mecca in the Midwest. Wichita's population growth has grown by double digits and the surrounding suburbs are among the fastest growing cities in the state. The population of [[Goddard, Kansas|Goddard]] has grown by more than 11% per year since 2000.<ref name="2006SubEst">{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php |website = Population Estimates |publisher = Census Bureau, Population Division |title = Annual estimates of the population through July 1, 2006 |date = June 28, 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20061206215954/http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php |archive-date = December 6, 2006}}</ref> Other fast-growing cities include [[Andover, Kansas|Andover]], [[Maize, Kansas|Maize]], [[Park City, Kansas|Park City]], [[Derby, Kansas|Derby]], and [[Haysville, Kansas|Haysville]].

Wichita was one of the first cities to add the city commissioner and city manager in their form of government.<ref name="gowichita1" /> Wichita is also home of the nationally recognized [[Sedgwick County Zoo]].<ref name="gowichita1" />
[[File: Full Scale Mercury Redstone (2831280402).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Cosmosphere]], the world-renowned space museum in Hutchinson]]
Up river (the [[Arkansas River]]) from Wichita is the city of [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]]. The city was built on one of the world's largest salt deposits (of what would form [[Strataca]]), and it has the world's largest and longest wheat elevator. It is also the home of [[Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center]], Prairie Dunes Country Club and the [[Kansas State Fair]]. North of Wichita along [[Interstate 135 (Kansas)|Interstate 135]] is the city of [[Newton, Kansas|Newton]], the former western terminal of the [[Santa Fe Railroad]] and trailhead for the famed [[Chisholm Trail]]. To the southeast of Wichita are the cities of [[Winfield, Kansas|Winfield]] and [[Arkansas City, Kansas|Arkansas City]] with historic architecture and the [[Cherokee Strip (Kansas)|Cherokee Strip]] Museum (in Ark City). The city of [[Udall, Kansas|Udall]] was the site of the deadliest [[tornado]] in Kansas on May 25, 1955; it killed 80 people in and near the city.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/wxevents/19550525/ |title = The Blackwell Tornado of 25 May 1955 |publisher = NWS Norman, Oklahoma |date = June 13, 2006 |access-date = January 28, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061008140031/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/wxevents/19550525/ |archive-date = October 8, 2006 }}</ref>

====Southeast Kansas====
[[File: Pittsburg Kansas Downtown Broadway Fall 2022.jpg|thumb|Pittsburg]]
[[Southeast Kansas]] has a unique history with a number of nationally registered historic places in this coal-mining region. Located in [[Crawford County, Kansas|Crawford County]] (dubbed the Fried Chicken Capital of Kansas), [[Pittsburg, Kansas|Pittsburg]] is the largest city in the region and the home of [[Pittsburg State University]]. The neighboring city of [[Frontenac, Kansas|Frontenac]] in 1888 was the site of the worst mine disaster in the state in which an underground explosion killed 47 miners. "[[Big Brutus]]" is located {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} outside the city of [[West Mineral, Kansas|West Mineral]]. Along with the restored fort, historic [[Fort Scott, Kansas|Fort Scott]] has a national cemetery designated by President Lincoln in 1862. The region also shares a Media market with [[Joplin, Missouri]], a city in Southwest Missouri.

====Central and North-Central Kansas====
[[File: Cedar Point Mill in Cedar Point, Kansas.jpg|thumb|left|Cedar Point Mill, built in 1875 in Cedar Point, on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Salina, Kansas|Salina]] is the largest city in central and north-central Kansas. South of Salina is the small city of [[Lindsborg, Kansas|Lindsborg]] with its numerous [[Dalecarlian horse|Dala horses]]. Much of the architecture and decor of this town has a distinctly Swedish style. To the east along [[Interstate 70 (Kansas)|Interstate 70]], the historic city of [[Abilene, Kansas|Abilene]] was formerly a trailhead for the [[Chisholm Trail]] and was the boyhood home of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], and is the site of his [[Eisenhower Presidential Center|Presidential Library]] and the tombs of the former president, First Lady and son who died in infancy. To the west is [[Lucas, Kansas|Lucas]], the Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas.

====Northwest Kansas====
[[File:Milky Way over Monument Rocks, Kansas, USA.jpg|thumb|Kansas's [[Monument Rocks (Kansas)|Monument Rocks]] at night|alt=Milky Way over Monument Rocks, Kansas, US|left]]
Westward along the Interstate, the city of [[Russell, Kansas|Russell]], traditionally the beginning of sparsely populated northwest Kansas, was the base of former U.S. Senator [[Bob Dole]] and the boyhood home of U.S. Senator [[Arlen Specter]]. The city of [[Hays, Kansas|Hays]] is home to [[Fort Hays State University]] and the Sternberg Museum of Natural History, and is the largest city in the northwest with a population of around 20,001.

Two other landmarks are located in smaller towns in [[Ellis County, Kansas|Ellis County]]: the "Cathedral of the Plains" is located {{convert|10|mi|km}} east of Hays in [[Victoria, Kansas|Victoria]], and the boyhood home of [[Walter Chrysler]] is {{convert|15|mi|km}} west of Hays in [[Ellis, Kansas|Ellis]]. West of Hays, population drops dramatically, even in areas along I-70, and only two towns containing populations of more than 4,000: [[Colby, Kansas|Colby]] and [[Goodland, Kansas|Goodland]], which are located {{convert|35|mi|km}} apart along I-70.

====Southwest Kansas====
[[File: Chalk badlands (Niobrara Formation, Upper Cretaceous; chalk bluffs south of Castle Rock, Gove County, Kansas, USA) 82 (39145546602).jpg|thumb|The chalk rock badlands and cliffs in western Kansas, near Dighton]]
{{see also|Golden Triangle of Meat-packing}}
[[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]], famously known for the cattle drive days of the late 19th century, was built along the old [[Santa Fe Trail]] route. The city of [[Liberal, Kansas|Liberal]] is located along the southern Santa Fe Trail route. The first wind farm in the state was built east of [[Montezuma, Kansas|Montezuma]]. [[Garden City, Kansas|Garden City]] has the [[Lee Richardson Zoo]]. In 1992, a [[West Kansas|short-lived secessionist movement]] advocated the secession of several counties in southwest Kansas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1993&context=greatplainsquarterly|title=THE 1992 SECESSION MOVEMENT IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS|last=McCORMICK|first=PETER J.|website=digitalcommons.unl.edu/|access-date=January 4, 2020|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204235835/https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1993&context=greatplainsquarterly|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Around the state====
[[File:Chalk badlands (Niobrara Formation, Upper Cretaceous; Castle Rock & nearby chalk bluffs, Gove County, Kansas, USA) 3 (38442722884).jpg|thumb|Gove County Badlands]]
Located midway between Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita in the heart of the Bluestem Region of the [[Flint Hills]], the city of [[Emporia, Kansas|Emporia]] has several nationally registered historic places and is the home of [[Emporia State University]], well known for its Teachers College. It was also the home of newspaper man [[William Allen White]].

==Demographics==
=== Population ===
[[File:Kansas population density 2020.png|thumb|Population density map of Kansas in 2020]]
[[File:Kansas population pyramid.webp|thumb|Kansas [[population pyramid]]]]
The [[United States Census Bureau]] estimates that the population of Kansas was 2,913,314 on July 1, 2019, a 2.11% increase since the [[2010 United States census]] and an increase of 58,387, or 2.05%, since 2010.<ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ks,US/PST045218|title=QuickFacts Kansas; UNITED STATES|website=2018 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=March 3, 2019|access-date=March 3, 2019|archive-date=January 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115182139/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ks,US/PST045218|url-status=live}}</ref> This includes a natural increase since the last census of 93,899 (246,484 births minus 152,585 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 20,742 people out of the state. [[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 44,847 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 65,589 people.<ref name="2006StateEstComp">{{Citation|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/states/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040916023530/http://www.census.gov/popest/states/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 16, 2004 |contribution=Cumulative Estimates of the Components of Population Change for the United States, Regions and States: April 1, 2000, to July 1, 2006 |title=Population Estimates|quote=Kansas population has increased at a decreasing rate, reducing the number of congressmen from 5{{nbsp}}to{{nbsp}}4 in 1992 (Congressional Redistricting Act, eff. 1992).|id=NST-EST2006-04|place=US|publisher=Census Bureau, Population Division|date=December 22, 2006}}</ref> At the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], its population was 2,937,880.

In 2018, the top countries of origin for Kansas's immigrants were [[Mexico]], [[India]], [[Vietnam]], [[Guatemala]] and [[China]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_kansas.pdf|title=Immigrants in Kansas|access-date=August 18, 2023|archive-date=March 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329225756/https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_kansas.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The population density of Kansas is 52.9 people per square mile.<ref>{{cite book |title=The New York Times 2008 almanac |url-access=registration |editor-first=John W. |editor-last=Wright |year=2007 |url=https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesalma00john_2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesalma00john_2/page/178 178] |location=New York |publisher=Penguin |isbn=9780143112334}}</ref> The [[center of population]] of Kansas is located in [[Chase County, Kansas|Chase County]], at {{Coord |38|27|N|96|32|W|region:US-KS_type:landmark}}, approximately {{convert|3|mi|km}} north of the community of [[Strong City, Kansas|Strong City]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Population and Population Centers by State |year=2000 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |access-date=December 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223204810/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |archive-date=February 23, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The focus on labor-efficient grain-based agriculture—such as a large wheat farm that requires only one or a few people with large [[farm machinery|machinery]] to operate, rather than a [[Vegetable farming|vegetable farm]] that requires many people—is causing the [[Depopulation of the Great Plains|de-population of rural areas]] across Kansas.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://newfoodeconomy.org/rural-kansas-depopulation-commodity-agriculture/|title=Rural Kansas is dying. I drove 1,800 miles to find out why|last=Brown|first=Corie|date=April 26, 2018|work=New Food Economy|access-date=May 16, 2018|archive-date=May 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517152705/https://newfoodeconomy.org/rural-kansas-depopulation-commodity-agriculture/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 2,397 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in Kansas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007–2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{US Census population
| 1860 = 107206
| 1870 = 364399
| 1880 = 996096
| 1890 = 1428108
| 1900 = 1470495
| 1910 = 1690949
| 1920 = 1769257
| 1930 = 1880999
| 1940 = 1801028
| 1950 = 1905299
| 1960 = 2178611
| 1970 = 2246578
| 1980 = 2363679
| 1990 = 2477574
| 2000 = 2688418
| 2010 = 2853118
| 2020 = 2937880
| estyear = 2025
| estimate = 2977220
| estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{Cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html |access-date=December 26, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618225917/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = 1910–2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

===Race and ethnicity===
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Kansas.png|thumb|upright=1.35|Ethnic origins in Kansas]]
[[File:Ethnic origins in Kansas (2020).jpg|thumb|Largest alone or in any combination ethnic origin by county in Kansas, per the 2020 census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/detailed-race-ethnicities-2020-census.html|title=Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census|website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>]]
According to the 2021 United States census estimates, the racial makeup of the population was:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KS/PST045221|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Kansas|publisher=Census.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517070548/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KS/PST045221#qf-headnote-b|archive-date=May 17, 2022 |accessdate=February 15, 2022}}</ref> [[White American|White American, non-Hispanic]] (74.7%), [[Hispanic]] or [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]] (12.7%), Black or African American (6.2%), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (0.1%), two or more races (3.3%), [[Asian people|Asian]] (3.2%), and American Indian and Alaska Native (1.2%). At the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 75.6% White, 5.7% African American, 2.9% Asian American, 1.1% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.9% some other race, and 9.5% two or more races.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Kansas ethnic breakdown of population
|-
! class="unsortable" | Racial composition
! 1990<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |date=July 25, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044857/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-date=July 25, 2008}}</ref>
! 2000<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kansas Statistical Abstract |title=Population in Kansas and the U.S., by Race/ Page 7 |url=http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/population/population.pdf |website=ipsr.ku.edu |access-date=September 5, 2018 |archive-date=September 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905214724/http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/ksah/population/population.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
! 2010<ref>{{cite web |title=Decennial Census by Decade |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]] |access-date=April 12, 2020 |archive-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522200920/https://census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html|title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census|date=August 12, 2021|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=August 12, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[White American|White]] || 90.1% || 86.1% || 83.8% || 75.6%
|-
| [[African American|Black]] || 5.8% || 5.8% || 5.9% || 5.7%
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || 1.3% || 1.7% || 2.4% || 2.9%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || 0.9% || 0.9% || 1.0% || 1.1%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiian]] and<br />[[Pacific Islander|other Pacific Islander]] || – || – || 0.1% || 0.1%
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || 2.0% || 3.4% || 3.9% || 4.9%
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] || – || 2.1% || 3.0% || 9.5%
|}
[[File:Kansas counties by race.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Map of counties in Kansas by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census{{Collapsible list
| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

'''Non-Hispanic White'''
{{legend|#e6b8af|30–40%}}

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-2}}

'''Hispanic or Latino'''

{{legend|#76a5af|50–60%}}

{{legend|#45818e|60–70%}}
{{col-end}}|
}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Kansas  – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Kansas |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?q=P004:+HISPANIC+OR+LATINO,+AND+NOT+HISPANIC+OR+LATINO+BY+RACE+[73]&g=040XX00US20|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=March 8, 2026|df=mdy }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Kansas |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2010.P2?q=p2&g=040XX00US20|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=March 8, 2026|df=mdy }}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Kansas |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P2?q=p2&g=040XX00US20|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=March 8, 2026|df=mdy }}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|2,233,997
|2,230,539
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,122,575
|83.10%
|78.18%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |72.25%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|151,407
|162,700
|style='background: #ffffe6; |163,352
|5.63%
|5.70%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.56%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|22,322
|23,073
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,921
|0.83%
|0.81%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.75%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|46,301
|66,967
|style='background: #ffffe6; |85,225
|1.72%
|2.35%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.90%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|1,154
|1,978
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,115
|0.04%
|0.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|2,477
|2,928
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,064
|0.09%
|0.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.34%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|42,508
|64,891
|style='background: #ffffe6; |149,025
|1.58%
|2.27%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.07%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|188,252
|300,042
|style='background: #ffffe6; |382,603
|7.00%
|10.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13.02%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''2,688,418'''
|'''2,853,118'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''2,937,880'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
As of 2004, the population included 149,800 foreign-born (5.5% of the state population). The ten largest reported ancestry groups, which account for nearly 90% of the population, in the state are: [[German American|German]] (33.75%), [[Irish American|Irish]] (14.4%), [[English American|English]] (14.1%), [[American ancestry|American]] (7.5%), [[French American|French]] (4.4%), [[Scottish American|Scottish]] (4.2%), [[Dutch American|Dutch]] (2.5%), [[Swedish American|Swedish]] (2.4%), [[Italian American|Italian]] (1.8%), and [[Polish American|Polish]] (1.5%).<ref>{{cite web |publisher = American Community Survey Office |url = https://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/Single/2003/ACS/Tabular/040/04000US202.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040910164533/http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/Single/2003/ACS/Tabular/040/04000US202.htm |url-status = dead |archive-date = September 10, 2004 |title = Kansas—Social demographics |year = 2006 |access-date = July 31, 2010}}</ref> Kansas is also home to a large Czech community.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/czechs-in-kansas/17887|title=Czechs in Kansas - Kansapedia|access-date=September 13, 2023|archive-date=September 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929020554/https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/czechs-in-kansas/17887|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mexicans are present in the southwest and make up nearly half the population in certain counties. Many African Americans in Kansas are descended from the [[Exodusters]], newly freed blacks who fled the South for land in Kansas following the Civil War.<ref>Painter, Nell Irvin. Exodusters: Black Migration to Kansas After Reconstruction. United States, W. W. Norton, 1992. p.146</ref>

There is a growing Asian community in Kansas. Since 1965, more and more Asian families have moved to Kansas from countries such as the Philippines, China, Korea, India, and Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/asian-americans-in-kansas/17046|title=Asian Americans in Kansas - Kansapedia|access-date=September 13, 2023|archive-date=September 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929020554/https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/asian-americans-in-kansas/17046|url-status=live}}</ref>

;Birth data
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:left;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" | {{no wrap|Live births by single race/ethnicity of mother}}
|-
! class="unsortable" | [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Race]]
! data-sort-type="number" | 2013<ref name="auto5"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2014<ref name="auto4"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2015<ref name="auto2"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2016<ref name="auto6"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2017<ref name="auto"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2018<ref name="cdc_gov" />
! data-sort-type="number" | 2019<ref name="auto3"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2020<ref name="auto1"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2021<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=February 3, 2022 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201003942/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2022<ref name="auto7"/>
! data-sort-type="number" | 2023<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr74/nvsr74-1.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=April 11, 2025 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]]
| 28,281 (72.8%)
| 28,504 (72.7%)
| 28,236 (72.1%)
| 26,935 (70.8%)
| 25,594 (70.1%)
| 25,323 (69.8%)
| 24,549 (69.4%)
| 23,663 (68.8%)
| 24,056 (69.3%)
| 23,669 (68.8%)
| 23,088 (67.8%)
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
| 2,967 (7.6%)
| 3,097 (7.9%)
| 3,090 (7.9%)
| 2,543 (6.7%)
| 2,657 (7.3%)
| 2,575 (7.1%)
| 2,458 (6.9%)
| 2,412 (7.0%)
| 2,316 (6.7%)
| 2,208 (6.4%)
| 2,211 (6.5%)
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
| 1,401 (3.6%)
| 1,359 (3.5%)
| 1,483 (3.8%)
| 1,299 (3.4%)
| 1,255 (3.4%)
| 1,228 (3.4%)
| 1,216 (3.4%)
| 1,146 (3.3%)
| 1,031 (3.0%)
| 1,055 (3.1%)
| 1,028 (3.0%)
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]
| 293 (0.7%)
| 347 (0.9%)
| 330 (0.8%)
| 173 (0.5%)
| 248 (0.7%)
| 217 (0.6%)
| 214 (0.6%)
| 162 (0.5%)
| 183 (0.5%)
| 163 (0.5%)
| 142 (0.4%)
|-
| ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]'' (any race)
| ''6,143'' (15.8%)
| ''6,132'' (15.6%)
| ''6,300'' (16.1%)
| ''6,298'' (16.5%)
| ''5,963'' (16.3%)
| ''5,977'' (16.5%)
| ''6,071'' (17.2%)
| ''5,970'' (17.4%)
| ''6,122'' (17.6%)
| ''6,309'' (18.3%)
| ''6,576'' (19.3%)
|-
! Total
! 38,839 (100%)
! 39,223 (100%)
! 39,154 (100%)
! 38,053 (100%)
! 36,519 (100%)
! 36,261 (100%)
! 35,395 (100%)
! 34,376 (100%)
! 34,705 (100%)
! 34,401 (100%)
! 34,065 (100%)
|}

As of 2011, 35.0% of Kansas's population younger than one year of age belonged to minority groups (i.e., did not have two parents of non-Hispanic white ancestry).<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |title = Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot |last = Exner |first = Rich |date = June 3, 2012 |work = [[The Plain Dealer]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160714084214/http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |archive-date = July 14, 2016}}</ref>

===Language===
English is the most-spoken language in Kansas, with 91.3% of the population speaking only English at home as of the year 2000. 5.5% speak Spanish, 0.7% speak German, and 0.4% speak Vietnamese.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/states/Kansas-Languages.html |title=Languages—Kansas |publisher=City-data.com |access-date=September 4, 2019 |archive-date=October 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026170937/http://www.city-data.com/states/Kansas-Languages.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religion in Kansas (2022), per PRRI
| label1 = [[Christianity in the United States|Christianity]]
| value1 = 74
| color1 = Purple
| label2 = [[irreligion in the United States|Irreligion]]
| value2 = 23
| color2 = White
| label3 = [[Unitarian Universalism]]
| value3 = 1
| color3 = Red
| label4 = [[New Age]]
| value4 = 1
| color4 = Green
}}
[[File:Richard Cordley 1903.jpg|thumb|left|Rev. [[Richard Cordley]], the first graduate of the [[University of Kansas]], and nicknamed "The Abolition Preacher", due to his strong views against slavery, and his influence on Kansas's founding as a free state]]
[[File:Charles M Sheldon.jpg|thumb|upright|Reverend [[Charles Sheldon]], Topeka resident and coiner of the phrase "[[What would Jesus do?]]"]]The 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Survey showed the religious makeup of adults in Kansas was as follows:<ref name="PEW">[[Pew Research Center]], [http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/kansas/ Religious Landscape Study: Religious composition of adults in Kansas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518000525/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/kansas/ |date=May 18, 2015 }} (2014).</ref> 57% Protestant, 18% Catholic, 1% Mormon, 1% Jehovah's Witness, 20% unaffiliated, 1% Buddhist, and 2% other religions. In 2022, the [[Public Religion Research Institute]] (PRRI)'s study revealed 74% of the total population were Christian; among them, 59% were Protestant, 13% Catholic, and 2% Mormon. The religiously unaffiliated were 23% of the population, Unitarian Universalists 1%, and New Agers 1%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-KS |access-date=April 15, 2023 |website=ava.prri.org |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-KS |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Kansas's capital Topeka is sometimes cited as the home of [[Pentecostalism]] as it was the site of [[Charles Fox Parham]]'s [[Bethel Bible College]], where [[glossolalia]] was first claimed as the evidence of a spiritual experience referred to as the [[baptism of the Holy Spirit]] in 1901. It is also the home of Reverend [[Charles Sheldon]], author of ''[[In His Steps]]'', and was the site where the question "[[What would Jesus do?]]" originated in a sermon of Sheldon's at Central Congregational Church.

Kansas is the location of the second [[Baháʼí Faith]] community west of Egypt, when the Baháʼí community of [[Enterprise, KS]] was started in 1897. From that beginning the Baháʼí Faith spread across Kansas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Herrmann |first1=Duane L |title=Early Baha'is of Enterprise |date=1997 |publisher=Buffalo Press |location=Topeka |isbn=1-879448-11-4}}</ref>

[[File:WichitaCathedralExterior.jpg|thumb|The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita]]
Topeka is also home of the [[Westboro Baptist Church]], a [[hate group]] according to the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]].<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=May 2, 2021|title=Westboro Baptist protests at Atlanta HBCU graduation ceremonies|url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/westboro-baptist-protests-at-atlanta-hbcu-graduation-ceremonies/85-d0901f2c-8a27-4a2b-916c-ce5ce9455155|website=11Alive.com|date=May 19, 2019|archive-date=May 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510002223/https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/westboro-baptist-protests-at-atlanta-hbcu-graduation-ceremonies/85-d0901f2c-8a27-4a2b-916c-ce5ce9455155|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|accessdate=May 2, 2021|title=Anti-LGBTQ hate groups on the rise in U.S., report warns|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/anti-lgbtq-hate-groups-rise-u-s-report-warns-n1171956|website=NBC News|date=March 30, 2020|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511213933/https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/anti-lgbtq-hate-groups-rise-u-s-report-warns-n1171956|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/westboro-baptist-church |title = Westboro Baptist Church |website = Southern Poverty Law Center |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110306095813/http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/westboro-baptist-church |archive-date = March 6, 2011}}</ref> The church has garnered worldwide media attention for picketing the funerals of U.S. servicemen and women for what church members claim as "necessary to combat the fight for equality for gays and lesbians". They have sometimes successfully raised lawsuits against the city of Topeka.

=== Largest immigrant groups ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!#
!Country
!Population [https://stacker.com/kansas/biggest-sources-immigrants-kansas]
|-
|1
|{{Flag|Mexico}}
|81,933
|-
|2
|{{Flag|India}}
|13,526
|-
|3
|{{Flag|Vietnam}}
|11,119
|-
|4
|{{Flag|China}}
|8,223
|-
|5
|{{Flag|Guatemala}}
|6,271
|-
|6
|{{Flag|Philippines}}
|5,005
|-
|7
|{{Flag|South Korea}}
|4,108
|-
|8
|{{Flag|El Salvador}}
|3,919
|-
|9
|{{Flag|Laos}}
|3,447
|-
|10
|{{Flag|Germany}}
|3,326
|}

==Economy==
{{See also|Kansas locations by per capita income|Golden Triangle of Meat-packing}}
{{See also|List of Kansas companies}}
Kansas's total GDP (Gross Domestic Product) was $241.3 billion in 2025.<ref>{{cite web | title= SAGDP1 State annual gross domestic product (GDP) summary | website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) | date=April 9, 2026 | url= https://apps.bea.gov/itable/?ReqID=70&step=1&_gl=1*1jzdzci*_ga*MTA4Mjc0NTQwLjE3NzgyMTU2OTU.*_ga_J4698JNNFT*czE3NzgzNzAzMDUkbzYkZzEkdDE3NzgzNzE5MjckajkkbDAkaDA.#eyJhcHBpZCI6NzAsInN0ZXBzIjpbMSwyOSwyNSwzMSwyNiwyNywzMF0sImRhdGEiOltbIlRhYmxlSWQiLCI1MzEiXSxbIk1ham9yX0FyZWEiLCIwIl0sWyJTdGF0ZSIsWyIwIl1dLFsiQXJlYSIsWyIyMDAwMCJdXSxbIlN0YXRpc3RpYyIsWyItMSJdXSxbIlVuaXRfb2ZfbWVhc3VyZSIsIkxldmVscyJdLFsiWWVhciIsWyIyMDI1Il1dLFsiWWVhckJlZ2luIiwiLTEiXSxbIlllYXJfRW5kIiwiLTEiXV19 | access-date=May 9, 2026 }}</ref> The state's [[per capita personal income]] was $69,510 in 2025, which ranked 33rd among U.S. states, and [[median household income]] was measured at $68,925.<ref>{{cite web | title= SAINC1 State annual personal income summary: personal income, population, per capita personal income | website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) | date=April 9, 2026 | url= https://apps.bea.gov/itable/?ReqID=70&step=1&_gl=1*113eu7s*_ga*MTA4Mjc0NTQwLjE3NzgyMTU2OTU.*_ga_J4698JNNFT*czE3NzgzNzAzMDUkbzYkZzEkdDE3NzgzNzI3OTkkajYwJGwwJGgw#eyJhcHBpZCI6NzAsInN0ZXBzIjpbMSwyOSwyNSwzMSwyNiwyNywzMF0sImRhdGEiOltbIlRhYmxlSWQiLCIyMSJdLFsiTWFqb3JfQXJlYSIsIjAiXSxbIlN0YXRlIixbIjAiXV0sWyJBcmVhIixbIlhYIl1dLFsiU3RhdGlzdGljIixbIi0xIl1dLFsiVW5pdF9vZl9tZWFzdXJlIiwiTGV2ZWxzIl0sWyJZZWFyIixbIjIwMjUiXV0sWyJZZWFyQmVnaW4iLCItMSJdLFsiWWVhcl9FbmQiLCItMSJdXX0= | access-date=May 9, 2026 }}</ref><ref name="u858">{{cite web | publisher=United States Census Bureau | title=S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months | website=Explore Census Data | url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1901 | access-date=May 22, 2024 | archive-date=May 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520023444/https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1901 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Total Employment of the metropolitan areas in the State of Kansas by total Non-farm Employment in 2016.<ref>[https://klic.dol.ks.gov/admin/gsipub/htmlarea/uploads/Economic%20Report%202017.pdf 2017 Kansas Economic Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154903/https://klic.dol.ks.gov/admin/gsipub/htmlarea/uploads/Economic%20Report%202017.pdf |date=February 20, 2021 }} Retrieved April 8, 2020.</ref>

*Kansas Portion of the [[Kansas City metropolitan area|Kansas City MO-KS MSA]]: 468,400 non-farm, accounting for 40.9% of state GDP in 2015.<ref>[https://www.marc.org/Data-Economy/pdf/2020EconomicForecast.aspx 2020 Economic Forecast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116065634/https://www.marc.org/Data-Economy/pdf/2020EconomicForecast.aspx |date=November 16, 2019 }} Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved April 8, 2020.</ref>
*[[Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area|Wichita, KS MSA]]: 297,300 non-farm
*[[Topeka metropolitan area, Kansas|Topeka, KS MSA]]: 112,600 non-farm
*[[Douglas County, Kansas|Lawrence KS, MSA]]: 54,000 non-farm
*[[Manhattan, Kansas, metropolitan area|Manhattan, KS MSA]]: 44,200 non-farm
*Total employment: 1,184,710
Total Number of employer establishments in 2016: 74,884.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/KS|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Kansas|website=www.census.gov|access-date=November 1, 2019|archive-date=November 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101085350/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/KS|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=February 2026|reason=2016}} In 2025, [[Small business|small businesses]] made up 99.1% of all businesses in Kansas and employed 48.9% of the state's work force.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2025 Small Business Profile - Kansas |url=https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Kansas_2025-State-Profile.pdf |access-date=February 9, 2026 |website=U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy}}</ref>

In 2015, the job growth rate was 0.8%, among the lowest rates in America with only "10,900 total nonfarm jobs" added that year.<ref name="kansascity_2015">{{citation |url = http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/yael-t-abouhalkah/article47176275.html |first = Yael T. |last = Abouhalkah |title = Kansas has low but misleading unemployment rate under Gov. Sam Brownback |date = November 30, 2015 |access-date = February 26, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170227150112/http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/yael-t-abouhalkah/article47176275.html |archive-date = February 27, 2017}}</ref> As of May 2025, the state's unemployment rate was 3.8%.<ref>{{Cite web |last=staff |first=CNBC com |date=2025-07-10 |title=33. Kansas |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/10/kansas-top-states-for-business-ranking.html |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>

The State of Kansas had a $350&nbsp;million budget shortfall in February 2017.<ref name="WP_2017_revolt"/> In February 2017, S&P downgraded Kansas's credit rating to AA−.<ref name="NYT_S&P_ratings_2017"/>

Nearly 90% of Kansas's land is devoted to agriculture.<ref name=":0"/> The state's agricultural outputs are cattle, sheep, wheat, [[sorghum]], [[soybeans]], cotton, [[pig|hogs]], [[maize|corn]], and salt. As of 2018, there were 59,600 farms in Kansas, 86 (0.14%) of which are [[Organic certification|certified organic farms]].<ref name=":0"/> The average farm in the state is about 770 acres (more than a square mile), and in 2016, the average cost of running the farm was $300,000.<ref name=":0"/>

By far, the most significant agricultural crop in the state is wheat. Eastern Kansas is part of the [[Grain Belt]], an area of major grain production in the central United States. Approximately 40% of all winter wheat grown in the U.S. is grown in Kansas.<ref name=":0"/> Roughly 95% of the wheat grown in the state is [[hard red winter wheat]].<ref name=":0"/> During 2016, farmers of conventionally grown wheat farmed 8.2&nbsp;million acres and harvested an average of 57 bushels of wheat per acre.<ref name=":0"/>

The industrial outputs are transportation equipment, commercial and private aircraft, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum, and mining.

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="width: 13em; font-size: 85%"
|+ Largest private employers (as of 2016)<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.kansascommerce.com/index.aspx?nid=483#A |title = Kansas Department of Commerce—Official Website—Economic Overview Charts |publisher = Kansascommerce.com |access-date = April 4, 2018 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171215091244/http://www.kansascommerce.com/index.aspx?NID=483#A |archive-date = December 15, 2017}}</ref>
|-
! Rank
! Business
! Employees
! Location
! Industry
|-
| 1
| [[Spirit AeroSystems]]
| 12,000
| [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]
| Aviation
|-
| 2
| [[Sprint Corporation]]
| 7,600
| [[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]]
| Telecommunications
|-
| 3
| [[Cessna|Textron Aviation]]
| 6,812
| [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]
| Aviation
|-
| 4
| [[General Motors]]
| 4,000
| [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]]
| Automotive manufacturing
|-
| 5
| [[Bombardier Aerospace]]
| 3,500
| [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]
| Aviation
|-
| 6
| [[Black & Veatch]]
| 3,500
| [[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]]
| Engineering consulting
|-
| 7
| [[National Beef Packing Company|National Beef]]
| 3,500
| [[Liberal, Kansas|Liberal]]
| Food products
|-
| 8
| [[Tyson Foods]]
| 3,200
| [[Holcomb, Kansas|Holcomb]]
| Food products
|-
| 9
| Performance Contracting
| 2,900
| [[Lenexa, Kansas|Lenexa]]
| Roofing and siding
|-
| 10
| [[National Beef Packing Company|National Beef]]
| 2,500
| [[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]]
| Food products
|}

The state's economy is also heavily influenced by the aerospace industry. Several large aircraft corporations have manufacturing facilities in Wichita and Kansas City, including [[Spirit AeroSystems]], [[Bombardier Aerospace]] ([[LearJet]]), and [[Textron Aviation]] (a merger of the former [[Cessna]], [[Hawker Aircraft|Hawker]], and [[Beechcraft]] brands). [[Boeing]] ended a decades-long history of manufacturing in Kansas between 2012 and 2013.

Major companies headquartered in Kansas include the [[Garmin]] ([[Olathe, Kansas|Olathe]]), [[YRC Worldwide]] (Overland Park), and [[Koch, Inc.]] (with national headquarters in [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]).

Kansas is also home to three major military installations: [[Fort Leavenworth]] (Army), [[Fort Riley]] (Army), and [[McConnell Air Force Base]] (Air Force). Approximately 25,000 active duty soldiers and airmen are stationed at these bases which also employ approximately 8,000 civilian DoD employees. The U.S. Army Reserve also has the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command headquartered in Wichita that serves reservists and their units from around the region. The Kansas Air National Guard has units at [[Forbes Field]] in Topeka and the 184th Intelligence Wing in Wichita. The Smoky Hill Weapons Range, a detachment of the Intelligence Wing, is one of the largest and busiest bombing ranges in the nation. During World War II, Kansas was home to numerous Army Air Corps training fields for training new pilots and aircrew. Many of those airfields live on today as municipal airports.

===Energy===

{{See also|List of power stations in Kansas}}

[[File:NRC Commissioner Annie Caputo tours Wolf Creek Generating Station (43783189581).jpg|thumb|NRC workers at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in [[Burlington, Kansas|Burlington]]]]
[[File:Kansas electricity production by type.webp|thumb|Kansas electricity production by type]]
Kansas has vast renewable resources and is a top producer of [[Wind power in Kansas|wind energy]] in the US, with an installed capacity of about 6,100&nbsp;[[Megawatts]]&nbsp;(MW) from nearly 3,200 wind turbines in 2019. Wind generated the [[List of power stations in Kansas|largest share of electricity]] from the state at 41%. An additional 700&nbsp;MW of capacity was scheduled to come online during 2020. Kansas is also a leading national producer of renewable [[ethanol]] and [[biodiesel]] fuels at nearly 600&nbsp;million gallons per year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=KS |title=Kansas State Energy Profile Analysis |publisher=[[U.S. Energy Information Administration]] |accessdate=April 1, 2021 |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321082747/https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=KS |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kansas is one of 28 states with a nuclear power plant, Wolf Creek in Burlington, which houses a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor. The plant came online in 1985, and cost over $5 billion to construct. It is owned by [[Evergy]].

Kansas is ranked eighth in [[Petroleum in the United States|U.S. petroleum extraction]]. Production has experienced a steady decline as the state's limited economical reserves especially from the [[Anadarko Basin]] are depleted. Since [[Price of oil|oil prices]] bottomed in 1999, oil production in Kansas has remained fairly constant, with an average monthly rate of about {{convert|2.8|Moilbbl|m3|abbr=off|sp=us}} in 2004. The [[Oil price increases since 2003|recent higher prices]] have made [[carbon sequestration|carbon dioxide sequestration]] and other oil recovery techniques more economical.

Kansas is also ranked eighth in U.S. natural gas production. Production has steadily declined since the mid-1990s with the gradual depletion of the [[Hugoton Natural Gas Area|Hugoton Natural Gas Field]]—the state's largest field which extends into Oklahoma and Texas. In 2004, slower declines in the Hugoton gas fields and increased [[coalbed methane]] production contributed to a smaller overall decline. Average monthly production was over {{convert|32|e9cuft|km3|abbr=off|sp=us}}.

===Taxes===
{{Main|Kansas Senate Bill Substitute HB 2117}}
Tax is collected by the [[Kansas Department of Revenue]].

Revenue shortfalls resulting from lower than expected tax collections and slower growth in personal income following a 1998 permanent tax reduction have contributed to the substantial growth in the state's debt level as bonded debt increased from $1.16&nbsp;billion in 1998 to $3.83&nbsp;billion in 2006. Some increase in debt was expected as the state continues with its 10-year Comprehensive Transportation Program enacted in 1999.

In 2003, Kansas had three income brackets for income tax calculation, ranging from 3.5% to 6.45%.

The state sales tax in Kansas is 6.15%. Various cities and counties in Kansas have an additional local sales tax. Except during the 2001 [[recession]] (March–November 2001), when monthly sales tax collections were flat, collections have trended higher as the economy has grown and two rate increases have been enacted. If there had been no change in sales tax rates or in the economy, the total sales tax collections for 2003 would have been $1,797&nbsp;million, compared to $805.3&nbsp;million in 1990. However, they instead amounted to $1,630&nbsp;million an inflation-adjusted reduction of 10%. The state sales tax is a combined destination-based tax, meaning a single tax is applied that includes state, county, and local taxes, and the rate is based on where the consumer takes possession of the goods or services. Thanks to the destination structure and the numerous local special taxing districts, Kansas has 920 separate sales tax rates ranging from 6.5% to 11.5%.<ref>{{cite web |title = Publication 1700 |url = https://www.ksrevenue.org/salesratechanges.html |website = Kansas Department of Revenue |access-date = April 4, 2018 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180405025326/https://www.ksrevenue.org/salesratechanges.html |archive-date = April 5, 2018}}</ref> This taxing scheme, known as "[[Streamlined Sales Tax]]" was adopted on October 1, 2005, under the governorship of [[Kathleen Sebelius]].<ref>{{cite web |title = Streamlined Sales Tax—Kansas |url = http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/index.php?page=kansas |website = Streamlined Sales Tax |access-date = April 4, 2018 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180405090353/http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/index.php?page=kansas |archive-date = April 5, 2018}}</ref> Groceries are subject to sales tax in the state. All sales tax collected is remitted to the state department of revenue, and local taxes are then distributed to the various taxing agencies.

As of June 2004, [[Moody's Investors Service]] ranked the state 14th for net tax-supported debt per capita. As a percentage of personal income, it was at 3.8%—above the median value of 2.5% for all rated states and having risen from a value of less than 1% in 1992. The state has a statutory requirement to maintain cash reserves of at least 7.5% of expenses at the end of each fiscal year; however, lawmakers can vote to override the rule, and did so during the most recent budget agreement.

During his campaign for the 2010 election, Governor [[Sam Brownback]] called for a complete "phase out of Kansas's income tax".<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017"/> In May 2012, Governor Brownback signed into law the '''Kansas Senate Bill Substitute HB 2117'''.<ref name="HB2117">{{cite web |title = Senate Substitute for HB 2117 by Committee on Taxation—Reduction of income tax rates for individuals and determination of income tax credits; severance tax exemptions; homestead property tax refunds; food sales tax refunds |url = http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/measures/hb2117/ |access-date = October 29, 2014 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141030002120/http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/measures/hb2117/ |archive-date = October 30, 2014}}</ref> Starting in 2013, the "ambitious tax overhaul" trimmed income tax, eliminated some corporate taxes, and created [[Flow-through entity|pass-through income]] tax exemptions, he raised the sales tax by one percent to offset the loss to state revenues but that was inadequate. He made cuts to education and some state services to offset lost revenue.<ref name="stltoday_2013">{{cite news |url = http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-louisiana-s-lawmakers-realize-what-missouri-s-don-t/article_6995e1b3-f8d4-5748-bcde-57c1bf434be7.html |title = Editorial: Louisiana's lawmakers realize what Missouri's don't: Income tax cuts are suicidal |date = April 13, 2013 |author = Editorial Board |access-date = February 25, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140820070334/http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-louisiana-s-lawmakers-realize-what-missouri-s-don-t/article_6995e1b3-f8d4-5748-bcde-57c1bf434be7.html |archive-date = August 20, 2014}}</ref> The tax cut led to years of budget shortfalls, culminating in a $350&nbsp;million budget shortfall in February 2017. From 2013 to 2017, 300,000 businesses were considered to be pass-through income entities and benefited from the tax exemption. The tax reform "encouraged tens of thousands of Kansans to claim their wages and salaries as income from a business rather than from employment."<ref name="WP_2017_revolt">{{citation |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/22/republicans-real-live-experiment-with-kansass-economy-survives-a-revolt-from-their-own-party/ |title = Republicans' 'real-live experiment' with Kansas's economy survives a revolt from their own party |newspaper = The Washington Post |author = Max Ehrenfreund |date = February 22, 2017 |access-date = February 25, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170224133856/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/22/republicans-real-live-experiment-with-kansass-economy-survives-a-revolt-from-their-own-party/ |archive-date = February 24, 2017}}</ref>

The economic growth that Brownback anticipated never materialized. He argued that it was because of "low wheat and oil prices and a downturn in aircraft sales".<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017"/> The state general fund debt load was $83&nbsp;million in fiscal year 2010 and by fiscal year 2017 the debt load sat at $179&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cjonline.com/news/local/2017-01-12/kansas-state-government-bond-debt-surges-2-billion-2010?start=2|title=Kansas state government bond debt surges $2&nbsp;billion since 2010|last=Carpenter|first=Tim|work=The Topeka Capital|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=May 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502211110/http://www.cjonline.com/news/local/2017-01-12/kansas-state-government-bond-debt-surges-2-billion-2010?start=2|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, Governor Brownback earned the title of "most unpopular governor in America". Only 26 percent of Kansas voters approved of his job performance, compared to 65 percent who said they did not.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://morningconsult.com/state-governor-rankings/|title=America's Most (and Least) Popular Governors—Morning Consult|work=Morning Consult|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=May 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501103923/https://morningconsult.com/state-governor-rankings/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the summer of 2016 [[S&P Global]] Ratings downgraded Kansas's credit rating.<ref name="NYT_S&P_ratings_2017"/> In February 2017, S&P lowered it to AA−.<ref name="NYT_S&P_ratings_2017">{{citation |title = Kansas Lawmakers Uphold Governor's Veto of Tax Increases |first = Alan |last = Blinder |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/kansas-governor-sam-brownback-tax-veto.html?smid=pl-share |newspaper = The New York Times |date = February 22, 2017 |access-date = February 25, 2017 |archive-date = February 20, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153324/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/kansas-governor-sam-brownback-tax-veto.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }}</ref>

In February 2017, a bi-partisan coalition presented a bill that would repeal the pass-through income exemption, the "most important provisions of Brownback's overhaul", and raise taxes to make up for the budget shortfall. Brownback vetoed the bill but "45 GOP legislators had voted in favor of the increase, while 40 voted to uphold the governor's veto."<ref name="WP_2017_revolt"/> On June 6, 2017, a coalition of Democrats and newly elected Republicans overrode [Brownback's] veto and implemented tax increases to a level close to what it was before 2013.<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017"/> Brownback's tax overhaul was described in a June 2017 article in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' as the United States' "most aggressive experiment in conservative economic policy".<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017">{{cite news |work = The Atlantic |url = https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/kansass-conservative-tax-experiment-is-dead/529551/ |title = The Death of Kansas's Conservative Experiment |date = June 7, 2017 |access-date = June 7, 2017 |first = Russell |last = Berman |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170612210830/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/kansass-conservative-tax-experiment-is-dead/529551/ |archive-date = June 12, 2017}}</ref> The drastic tax cuts had "threatened the viability of schools and infrastructure" in Kansas.<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017"/>

===Health care===

{{See also|List of hospitals in Kansas}}

{{See also|University of Kansas School of Medicine}}

==Transportation==
[[File:Kansas License Plate Standard Flat September 2019.jpg|thumb|Standard Kansas license plate, 2018–2024]]
[[File:Kansas License Plate KU Flat 2022 - Photo Credits to J Kevin Kitzman.jpg|thumb|An example of a custom Kansas rear license plate. Kansas allows residents to purchase license plates with college and university logos on them for an extra fee.]]
[[File:Kansas License Plate Firefighter Flat - Photo Credits to Nathan Kuehn.jpg|thumb|Kansas residents who are veterans, work as a first responder, and people who work in agriculture may request a custom plate reflecting their profession.]]
For automobiles, Kansas first required its residents to register their vehicles and display license plates in 1913. Plates are currently issued by the Kansas Department of Revenue through its Division of Vehicles and only rear plates have been required since 1956. Kansas is one of only 19 U.S. states that don't require front license plates.

===Highways===

{{See also|List of state highways in Kansas}}
{{See also|List of U.S. Highways in Kansas}}
{{See also|List of Interstate Highways in Kansas}}

[[File:National-atlas-kansas.PNG|thumb|upright=1.35|Kansas highway map]]
[[File:Kansas welcome sign.jpg|thumb|Kansas welcome sign on [[K-96 (Kansas highway)|K-96]]]]
Kansas is served by two [[Interstate Highway System|Interstate highways]] with one [[Ring road|beltway]], two [[spur route]]s, and three [[bypass (road)|bypasses]], with over {{convert|874|mi|km}} in all. The first section of Interstate in the nation was opened on [[Interstate 70 in Kansas|Interstate&nbsp;70]] (I-70) just west of [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]] on November 14, 1956.<ref>{{Citation |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |url = https://www.ksdot.org/interstate50th/KsStory_I70.asp |title = I-70—the First Open Interstate |date = July 24, 2014 |access-date = October 7, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161026180917/https://www.ksdot.org/interstate50th/KsStory_I70.asp |archive-date = October 26, 2016}}</ref>

I-70 is a major east–west route connecting to [[Denver]], Colorado and [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. Cities along this route (from west to east) include [[Colby, Kansas|Colby]], [[Hays, Kansas|Hays]], [[Salina, Kansas|Salina]], [[Junction City, Kansas|Junction City]], [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]], [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], [[Bonner Springs, Kansas|Bonner Springs]], and [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]].

[[Interstate 35 in Kansas|I-35]] is a major north–south route connecting to [[Oklahoma City]], Oklahoma and [[Des Moines, Iowa]]. Cities along this route (from south to north) include [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]], [[El Dorado, Kansas|El Dorado]], [[Emporia, Kansas|Emporia]], [[Ottawa, Kansas|Ottawa]], and Kansas City (and suburbs).

Spur routes serve as connections between the two major routes. [[Interstate 135 (Kansas)|I-135]], a north–south route, connects I-35 at Wichita to I-70 at Salina. [[Interstate 335 (Kansas)|I-335]], a southwest–northeast route, connects I-35 at Emporia to I-70 at Topeka. I-335 and portions of I-35 and I-70 make up the [[Kansas Turnpike]]. Bypasses include [[Interstate 470 (Kansas)|I-470]] around Topeka, [[Interstate 235 (Kansas)|I-235]] around Wichita, and [[Interstate 670 (Kansas)|I-670]] in downtown Kansas City. [[Interstate 435 (Kansas)|I-435]] is a beltway around the [[Kansas City metropolitan area]] while [[Interstate 635 (Kansas–Missouri)|I-635]] bypasses through Kansas City.

[[U.S. Route 69 in Kansas|U.S. Route&nbsp;69]] (US-69) travels south to north, from Oklahoma to Missouri. The highway passes through the eastern section of Kansas, traveling through [[Baxter Springs, Kansas|Baxter Springs]], [[Pittsburg, Kansas|Pittsburg]], [[Frontenac, Kansas|Frontenac]], [[Fort Scott, Kansas|Fort Scott]], [[Louisburg, Kansas|Louisburg]], and the Kansas City area.

Kansas also has the country's third largest state highway system after Texas and California. This is because of the high number of counties and [[county seat]]s (105) and their intertwining.

In January 2004, the [[Kansas Department of Transportation]] (KDOT) announced the new Kansas [[5-1-1|511]] traveler information service.<ref>{{Cite press release |publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation |date = January 22, 2004 |url = http://www.ksdot.org/archive/offtransinfo/News04/511_Release.htm |title = KDOT Launches New Traveler Information Service |access-date = July 14, 2006 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060118133422/http://www.ksdot.org/archive/offtransinfo/News04/511_Release.htm |archive-date = January 18, 2006}}</ref> By dialing 511, callers will get access to information about road conditions, construction, closures, detours and weather conditions for the state highway system. Weather and road condition information is updated every 15 minutes.

====Interstate Highways====
{{div col|colwidth=10em}}
* {{jct|state=KS|I|35}}
** {{jct|state=KS|I|135}} (formerly known as I-35W)
** {{jct|state=KS|I|235}}
** {{jct|state=KS|I|335}}
** {{jct|state=KS|I|435}}
** {{jct|state=KS|I|635}}
* {{jct|state=KS|I|70}}
** {{jct|state=KS|I|470}}
** {{jct|state=KS|I|670}}
{{div col end}}

====U.S. Routes====
{{div col|colwidth=10em}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|24}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|36}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|40}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|50}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|54}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|56}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|59}}
** {{jct|state=KS|US|159}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|160}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|166}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|69}}
** {{jct|state=KS|US|169}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|270}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|73}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|75}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|77}}
** {{jct|state=KS|US|177}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|81}}
** {{jct|state=KS|US|281}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|83}}
** {{jct|state=KS|US|183}}
** {{jct|state=KS|US|283}}
* {{jct|state=KS|US|400}}
{{div col end}}

===Aviation===

{{See also|List of airports in Kansas}}

The state's only major commercial ([[Airspace class (United States)|Class C]]) airport is [[Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport]], located along [[U.S. Route 54 (Kansas)|US-54]] on the western edge of the city. [[Manhattan Regional Airport]] in [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]] offers daily flights to [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport]] and Chicago's [[O'Hare International Airport]], making it the second-largest commercial airport in the state.<ref>{{cite web |title = Manhattan Airport Official Site |url = http://www.flymhk.com/ |access-date = July 14, 2010 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100529075116/http://www.flymhk.com/ |archive-date = May 29, 2010}}</ref> Most air travelers in northeastern Kansas fly out of [[Kansas City International Airport]], located in [[Platte County, Missouri]], as well as [[Topeka Regional Airport]] in the state's capital.

In the state's southeastern part, people often use [[Tulsa International Airport]] in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] or [[Joplin Regional Airport]] in [[Joplin, Missouri]]. For those in the far western part of the state, [[Denver International Airport]] is a popular option. Connecting flights are also available from smaller Kansas airports in [[Dodge City Regional Airport|Dodge City]], [[Garden City Regional Airport|Garden City]], [[Hays Regional Airport|Hays]], [[Hutchinson Municipal Airport (Kansas)|Hutchinson]], [[Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport|Liberal]], or [[Salina Municipal Airport|Salina]].

Dotted across the state are smaller regional and municipal airports, including the [[Lawrence Municipal Airport (Kansas)|Lawrence Municipal Airport]], which houses many aircraft for the city of Lawrence and the [[University of Kansas]], Miami County Airport, Wamego Airport, [[Osage City Municipal Airport]], which is the headquarters of ''Skydive Kansas'', [[Garden City Regional Airport]], [[Manhattan Regional Airport]], and [[Dodge City Regional Airport]].

===Rail===
{{see also|List of Kansas railroads}}
[[File:Stouffer's Railroad Map of Kansas 1915-1918.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|1915–1918 Kansas railroad map]]
Up through the mid 20th century, railroads connected most cities in Kansas. During [[World War II]], less profitable links were abandoned for [[United States home front during World War II|scrap metal drives]], then additional mileage was reduced as passenger service was halted caused by the wide spread use of automobiles and trucking on the expanding highway system.

For passenger service, currently the ''[[Southwest Chief]]'' [[Amtrak]] route runs through the state on its route from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California on the [[BNSF]] railway. Stops in Kansas include [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]], [[Newton, Kansas|Newton]], [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]], [[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]], and [[Garden City, Kansas|Garden City]].<ref>{{cite web |title = Amtrak Southwest Chief |url = https://www.amtrak.com/southwest-chief-train |website = Amtrak |access-date = August 13, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170706152803/https://www.amtrak.com/southwest-chief-train |archive-date = July 6, 2017}}</ref>

[[File: Osage City Santa Fe Depot.jpg|thumb|The Santa Fe Depot, a U.S. National Register of Historic Places building, in Osage City]]

An [[Amtrak Thruway]] connects Newton to the ''[[Heartland Flyer]]'' in [[Oklahoma City]], Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite web |title = Wichita Returns to the Amtrak Map |url = https://media.amtrak.com/2016/04/wichita-returns-to-the-amtrak-map/ |website = Amtrak |date = April 18, 2016 |access-date = August 13, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170813105838/https://media.amtrak.com/2016/04/wichita-returns-to-the-amtrak-map/ |archive-date = August 13, 2017}}</ref> There has been proposals to modify the Amtrak routing through Kansas, such as: removing rail service from the ''[[Southwest Chief]]'' between [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]] and Dodge City,<ref>Ben Kuebrich, [http://kcur.org/post/amtrak-may-end-passenger-rail-service-west-kansas-moran-amtrak-not-doing-its-job#stream/0 Amtrak May End Passenger Rail Service in West Kansas. Moran: "Amtrak Is Not Doing Its Job"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701054751/http://kcur.org/post/amtrak-may-end-passenger-rail-service-west-kansas-moran-amtrak-not-doing-its-job#stream/0 |date=July 1, 2018 }}, KCUR. June 28, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2020.</ref> and extending rail service for the ''[[Heartland Flyer]]'' from Oklahoma City to Newton with new stops at [[Arkansas City, Kansas|Arkansas City]] and [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 17, 2021 |title=Heartland Flyer Extension |url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d3271f075cae42139e0b3ef7f5060ae7 |access-date=January 29, 2023 |website=storymaps.arcgis.com |publisher=Amtrak Connect Us |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130003516/https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d3271f075cae42139e0b3ef7f5060ae7 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Could Kansans soon hop a train to Texas? Billions in federal funding might mean yes. |author-last1=Garcia|author-first1=Rafael|url=https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/state/2023/01/30/heartland-flyer-passenger-rail-train-service-could-come-to-kansas/69856310007/ |publisher=Topeka Capital-Journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203215148/https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/state/2023/01/30/heartland-flyer-passenger-rail-train-service-could-come-to-kansas/69856310007/ |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |date=January 30, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

For freight service, there are three [[Class I rail carrier|Class I railroads]] in Kansas: [[BNSF]], [[Union Pacific]], and [[Canadian Pacific Kansas City|CPKC]]; as well as many [[shortline railroad]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title = Kansas State Railroad Map 2017 |url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burRail/Rail/publications/KansasRailroadMapHistoric.pdf |website = Kansas Department of Transportation |access-date = August 14, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170629074812/http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burRail/Rail/publications/KansasRailroadMapHistoric.pdf |archive-date = June 29, 2017}}</ref>

===Transit===
Public transportation in Kansas is provided through a network of regional and local transit systems that serve both urban and rural communities throughout the state. In the Kansas City metropolitan area, RideKC integrates services across multiple providers, offering bus routes, the [[KC Streetcar]], and mobility options to facilitate regional travel. Johnson County Transit, operating under the RideKC brand, delivers fixed commuter and express bus routes, microtransit, and paratransit services, connecting Johnson County with the broader Kansas City, Kansas and downtown Kansas City, Missouri.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 26, 2025 |title=Transit - RideKC in Johnson County |url=https://www.jocogov.org/department/transit-ridekc-johnson-county |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=Johnson County Kansas |language=en}}</ref>

Lawrence Transit provides fare-free public transit to the city of Lawrence through a partnership with the University of Kansas. The service includes fixed-route buses and paratransit, with routes serving both the university campus and the broader community. The fare-free model is funded through a combination of university student fees and city resources. Also available through KU is "SafeRide", which is a free transportation service for Lawrence college students at KU and Haskell Indian Nations University for night time transportation to the passenger's home. Lawrence Transit also partners with RideKC for routes to Johnson County along K-10 Highway.<ref>{{Cite web |title=510 K-10 Connector {{!}} Routes {{!}} RideKC |url=https://ridekc.org/routes/510-k10-connector |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=ridekc.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SafeRide |url=https://transportationservices.ku.edu/saferide |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=transportationservices.ku.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fares & Bus Passes |url=https://lawrencetransit.org/fares/ |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=Lawrence Transit |language=en-US}}</ref>

Topeka Metro and Wichita Transit have both operated in their respective cities since the 1950s, and Kansas Rides is a statewide initiative that connects Kansans living in rural parts of the state with public transit providers in all 105 counties. It helps users find fixed-route systems, demand-response services, and specialized transportation options across the state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://ksrides.org/ |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=Kansas Rides {{!}} Kansas Public Transportation |language=en-US}}</ref>

{| class="collapsible collapsed" style="border:1px #aaa solid; width:50em; margin:0.2em auto"
|-
! Local transit map
|-
|{{Location map+ |Kansas |width=1000 |float=center
|caption=Local Transit Systems (Only systems with fixed-route services are shown)
|places=
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=37.752861|long=-100.015926|position=bottom|label='''<small>[[D-TRAN]]</small>'''|label_size=90|mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=37.965657|long=-100.874240|position=top |label='''<small>[[Finney County Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=37.039695|long=-100.922330|position=top |label='''<small>[[Liberal City Bus]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=38.053426|long=-97.931865|position=left |label='''<small>[[Reno County Area Transit|Rcat]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=37.684592|long=-97.333611|position=right |label='''<small>[[Wichita Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=38.405018|long=-96.180174|position=bottom |label='''<small>[[Lyon County Area Transportation|Lcat]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=37.411077|long=-94.704756|position=left |label='''<small>[[Pittsburg Area Community Transit and Gus Bus|PACT/Gus Bus]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=38.840542|long=-97.609123|position=bottom |label='''<small>[[CityGo]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=39.179358|long=-96.561848|position=bottom |label='''<small>[[ATA Bus]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=38.971257|long=-95.235923|position=bottom |label='''<small>[[Lawrence Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=39.047258|long=-95.672819|position=top |label='''<small>[[Topeka Metro]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=38.883518|long=-94.818701|position=bottom |label='''<small>[[Johnson County Transit]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
{{Location map~ |Kansas |lat=39.115527|long=-94.626722|position=top |label='''<small>[[Kansas City Area Transportation Authority|KCATA]]</small>'''|label_size=90 |mark=Icon-mode-bus-default.svg|marksize=20 }}
}}
|}

==Law and government==
{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2025}}

===State and local politics===
{{See also|Government of Kansas|Political party strength in Kansas}}
'''Executive branch''': The executive branch consists of one officer and five elected officers. The governor and [[Lieutenant Governor of Kansas|lieutenant governor]] are elected on the same [[Ticket (election)|ticket]]. The attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, and state insurance commissioner are each elected separately.

'''[[Legislative branch]]''': The [[bicameral]] [[Kansas Legislature]] consists of the [[Kansas House of Representatives]], with 125 members serving two-year terms, and the [[Kansas Senate]], with 40 members serving four-year terms<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome {{!}} Kansas State Legislature |url=https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251009170118/https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/ |archive-date=2025-10-09 |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=www.kslegislature.gov |language=en}}</ref>.

'''[[Judicial branch]]''': The judicial branch of the state government is [[state supreme court|headed]] by the [[Kansas Supreme Court]]. The court has seven judges. A vacancy is filled by the Governor picking one of three nominees selected by the nine-member [[Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supreme Court |url=https://kscourts.gov/About-the-Courts/Supreme-Court |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=Kansas Judicial Center |language=en-US}}</ref>. The board consists of five Kansas lawyers elected by other Kansas lawyers and four members selected by the governor<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supreme Court Nominating Commission |url=https://kscourts.gov/Judges/Become-a-Judge/Supreme-Court-Nominating-Commission |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=Kansas Judicial Center |language=en-US}}</ref>.

==Political culture==
Since the 1930s, Kansas has remained one of the most socially conservative states in the nation. The 1990s brought the defeat of prominent Democrats, including [[Dan Glickman]], and the [[Kansas State Board of Education]]'s 1999 decision to eliminate [[evolution]] from the state teaching standards, a decision that was later reversed.<ref>{{cite web |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/923599751.html?dids=923599751:923599751&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+9%2C+2005&author=Nicholas+Riccardi&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.14&desc=THE+NATION |title=Vote by Kansas School Board Favors Evolution's Doubters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203080554/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/923599751.html?dids=923599751:923599751&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+9%2C+2005&author=Nicholas+Riccardi&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.14&desc=THE+NATION |archive-date=February 3, 2013 }}</ref> In 2005, voters accepted a constitutional amendment to ban [[same-sex marriage]]. The next year, the state passed a law setting a minimum age for marriage at 15 years.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.foxnews.com/story/kansas-lawmakers-set-minimum-marriage-age-to-15 |title = Kansas Lawmakers Set Minimum Marriage Age to 15 |publisher = Fox News |date = May 5, 2006 |access-date = March 10, 2021 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121119133502/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,194398,00.html |archive-date = November 19, 2012}}</ref> Kansas's path to a solid Republican state has been examined by journalist and historian [[Thomas Frank (political commentator)|Thomas Frank]] in his 2004 book ''[[What's the Matter with Kansas? (book)|What's the Matter with Kansas?]]''.

=== 19th-century state politics ===
Kansas was founded as a free-state by anti-slavery advocates from New England. During its early history, it faced political turmoil from politicians trying to sway the newly founded state towards pro-slavery or pro-abolition sentiment. Ultimately, upon achieving statehood in 1861, Kansas became a Republican stronghold due to the Republican party's establishment as the anti-slavery party. The state's first officials, including Governor Charles Robinson and Senators James Lane and Samuel Pomeroy, were Republicans. From 1861 to 1888, Republicans dominated Kansas politics, winning the majority of congressional and gubernatorial races. This era saw the implementation of progressive policies, including the adoption of prohibition in 1881 and early support for women's suffrage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charles Robinson - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society |url=https://www.kansashistory.gov:443/kansapedia/charles-robinson/12205%E2%80%8B:contentReference |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=www.kansashistory.gov}}</ref>

Starting in 1887 Kansas women could vote in city elections and [[List of first women mayors in the United States#Kansas|hold certain offices]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Society |first=Kansas State Historical |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJJFAQAAMAAJ&q=%22women+the+right+to+vote%22&pg=PA400 |title=Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society |date=1912 |language=en}}</ref>

In the 1890 elections, Populists secured a majority in the state legislature and elected a U.S. Senator. However, internal divisions and strategic counteractions by Republicans led to the movement's decline by the late 1890s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Populism, Its Rise and Fall |url=https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700605095/%E2%80%8B:contentReference/ |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=University Press of Kansas |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 20th-century state politics ===
Kansas was the first state to institute a system of [[workers' compensation]] (1910) and to regulate the [[Security (finance)|securities]] industry (1911). Kansas also permitted [[women's suffrage]] in 1912, almost a decade before the federal constitution was amended to require it.<ref>* {{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Anne Firor |last2=Scott |first2=Andrew MacKay |year=1982 |title=One Half the People: The Fight for Woman Suffrage |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-01005-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opBMJGm4jc8C |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=opBMJGm4jc8C&pg=PA166 166]}}</ref> Suffrage in all states would not be guaranteed until ratification of the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]] in 1920.

The [[council–manager government]] model was adopted by many larger Kansas cities in the years following World War I while many American cities were being run by [[political machine]]s or [[organized crime]], notably the [[Tom Pendergast|Pendergast Machine]] in neighboring [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. Kansas was also at the center of ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]] of [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]]'', a 1954 Supreme Court decision that banned racially segregated schools throughout the U.S., though, infamously, many Kansas residents opposed the decision, and it led to protests in Topeka after the verdict.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/civil-rights-movement/brown-v-board-of-education |title=Civil Rights Movement |work=NCpedia |access-date=August 20, 2021 |archive-date=July 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726225232/https://www.ncpedia.org/civil-rights-movement/brown-v-board-of-education |url-status=live }}</ref>

The state backed Republican Presidential Candidates [[Wendell Willkie]] and [[Thomas E. Dewey]] in [[1940 United States presidential election in Kansas|1940]] and [[1944 United States presidential election in Kansas|1944]], respectively, breaking ranks with the majority of the country in the election of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. Kansas also supported Dewey in [[1948 United States presidential election in Kansas|1948]] despite the presence of incumbent president [[Harry S. Truman]], who hailed from [[Independence, Missouri]], approximately {{convert|15|mi|km}} east of the Kansas–Missouri state line. After Roosevelt carried Kansas in [[1936 United States presidential election in Kansas|1936]], only one Democrat has won the state since, [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in [[1964 United States presidential election in Kansas|1964]].

=== 21st-century state politics ===
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Voter registration as of June 2025<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 3, 2025 |title=Kansas Secretary of State {{!}} Elections {{!}} Elections Statistics Data |url=https://sos.ks.gov/elections/election-statistics-data.html |website=Kansas Secretary of State}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 900,078
| style="text-align:center;"| 45.08%
|-
| {{party color cell|Other Party (United States)}}
| [[Independent politician (United States)|Unaffiliated]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 567,753
| style="text-align:center;"| 28.43%
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 499,110
| style="text-align:center;"| 24.99%
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 23,800
| style="text-align:center;"| 1.19%
|-
| 
| No Labels Kansas
| style="text-align:center;"| 5,136
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.26%
|-
|
| United Kansas
| style="text-align:center;"| 805
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.04%
|-
| ! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 1,996,682
! style="text-align:center;"| 100.00%
|}

In 2008, Democrat Governor [[Kathleen Sebelius]] vetoed permits for the construction of new coal-fired energy plants in Kansas, saying: "We know that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change. As an agricultural state, Kansas is particularly vulnerable. Therefore, reducing pollutants benefits our state not only in the short term—but also for generations of Kansans to come."<ref>{{cite press release |url = http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-21-01.asp |title = Kansas Governor Rejects Two Coal-Fired Power Plants |publisher = Ens-newswire.com |date = March 21, 2008 |access-date = July 31, 2010 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110202000925/http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-21-01.asp |archive-date = February 2, 2011}}</ref> However, shortly after Mark Parkinson became governor in 2009 upon Sebelius's resignation to become Secretary of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Parkinson announced a compromise plan to allow construction of a coal-fired plant.

In 2010, Republican [[Sam Brownback]] was elected governor with 63 percent of the state vote. He was sworn in as governor in 2011, Kansas's first Republican governor in eight years. Brownback had established himself as a conservative member of the U.S. Senate in years prior, but made several controversial decisions after becoming governor, leading to a 23% approval rating among registered voters – the lowest of any governor in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title = Here Are America's Least (and Most) Popular Governors |url = https://morningconsult.com/governor-approval-rankings-september-2016/ |website = MorningConsultant.com |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220232820/https://morningconsult.com/governor-approval-rankings-september-2016/ |archive-date = December 20, 2016}}</ref> In May 2011, much to the opposition of art leaders and enthusiasts in the state, Brownback eliminated the Kansas Arts Commission, making Kansas the first state without an arts agency.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/05/kansas-governor-eliminates-states-arts-funding.html |title = Kansas governor eliminates state's art funding |website = Los Angeles Times |date = May 31, 2011 |access-date = October 12, 2011 |page = m |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110917083221/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/05/kansas-governor-eliminates-states-arts-funding.html |archive-date = September 17, 2011}}</ref> In July 2011, Brownback announced plans to close the Lawrence branch of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services as a cost-saving measure. Hundreds rallied against the decision.<ref>{{cite web |last = Hittle |first = Shaun |url = http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/16/hundreds-rally-against-closing-srs-office/ |title = Hundreds rally against closing SRS office |publisher = ljworld.com |date = July 16, 2011 |access-date = October 12, 2011 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110722035045/http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/16/hundreds-rally-against-closing-srs-office/ |archive-date = July 22, 2011}}</ref> Lawrence City Commission later voted to provide the funding needed to keep the branch open.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/aug/09/lawrence-city-commission-approves-funding-srs-offi/ |title = Lawrence City Commission approves funding for SRS office |publisher = ljworld.com |date = August 9, 2011 |access-date = October 12, 2011 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120324012049/http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/aug/09/lawrence-city-commission-approves-funding-srs-offi/ |archive-date = March 24, 2012}}</ref>

Democrat [[Laura Kelly]] defeated former Secretary of State of Kansas [[Kris Kobach]] in the [[2018 Kansas gubernatorial election|2018 election for Governor]] with 48.0% of the vote.<ref name="NYT Laura Kelly">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Mitch |title=Laura Kelly, a Kansas Democrat, Tops Kobach in Governor's Race |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/us/laura-kelly-wins-kansas-governors-race.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/us/laura-kelly-wins-kansas-governors-race.html |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=April 29, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=November 6, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Wichita Eagle Laura Kelly">{{cite news |last1=Shorman |first1=Jonathan |last2=Woodall |first2=Hunter |title=Democrat Laura Kelly defeats Kris Kobach to become Kansas' next governor |url=https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/election/article221168580.html |access-date=April 29, 2020 |work=The Wichita Eagle |publisher=Material |date=November 8, 2018 |archive-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508003946/https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/election/article221168580.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2022, Kansas voters rejected the controversial [[2022 Kansas Value Them Both Amendment|Value Them Both Amendment]], which would have eliminated the right to an abortion in the state constitution. The vote was the first referendum on abortion since [[Roe v. Wade]] was overturned earlier that summer, and the result was hailed as a landmark victory for pro-choice advocates in the traditionally socially conservative state.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 3, 2022 |title=Kansas abortion vote: Major victory for pro-choice groups |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62402625 |access-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030164631/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62402625 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a 2020 study, Kansas was ranked as the 13th hardest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free  | issn = 1533-1296 }}</ref>

===National politics===
{{See also|Kansas's congressional delegations|United States presidential elections in Kansas}}
[[File:Charles Curtis-portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Charles Curtis]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]) was born near Topeka and served as a State Legislator, Congressman and Senator, before becoming Vice President (1929–33). He is the only Native American elected to the Executive Branch (he was born into the [[Kaw Nation]]).]]
[[File:United States presidential election in Kansas, 2016.svg|thumb|upright=1.35]]

The state's current delegation to the [[Congress of the United States]] includes [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] Senators [[Jerry Moran]] of [[Manhattan, Kansas|Manhattan]], and [[Roger Marshall]] of [[Great Bend, Kansas|Great Bend]]. In the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], Kansas is represented by Republican Representatives [[Tracey Mann]] of [[Quinter, Kansas|Quinter]] ([[1st Congressional District of Kansas|District 1]]), [[Jake LaTurner]] of [[Pittsburg, Kansas|Pittsburg]] ([[2nd Congressional District of Kansas|District 2]]), [[Ron Estes]] of [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]] ([[4th Congressional District of Kansas|District 4]]), and Democratic Representative [[Sharice Davids]] of [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]] ([[3rd Congressional District of Kansas|District 3]]) Davids is the second Native American to represent Kansas in Congress, after Republican [[Charles Curtis]] ([[Kaw people|Kaw]]).

Historically, Kansas has been strongly Republican, dating from the [[Antebellum era|Antebellum]] age when the Republican Party was created out of the movement opposing the extension of slavery into Kansas Territory. Kansas has not elected a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] to the U.S. Senate since the 1932 election, when [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] won his first term as president in the wake of the [[Great Depression]]. This is the longest Senate losing streak for either party in a single state. Senator [[Sam Brownback]] was a candidate for the Republican party nomination for president in 2008. Brownback was not a candidate for re-election to a third full term in 2010, but he was elected Governor in that year's general election. Moran defeated Tiahrt for the Republican nomination for Brownback's seat in the August 2010 primary, then won a landslide general election victory over Democrat Lisa Johnston.

The only non-Republican presidential candidates Kansas has given its electoral vote to are Populist [[James Baird Weaver|James Weaver]] and Democrats [[William Jennings Bryan]] (once), [[Woodrow Wilson]], Franklin Roosevelt (twice), and [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Lyndon Johnson]]. In 2004, [[George W. Bush]] won the state's six electoral votes by an overwhelming margin of 25 percentage points with 62% of the vote. The only two counties to support Democrat [[John Kerry]] in that election were [[Wyandotte County, Kansas|Wyandotte]], which contains [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]], and [[Douglas County, Kansas|Douglas]], home to the [[University of Kansas]], located in [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]]. The 2008 election brought similar results as [[John McCain]] won the state with 57% of the votes. Douglas, Wyandotte, and [[Crawford County, Kansas|Crawford County]] were the only counties in support of President [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapPKS |title = 2008 Election Results—Kansas |publisher = CNN |access-date = July 31, 2010 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081107105721/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapPKS |archive-date = November 7, 2008}}</ref>

Abilene was the boyhood home to Republican president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], and he maintained lifelong ties to family and friends there. Kansas was the adult home of two losing Republican candidates (Governor [[Alf Landon]] in [[1936 United States presidential election|1936]] and Senator Bob Dole in [[1996 United States presidential election|1996]]).

The ''New York Times'' reported in September 2014 that as the Democratic candidate for Senator has tried to drop out of the race, independent [[Greg Orman]] has attracted enough bipartisan support to seriously challenge the reelection bid of Republican Pat Roberts:
:Kansas politics have been roiled in recent years. The rise of the Tea Party and the election of President Obama have prompted Republicans to embrace a purer brand of conservatism and purge what had long been a robust moderate wing from its ranks. Mr. Roberts has sought to adapt to this new era, voting against spending bills that included projects for the state that he had sought.<ref>Jonathan Martin, "National G.O.P. Moves to Take Over Campaign of Kansas Senator", [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/us/politics/national-gop-moves-to-take-over-campaign-of-kansas-senator.html?emc=edit_cn_20140904&nl=us&nlid=8258846&_r=0 ''New York Times'' September 4, 2014] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911161717/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/05/us/politics/national-gop-moves-to-take-over-campaign-of-kansas-senator.html?emc=edit_cn_20140904&nl=us&nlid=8258846&_r=0 |date=September 11, 2017 }}</ref>

===State laws===
{{See also|Alcohol laws of Kansas}}

The [[legal drinking age]] in Kansas is 21. In lieu of the state retail sales tax, a 10% Liquor Drink Tax is collected for liquor consumed on the licensed premises and an 8% Liquor Enforcement Tax is collected on retail purchases. Although the sale of cereal [[malt beverage]] (also known as [[3.2 beer]]) was legalized in 1937, the first post-[[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] legalization of alcoholic liquor did not occur until the [[Kansas Constitution|state's constitution]] was amended in 1948. The following year the [[Kansas Legislature|Legislature]] enacted the Liquor Control Act which created a system of regulating, licensing, and taxing, and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) was created to enforce the act. The power to regulate cereal malt beverage remains with the cities and counties. Liquor-by-the-drink did not become legal until passage of an amendment to the state's constitution in 1986 and additional legislation the following year. As of November 2006, Kansas still has 29 [[dry county|dry counties]] and only 17 counties have passed liquor-by-the-drink with no food sales requirement.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ksrevenue.org/abcsupplierinfo.htm |title = Liquor Licensee and Supplier Information |publisher = Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue |access-date = January 18, 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061208194850/http://www.ksrevenue.org/abcsupplierinfo.htm |archive-date = December 8, 2006 }}</ref> Today there are more than 2,600 liquor and 4,000 cereal malt beverage licensees in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ksrevenue.org/abchistory.htm |title = History of Alcoholic Beverages in Kansas |publisher = Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue |year = 2000 |access-date = January 18, 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070117070410/http://www.ksrevenue.org/abchistory.htm |archive-date = January 17, 2007 }}</ref>

On May 12, 2022, Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation (Senate Bill 84) that legalizes sports betting in the state, making Kansas the 35th state to approve sports wagering in the US. This would give the four state-owned casinos the right to partner with online bookmakers and up to 50 retailers, including gas stations and restaurants, to engage in sports betting.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2022 |title=Kansas Legalizes Online and Retail Sports Wagering |url=https://www.casinoreviews.net/news/kansas-becomes-35th-state-to-legalize-sports-betting/ |access-date=May 18, 2022 |website=casinoreviews.net |archive-date=May 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516141839/https://www.casinoreviews.net/news/kansas-becomes-35th-state-to-legalize-sports-betting/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==

{{Main|Education in Kansas}}

{{Location map+ | Kansas
|float   = right
|caption = Map of colleges and universities in Kansas offering four-year degrees:{{break}}[[File:Red pog.svg|9px]] – Public universities{{break}}[[File:Green pog.svg|9px]] – Municipal universities{{break}}[[File:Blue pog.svg|9px]] – Federal universities{{break}}[[File:Orange pog.svg|9px]] – Private universities
|alt     = Kansas four-year public colleges and universities and select private colleges and universities
|width   = 550
|places =
<!--  MUNICIPAL  -->
  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Washburn
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    | lon_deg = -95.762278

 }}
<!--  PUBLIC  -->
  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = Emporia State
    | mark=Red pog.svg
    | lat_deg = 38.416023
    | lon_deg = -96.179584 }}
  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | lat_deg = 39.191667
    | lon_deg = -96.591667 }}
  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = University of Kansas
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    | lon_deg = -95.246656

 }}
  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Pittsburg State
    | mark=Red pog.svg
    | lat_deg = 37.3913
    | lon_deg = -94.7024 }}
  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = WSU
    | mark=Red pog.svg
    | lat_deg = 37.719167
    | lon_deg = -97.293056 }}
  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = Fort Hays
    | mark=Red pog.svg
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<!--  FEDERAL  -->
  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = Haskell
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    | lat_deg = 38.893374
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = CGSC
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<!--  PRIVATE  -->
 {{Location map~ | Kansas
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Manhattan Christian
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Newman
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Baker
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Bethel
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =38.0747
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = Kansas Wesleyan
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =38.813611
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = McPherson
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =38.371389 
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{{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Central Christian
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Tabor
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Southwestern
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Benedictine
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =39.57394
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = St. Mary
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =39.276944
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = Sterling
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =38.22
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = Bethany
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =38.580056
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = KCC
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    | lat_deg =38.9969276
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = Barclay
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =37.4957222
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  {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Ottawa
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 {{Location map~ | Kansas
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    | label = Hesston
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    | lat_deg =38.1348
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{{Location map~ | Kansas
    | marksize = 6
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    | label = MNU
    | mark=Orange pog.svg
    | lat_deg =38.9969276
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}}

Education in Kansas is governed at the primary and secondary school level by the [[Kansas State Board of Education]]. The state's public colleges and universities are supervised by the [[Kansas Board of Regents]].

Twice since 1999 the Board of Education has approved changes in the state science curriculum standards that encouraged the teaching of [[intelligent design]]. Both times, the standards were reversed after changes in the composition of the board in the next election.

==Culture==

[[File:Overland Theater.jpg|thumb|The Rio Theatre, [[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]]]]

===Music===
{{Main|Music of Kansas}}
The rock band [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]] was formed in the state capital of [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]], the hometown of several of the band's members.

[[Joe Walsh]], guitarist for the famous rock band the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]], was born in Wichita. [[Danny Carey]], drummer for the band [[Tool (band)|Tool]], was raised in Paola.

Singers from Kansas include [[Leavenworth, Kansas|Leavenworth]] native [[Melissa Etheridge]], [[Sharon, Kansas|Sharon]] native [[Martina McBride]], [[Chanute, Kansas|Chanute]] native [[Jennifer Knapp]] (whose first album was titled ''[[Kansas (Jennifer Knapp album)|Kansas]]''), [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]] native [[Janelle Monáe]], [[Prairie Village, Kansas|Prairie Village]] native [[Joyce DiDonato]], and [[Liberal, Kansas|Liberal]] native [[Jerrod Niemann]].

The state anthem is the American classic [[Home on the Range]], written by Kansan Brewster Higley. Another song, the official state march adopted by the Kansas Legislature in 1935 is called ''The Kansas March'', which features the lyrics, "Blue sky above us, silken strands of heat, Rim of the far horizon, where earth and heaven meet, Kansas as a temple, stands in velvet sod, Shrine which the sunshine, sanctifies to God."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/kansas-march/19109|title=Kansas March—Kansapedia—Kansas Historical Society|website=www.kshs.org|access-date=November 26, 2018|archive-date=November 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127022518/https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/kansas-march/19109|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Literature===
{{See also|Kansas Notable Book Awards}}
The state's most famous appearance in literature was as the home of Dorothy Gale, the main character in the novel ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'' (1900). [[Laura Ingalls Wilder]]'s ''[[Little House on the Prairie (novel)|Little House on the Prairie]]'', published in 1935, is another well-known tale about Kansas.

Kansas was also the setting of the 1965 best-seller ''[[In Cold Blood]]'', described by its author [[Truman Capote]] as a "nonfiction novel". Mixing fact and fiction, the book chronicles the events and aftermath of the 1959 murder of a wealthy farmer and his family who lived in the small West Kansas town of [[Holcomb, Kansas|Holcomb]] in [[Finney County]].

The fictional town of [[Smallville (comics)|Smallville]], Kansas is the childhood home of Clark Kent/[[Superman]] in American comic books published by [[DC Comics]]. Also Keystone City is a Kansas city where [[The Flash]] works and lives.

The science fiction novella ''[[A Boy and His Dog]]'', as well as the [[A Boy and His Dog (1975 film)|film]] based on it,<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=A Boy and His Dog|author-link=Richard Eder|first=Richard|last=Eder|date=June 17, 1976|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF1738E061BC4F52DFB066838D669EDE|access-date=May 9, 2020|archive-date=October 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007224519/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF1738E061BC4F52DFB066838D669EDE|url-status=live}}</ref> take place in post-apocalyptic [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]].

The winner of the 2011 [[Newbery Medal]] for excellence in children's literature, ''[[Moon Over Manifest]]'', tells the story of a young and adventurous girl named Abilene who is sent to the fictional town of Manifest, Kansas, by her father in the summer of 1936. It was written by Kansan [[Clare Vanderpool]].

[[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]] is the setting for a number of science fiction writer [[James Gunn (author)|James Gunn]]'s novels.

===Art===
[[File:Bierstadt_Albert_Western_Kansas.jpg|alt=Landscape painting with bison drinking from the stream's edge and the sun just above the horizon|thumb|[[Albert Bierstadt]], ''Western Kansas'', 1875]]
Kansas is home to a number of art museums. The [[Wichita Art Museum]] collection focuses on American art.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2023 |title=The Best Art Museum in Every U.S. State (slide 44 of 51) |url=https://www.artandobject.com/slideshows/best-art-museum-every-us-state |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217062537/https://www.artandobject.com/slideshows/best-art-museum-every-us-state |archive-date=February 17, 2024 |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=Art & Object}}</ref> The [[Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art]] in Overland Park exhibits artists of national and international recognition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thorson |first=Alice |date=April 24, 2017 |title=A 'Game-Changing Asset' |url=https://flatlandkc.org/arts-culture/game-changing-asset/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201100802/https://flatlandkc.org/arts-culture/game-changing-asset/ |archive-date=December 1, 2023 |access-date=March 5, 2024 |website=Flatland}}</ref> The [[Spencer Museum of Art]], at University of Kansas in Lawrence, has a diverse permanent collection and Ingrid & J.K. Lee Study Center as an education space.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Denesha |first=Julie |date=January 24, 2023 |title=Spencer Museum of Art's new redesign brings a 'broader range of voices' to Lawrence |url=https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2023-01-24/spencer-museum-of-arts-new-redesign-brings-a-broader-range-of-voices-to-lawrence |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224161010/https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2023-01-24/spencer-museum-of-arts-new-redesign-brings-a-broader-range-of-voices-to-lawrence |archive-date=February 24, 2024 |access-date=March 5, 2024 |website=KCUR - Kansas}}</ref>

===Museums===

{{See also|List of museums in Kansas}}

===Film===
{{See also|List of films set in Kansas}}
[[File:Orpheum marquee.jpg|thumb|left|The Orpheum, a historic movie theater in Wichita]]
[[File:Oldest movie theater in the world - Downtown Ottawa, Kansas.jpg|thumb|The Plaza Cinema in [[Ottawa, Kansas|Ottawa]] is the oldest operating movie theater in the world.]]
[[File:Fox Theater, Hutchinson, KS.JPG|thumb|Fox Theater, [[Hutchinson, Kansas|Hutchinson]]]]
The first film theater in Kansas was the [[Patee Theater]] in [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]]. Most theaters at the time showed films only as part of [[vaudeville]] acts but not as an exclusive and stand alone form of entertainment. Though the [[Patee family]] had been involved in [[vaudeville]], they believed films could carry the evening without other variety acts, but to show the films it was necessary for the Patee's to establish a generating plant (back in 1903 Lawrence was not yet fully electrified). The Patee Theater was one of the first of its kind west of the [[Mississippi River]]. The specialized equipment like the [[projector]] came from New York City.<ref>{{cite book |author1-link=Gerald R. Butters |last1=Butters |first1=Gerald R. |title=Banned in Kansas: Motion Picture Censorship, 1915–1966 |year=2007 |url=https://archive.org/details/bannedinkansasmo00butt |url-access=registration |publisher=University of Missouri Press|isbn=9780826217493 }}</ref>

Kansas has been the setting of many award-winning and popular American films, as well as being the home of some of the oldest operating cinemas in the world. The Plaza Cinema in Ottawa, Kansas, located in the northeastern portion of the state, was built on May 22, 1907, and it is listed by the [[Guinness Book of World Records]] as the oldest operating cinema in the world.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article204089559.html|title=Guinness World Records: Kansas venue is world's oldest cinema|newspaper=Kansas City Star|date=March 8, 2018|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=July 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709225451/https://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article204089559.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-purpose-built-cinema-in-operation|title=Oldest purpose-built cinema in operation|publisher=Guinness World Records|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=August 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807070221/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-purpose-built-cinema-in-operation|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1926, The Jayhawk Theatre, an [[art-deco]] movie house in Topeka opened its doors for the first time to movie going audiences, and today, in addition to screenings of independent films, the theatre acts as a venue for plays and concerts. The Fox Theater in Hutchinson was built in 1930, and was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/89001391_text |title=Data |website=npgallery.nps.gov |access-date=May 17, 2019 |archive-date=February 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210070513/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/89001391_text |url-status=live }}</ref> Like the other theaters listed here, The Fox still plays first run movies to this day.
* As was the case with the novel, [[Dorothy Gale]] (portrayed by [[Judy Garland]]) in the 1939 fantasy film [[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|''The Wizard of Oz'']] was a young girl who lived in Kansas with her aunt and uncle. The line, "We're not in Kansas anymore", has entered into the English lexicon as a phrase describing a wholly new or unexpected situation.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/paulmason/2009/12/pbr_toto_were_not_in_kansas_an.html |title = PBR: Toto—we're not in Kansas any more ... |publisher = BBC Newsnight |date = December 9, 2009 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140211223951/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/paulmason/2009/12/pbr_toto_were_not_in_kansas_an.html |archive-date = February 11, 2014}}</ref>
* The 1967 feature film [[In Cold Blood (film)|''In Cold Blood'']], like the book on which it was based, was set in various locations across Kansas. Many of the scenes in the film were filmed at the exact locations where the events profiled in the book took place. A [[In Cold Blood (miniseries)|1996 TV miniseries]] was also based on the book.
* The 1988 film ''[[Kansas (film)|Kansas]]'' starred [[Andrew McCarthy]] as a traveler who met up with a dangerous wanted drifter played by [[Matt Dillon]].
* The 2005 film [[Capote (film)|''Capote'']], for which [[Philip Seymour Hoffman]] was awarded the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his portrayal of the title character, profiled the author as he traveled across Kansas while writing ''In Cold Blood'' (although most of the film itself was shot in the Canadian province of [[Manitoba]]).
* The setting of ''[[The Day After]]'', a 1983 made-for-television movie about a fictional nuclear attack, was the city of [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]].
* Due to the super hero [[Superman]] growing up in the fictional Smallville, Kansas, multiple films featuring the super hero have been entirely or at least partially set in Kansas including ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'' (1978), ''[[Superman III]]'' (1983), ''[[Man of Steel (film)|Man of Steel]]'' (2013), ''[[Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice]]'' (2016), and ''[[Justice League (film)|Justice League]]'' (2017).
* The 2012 film [[Looper (film)|''Looper'']] is set in Kansas.
* The 1973 film [[Paper Moon (film)|''Paper Moon'']] in which [[Tatum O'Neal]] won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (The youngest to win an Academy Award) was based in and filmed in Kansas. The film was shot in the small towns of [[Hays, Kansas|Hays]]; [[McCracken, Kansas|McCracken]]; [[Wilson, Kansas|Wilson]]; and [[St. Joseph, Missouri]]. Various shooting locations include the Midland Hotel at Wilson; the railway depot at [[Gorham, Kansas|Gorham]]; storefronts and buildings on Main Street in [[White Cloud, Kansas|White Cloud]]; Hays; sites on both sides of the [[Missouri River]]; [[Rulo Bridge]]; and [[Saint Joseph, Missouri]].
* Scenes of the 1996 film [[Mars Attacks!]] took place in the fictional town of Perkinsville. Scenes taking place in Kansas were filmed in [[Burns, Kansas|Burns]], [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], and [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]].
* The 2007 film ''The Lookout'' is set mostly in Kansas (although filmed in Canada). Specifically two locations; Kansas City and the fictional town of Noel, Kansas.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/The-Lookout.pdf |title = The Lookout |publisher = dailyscript.com |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130512200051/http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/The-Lookout.pdf |archive-date = May 12, 2013}}</ref>
* The 2012 documentary ''The Gridiron'' was filmed at [[The University of Kansas]]
* The 2014 ESPN documentary ''[[No Place Like Home (2014 film)|No Place Like Home]]'' was filmed in Lawrence and the countryside of [[Douglas County, Kansas]]
* The 2017 film ''[[Thank You for Your Service (2017 film)|Thank You for Your Service]]'' is primarily set in Kansas, including the cities of [[Topeka]] and [[Junction City, Kansas|Junction City]].
* The 2017 documentary ''When Kings Reigned'' was filmed in Lawrence.
* The 2019 film ''[[Brightburn]]'' took place in the fictional town of Brightburn. As is evident with scenes in the film depicting mountains (Kansas has no mountain ranges), it was filmed in Georgia instead of in Kansas.

===Television===

* The protagonist brothers of the 2005 TV show ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' hail from Lawrence, with the city referenced numerous times on the show.
* Most of the second season of the TV series ''[[Prison Break]]'' had scenes that took place in Kansas. Specifically the towns of [[Ness City, Kansas|Ness City]] and [[Tribune, Kansas|Tribune]] as the character T–Bag searches for his ex-girlfriend who turned him in to the police. A season 1 episode also briefly took place in [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]].
* 2006 TV series ''[[Jericho (2006 TV series)|Jericho]]'' was based in the fictitious town of Jericho, Kansas, surviving post-nuclear America.
* Early seasons of ''[[Smallville]]'', about Superman as a teenager, were based in a fictional town of [[Smallville (comics)|Smallville]], Kansas. Unlike most other adaptations of the Superman story, the series also places the fictional city of [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]] in western Kansas, a few hours from Smallville.
* ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', a radio series western, ran from 1952 to 1961, took place in Dodge City, Kansas.
* ''Gunsmoke'', television series, the longest running prime time show of the 20th century, ran from September 10, 1955, to March 31, 1975, for a total of 635 episodes.
* The 2009 [[Showtime (TV channel)|Showtime]] series ''[[United States of Tara]]'' is set in [[Overland Park]], a suburb of Kansas City.

===Television stations===

{{See Also|List of television stations in Kansas}}

===Radio stations===

{{See Also|List of radio stations in Kansas}}

===Sports===
====Professional====
[[File:Livestrong Sporting Park - Sporting KC v New England Revolution.jpg|thumb|Sporting Park, [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]]]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Team
! Sport
! League
! City
|-
| [[Sporting Kansas City]]
| [[Association football|Soccer]]
| [[Major League Soccer]]
| [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]]
|-
| [[Sporting Kansas City II]]
| Soccer
| [[MLS Next Pro]]
| Kansas City
|-
| [[Kansas City Monarchs (American Association)|Kansas City Monarchs]]
| [[Baseball]]
| [[American Association of Independent Professional Baseball|American Association]]
| [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]]
|-
| [[Garden City Wind]]
| Baseball
| [[Pecos League]]
| [[Garden City, Kansas|Garden City]]
|-
| Kaw Valley FC
| Soccer
| [[USL League Two]]
| [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]], and [[Topeka, Kansas|Topeka]]
|-
| [[Salina Liberty]]
| [[Indoor American football|Indoor football]]
| [[Champions Indoor Football]]
| [[Salina, Kansas|Salina]]
|- 
| [[Southwest Kansas Storm]]
| Indoor football
| [[Champions Indoor Football]]
| [[Dodge City]]
|-
| [[Wichita Thunder]]
| [[Ice hockey]]
| [[ECHL]]
| [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]
|-
| [[Wichita Wind Surge]]
| Baseball
| [[Texas League]]
| Wichita
|-
|[[Wichita Wings (2019)|Wichita Wings]]
|[[Indoor soccer|Indoor Soccer]]
|[[Major Arena Soccer League 2|MASL 2]]
|Wichita
|}

Sporting Kansas City, who have played their home games at [[Village West]] in [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]] since 2008, are the second top-tier [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|professional sports league]] (after the original [[Wichita Wings]] of the [[Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992)|MISL]]) and first [[Major League Soccer]] team to be located within Kansas. In 2011 the team moved to their new home, a $165&nbsp;million [[soccer specific stadium]] now known as [[Sporting Park]].

Historically, Kansans have supported the [[Major professional sports leagues of Canada and the United States|major league]] sports teams of [[Kansas City, Missouri]], including the [[Kansas City Royals]] ([[Major League Baseball|MLB]]), and the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] ([[National Football League|NFL]]), in part because the home stadiums for these teams are a few miles from the Kansas border. The Chiefs and the Royals play at the [[Truman Sports Complex]], located about {{convert|10|mi|km}} from the Kansas–Missouri state line. [[FC Kansas City]], a charter member of the [[National Women's Soccer League]], played the [[2013 National Women's Soccer League season|2013 season]], the first for both the team and the league, on the Kansas side of the metropolitan area, but played on the Missouri side until folding after the [[2017 National Women's Soccer League season|2017 season]]. From 1973 to 1997 the [[Flagship station|flagship radio station]] for the Royals was [[WIBW (AM)|WIBW]] in Topeka.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20021202/ai_n11792020/pg_3/ |title = Making Airwaves Through History |publisher = Findarticles.com |date = December 2, 2002 |access-date = July 31, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110515020957/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20021202/ai_n11792020/pg_3/ |archive-date = May 15, 2011 }}</ref>

Some Kansans, mostly from the westernmost parts of the state, support the professional sports teams of [[Denver]], particularly the [[Denver Broncos]] of the NFL.

Two major [[auto racing]] facilities are located in Kansas. The [[Kansas Speedway]] located in Kansas City hosts races of the [[NASCAR]], [[IndyCar Series|IndyCar]], and [[Auto Racing Club of America|ARCA]] circuits. Also, the [[National Hot Rod Association]] (NHRA) holds [[drag racing]] events at [[Heartland Park Topeka]]. The [[Sports Car Club of America]] has its national headquarters in Topeka.

=====History=====
The history of professional sports in Kansas probably dates from the establishment of the [[minor league baseball]] Topeka Capitals and [[Leavenworth Soldiers]] in 1886 in the [[Western League (1885–1899)|Western League]].<ref name="Evans">{{cite journal |last = Evans |first = Harold |title = Baseball in Kansas, 1867–1940 |journal = Kansas Historical Quarterly |year = 1940 |url = http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1940/40_2_evans.htm |access-date = February 18, 2008 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080316152651/http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1940/40_2_evans.htm |archive-date = March 16, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Madden">{{cite book |last1 = Madden |first1 = W.C. |last2 = Stewart |first2 = Patrick |title = The Western League: A Baseball History, 1885 through 1999 |year = 2002 |publisher = McFarland |isbn = 978-0-7864-1003-3 }}</ref> The African-American [[Bud Fowler]] played on the Topeka team that season, one year before the "[[Baseball color line|color line]]" descended on professional baseball.<ref name=Madden />

In 1887, the Western League was dominated by a reorganized Topeka team called the [[Topeka Golden Giants (1887)|Golden Giants]]: a high-priced collection of major leaguer players, including [[Bug Holliday]], [[Jim Conway (baseball)|Jim Conway]], [[Dan Stearns]], [[Perry Werden]] and [[Jimmy Macullar]], which won the league by 15.5 games.<ref name=Madden /> On April 10, 1887, the Golden Giants also won an exhibition game from the defending [[1886 World Series|World Series]] champions, the [[St. Louis Browns (NL)|St. Louis Browns]] (the present-day Cardinals), by a score of 12–9. However, Topeka was unable to support the team, and it disbanded after one year.

The first night game in the history of professional baseball was played in Independence on April 28, 1930, when the Muscogee (Oklahoma) Indians beat the Independence Producers 13–3 in a minor league game sanctioned by the Western League of the Western Baseball Association with 1,500 fans attending the game. The permanent lighting system was first used for an exhibition game on April 17, 1930, between the Independence Producers and House of David semi-professional baseball team of Benton Harbor, Michigan with the Independence team winning 9–1 before a crowd of 1,700 spectators.<ref>Bowman, Larry G. "I Think It Is Pretty Ritzy Myself: Kansas Minor League Teams and Night Baseball". ''Kansas History'', Winter 1995/1996, pp 248–257. Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved May 25, 2013.</ref>

====College====
[[File:David_Booth_Kansas_Memorial_Stadium_aerial_view_2023_-_Quintin_Soloviev.jpg|thumb|left|[[David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium]] is the oldest football stadium west of the Mississippi River, and one of the oldest standing football stadiums in the country. Built in 1921, it is home to the Kansas Jayhawks football team.]]
{{See also|List of college athletic programs in Kansas}}
The history of intercollegiate of athletics in the state dates back to 1866, with the establishment of the University of Kansas baseball team, which competed against local area teams and schools in the Kansas State Fair. The Jayhawks baseball team is one of the oldest intercollegiate baseball programs in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Baseball in Kansas, 1867-1940," by Harold C. Evans, Kansas Historical Quarterly, May, 1940 |url=https://www.kancoll.org/khq/1940/40_2_evans.htm |access-date=March 24, 2025 |website=www.kancoll.org}}</ref>

The governing body for intercollegiate sports in the United States, the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA), was headquartered in [[Johnson County, Kansas]] from 1952 until moving to Indianapolis in 1999.<ref>Jim Davis, [http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/1997/06/09/editorial4.html Loss of NCAA headquarters not related to incentives] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410050947/http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/1997/06/09/editorial4.html |date=April 10, 2017 }}, ''Kansas City Business Journal'' (June 8, 1997).</ref><ref>Sam Epstein, ''Sports Law'' (Cengage Learning, 2013), p. 19.</ref>

=====NCAA Division I schools=====
[[File:Allen Fieldhouse (3301441111).jpg|thumb|[[Allen Fieldhouse]] at [[University of Kansas]] in [[Lawrence, Kansas|Lawrence]]]]
[[File:Eck Stadium Tyler Field.JPG|thumb|Tyler Field in [[Eck Stadium]] at [[Wichita State University]] in [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]]]
While there are no franchises of the four major professional sports within the state, many Kansans are fans of the state's major college sports teams, especially the [[Kansas Jayhawks|Jayhawks]] of the [[University of Kansas]] (KU), and the [[Kansas State Wildcats|Wildcats]] of [[Kansas State University]] (KSU or "K-State"). The teams are rivals in the [[Big 12 Conference]].

Both KU and K-State have tradition-rich programs in men's basketball. The Jayhawks are a perennial national power, ranking first in all-time victories among NCAA programs. The Jayhawks have won six national titles, including NCAA tournament championships in 1952, 1988, 2008, and 2022. They also were retroactively awarded national championships by the [[Helms Foundation]] for 1922 and 1923. K-State also had a long stretch of success on the hardwood, lasting from the 1940s to the 1980s, making four [[Final Four]]s during that stretch. In 1988, KU and K-State met in the [[Elite Eight]], KU taking the game 71–58. After a 12-year absence, the Wildcats returned to the NCAA tournament in 2008, and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2010 and 2018. KU is fifth all-time with 15 Final Four appearances, while K-State's four appearances are tied for 17th.

Conversely, success on the [[American football|gridiron]] has been less frequent for both KSU and KU. However, there have been recent breakthroughs for both schools' football teams. The Jayhawks won the [[Orange Bowl (game)|Orange Bowl]] for the first time in three tries in 2008, capping a 12–1 season, the best in school history. And when [[Bill Snyder]] arrived to coach at K-State in 1989, he turned the Wildcats from one of the worst college football programs in America,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Looney |first=Douglas |title=Futility U |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=September 4, 1989 |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1989/09/04/120464/futility-u-kansas-state-winless-since-1986-has-one-claim-to-fame-it-is-americas-most-hapless-team |access-date=October 9, 2019 |archive-date=October 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009210357/https://www.si.com/vault/1989/09/04/120464/futility-u-kansas-state-winless-since-1986-has-one-claim-to-fame-it-is-americas-most-hapless-team |url-status=live }}</ref> into a national force for most of the 1990s and early 2000s. The team won the [[Fiesta Bowl]] in 1997, achieved an undefeated (11–0) regular season and No.{{nbsp}}1 ranking in 1998, and took the [[Big 12 Conference]] championship in 2003. After three seasons in which K-State football languished, Snyder came out of retirement in 2009 and guided them to the top of the college football ranks again, finishing second in the Big 12 in 2011 and earning a berth in the [[Cotton Bowl Classic|Cotton Bowl]], and winning the Big 12 again in 2012.

[[Wichita State University]], which also fields teams (called the [[Wichita State Shockers|Shockers]]) in [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]], is best known for its baseball and basketball programs. In baseball, the Shockers won the [[College World Series]] in 1989. In men's basketball, they appeared in the Final Four in 1965 and 2013, and entered the 2014 NCAA tournament unbeaten. The school also fielded a [[American football|football]] team from 1897 to 1986. The Shocker football team is tragically known for a [[Wichita State University football team plane crash|plane crash]] in 1970 that killed 31 people, including 14 players.

=====NCAA Division II schools=====
Notable success has also been achieved by the state's smaller schools in football. [[Pittsburg State University]], an NCAA Division II participant, has claimed four national titles in football, two in the NAIA and most recently the 2011 NCAA Division II national title. Pittsburg State became the winningest NCAA Division II football program in 1995. PSU passed Hillsdale College at the top of the all-time victories list in the 1995 season on its march to the national runner-up finish. The Gorillas, in 96 seasons of intercollegiate competition, have accumulated 579 victories, posting a 579–301–48 overall mark.

[[Washburn University]], in Topeka, won the [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] Men's Basketball Championship in 1987. The [[Fort Hays State University]] men won the 1996 NCAA Division II title with a 34–0 record, and the Washburn women won the 2005 NCAA Division II crown. St. Benedict's College (now Benedictine College), in Atchison, won the 1954 and 1967 Men's NAIA Basketball Championships.

The [[Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference]] has its roots as one of the oldest college sport conferences in existence and participates in the NAIA and all ten member schools are in the state of Kansas. Other smaller school conferences that have some members in Kansas are the [[Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association]] the [[Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference]], the [[Midwest Christian College Conference]], and the [[Heart of America Athletic Conference]]. Many [[junior college]]s also have active athletic programs.

[[Emporia State]]'s women's basketball team, under head coach [[Brandon Schneider]], who is now serving as the women's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, has seen success as well. In 2010 the team won the NCAA Division II National Championship. Emporia State and Washburn in Topeka share a heated rivalry in all sports, mostly due to the close proximity of both cities.

=====Junior colleges=====
The [[Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference]] has been heralded as one of the best conferences in all of [[NJCAA]] football, with [[Garden City Community College]], [[Independence Community College]], and [[Butler Community College]] all consistently in contention for national championships.

====High school====
The [[Kansas State High School Activities Association]] (KSHSAA) is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the state of Kansas at the high school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors championships in several sports and activities.

===Rivalry with Missouri===
[[File:Kansas city metro counties.jpg|thumb|Map of Kansas and Missouri with [[Kansas City]] metro counties]]
Kansas and [[Missouri]] are two bordering U.S. [[U.S. state|states]] with a long and tumultuous history. The relationship between these two states has its roots in [[Bleeding Kansas]], but mutual distrust has continued off and on since then, [[Border War (Kansas–Missouri rivalry)|even in sporting contexts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/shows/how-the-states-got-their-shapes/articles/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-u-s-states |title=Things You May Not Know About the US States |access-date=March 6, 2014 |archive-date=March 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306083806/http://www.history.com/shows/how-the-states-got-their-shapes/articles/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-u-s-states |url-status=dead }}</ref> These states also share the [[Kansas City metropolitan area]], where both states each have a city named Kansas City on either side of the Missouri River. The bitterness sown during Bleeding Kansas lingers in the [[Border War (Kansas–Missouri rivalry)#Background|Border War]] between the [[University of Kansas]] and the [[University of Missouri]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Brennan |first=Eamonn |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/88367/big-easts-best-rivalry-can-survive-realignment |title=Some rivalries can survive realignment – Men's College Basketball Nation Blog – ESPN |work=Espn.go.com |date=November 23, 2007 |access-date=October 12, 2013}}</ref> The two states compete economically, mainly at the border which is also called a Border War.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jordan |first=Dave |url=http://www.kctv5.com/story/23346953/missouri-kansas-border-war |title=Group wants to stop Missouri-Kansas border war |work=KCTV5 |date=May 1, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2013 |archive-date=October 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016210408/http://www.kctv5.com/story/23346953/missouri-kansas-border-war |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2019, the governors of the two states signed an agreement to stop offering financial incentives to pull business across the border.<ref name=Hardy2019>{{cite news |url=https://kansascity.com/news/business/article233725152.html |title='Sometimes common sense does prevail.' Missouri, Kansas celebrate end of border war |first=Kevin |last=Hardy |work=The Kansas City Star |date=August 14, 2019 |access-date=March 5, 2024 }}</ref> In 2022, the governor of Kansas said that agreement did not include enticement of the [[Kansas City Chiefs|Chiefs]] football team moving its arena from Missouri to Kansas.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.kctv5.com/2022/03/31/governor-all-it-moving-chiefs-kansas-says-team-was-not-part-border-war-truce/?outputType=amp |title=Governor 'all for it' on moving Chiefs to Kansas, says team was not part of Border War truce |date=March 31, 2022 |first=Shain |last=Bergan |work=KCTV5 |access-date=March 5, 2024  |quote=The Kansas governor on Thursday morning stoked conversation on the possibility of a Chiefs move to the other side of the state line, noting that the NFL franchise was not part of the 2019 Border War truce between the two states. }}</ref> In 2024, the Kansas House of Representatives and Kansas State Senate passed legislation that would give professional sports programs north of $1 billion in STAR bonds for the development of stadiums and entertainment districts in [[Kansas City, Kansas]]. The Chiefs and Royals both hired lobbyists in 2024 that appealed to the Kansas Legislature. As of March 2025, the Chiefs haven't commented directly on a move to Kansas, but the Royals have expressed interest in building a riverfront stadium on the junction between the Kansas River and Missouri River. Kansas House of Representatives member Sean Tarwater said that talks with the Chiefs were intensifying in February 2025, and that Kansas was close to "bringing over at least one team, maybe two".<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/live/c_v9Yfx3_gA?t=4075s |title=House Committee on Appropriations 02/13/2025 |language=en |access-date=March 24, 2025 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> In June 2024, an architecture firm in Kansas released a video featuring 3D renderings of a potential design for a domed stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sloan |first=Nick |date=May 1, 2024 |title=Renderings from Manica Architecture show a potential domed-stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs |url=https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-domed-stadium-renderings-kansas-city-kansas/60655197 |access-date=March 24, 2025 |website=KMBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sloan |first=Nick |date=February 28, 2025 |title=How we got here: A look back at what's led to recent discussion about the Chiefs, Royals' futures in the metro |url=https://www.kmbc.com/article/timeline-kansas-city-chiefs-royals-stadium-talks-in-kansas-missouri/61079317 |access-date=March 24, 2025 |website=KMBC |language=en |archive-date=March 8, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250308122033/https://www.kmbc.com/article/timeline-kansas-city-chiefs-royals-stadium-talks-in-kansas-missouri/61079317 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Kansas|United States}}
* [[Index of Kansas-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Kansas]]
* [[List of Kansas landmarks]]
* [[List of people from Kansas]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Kansas]]
* [[USS Kansas|USS ''Kansas'']], 2 ships
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
<!--Note: the section name "Bibliography" is linked from other articles, posted in April 2018 by User:Sbmeirow-->
{{See also|History of Kansas#Bibliography|l1=Longer list of books about the history of Kansas}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Mechem |first1=Kirke |title=The Annals of Kansas: 1911 to 1925 |date=1956 |publisher=[[Kansas Historical Society]] |url=https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/212250/ |access-date=February 11, 2019 |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205000536/https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/212250/ |url-status=live }}; 559 pages.
* {{Cite book |last1=Mechem |first1=Kirke |title=The Annals of Kansas: 1886 to 1910 |date=1954 |publisher=[[Kansas Historical Society]] |url=https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/212249/ |access-date=February 11, 2019 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204235319/https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/212249/ |url-status=live }}; 535 pages.
* {{Cite book |last1=Wilder |first1=Daniel W. |title=The Annals of Kansas: 1541 to 1885 |date=1886 |publisher=Kansas Publishing House |url=https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223666 |access-date=February 11, 2019 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204235417/https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/223666 |url-status=live }}; 1204 pages.
* {{Citation |editor-last=Connelley |editor-first=William E. |title=A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |year=1918 |url=http://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1918ks/toc.html |access-date=September 17, 2018 |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809025916/http://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1918ks/toc.html |url-status=live }}; 5 volumes; 2731 pages; ([https://archive.org/details/standardhistoryo00conn/ Vol1]), ([https://archive.org/details/standardhistoryo02conn/ Vol2]), ([https://archive.org/details/standardhistoryo03conn/ Vol3]), ([https://archive.org/details/standardhistoryo04conn/ Vol4]), ([https://archive.org/details/standardhistoryo05conn/ Vol5]); the 1919 edition contains additional biographies.
* {{Cite book |last1=Connelley |first1=William E. |title=History of Kansas Newspapers: A History of the Newspapers and Magazines Published in Kansas from 1854 to 1916 |date=1916 |publisher=[[Kansas Historical Society]] |url=https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/211020/ |access-date=February 11, 2019 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204235321/https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/211020/ |url-status=live }}; 369 pages.
* {{Citation |editor-last=Blackmar |editor-first=Frank W. |title=Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc |publisher=Standard Publishing Co |year=1912 |url=http://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1912/ |access-date=September 17, 2018 |archive-date=August 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808072534/http://www.ksgenweb.org/archives/1912/ |url-status=live }}; 3 volumes; 2723 pages; ([https://archive.org/details/kansascyc01blac/ Vol1]), ([https://archive.org/details/kansascycloped02blac/ Vol2]), ([https://archive.org/details/kansascyclopedia03blac/ Vol3])
* {{Citation |editor-last=Everts |editor-first=Louis H. |title=Official State Atlas of Kansas |publisher=L.H. Everts & Co |year=1887 |url=http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/305692 |access-date=April 23, 2018 |archive-date=January 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125180029/https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/305692 |url-status=live }}; 610 pages.
* {{Cite book |editor-last=Cutler |editor-first=William G. |title=History of the State of Kansas |date=1883 |publisher=A.T. Andreas Publisher |url=http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109204358/http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/ |archive-date=November 9, 2018 }}; 3 volumes; 1616 pages; ([https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008372811 HathiTrust] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922061847/https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008372811 |date=September 22, 2020 }}) ([https://archive.org/details/historyofstateof00andr Internet Archive])
* {{Cite book |author1=Robinson, Sara |title=Kansas: Its Interior and Exterior Life |date=1856 |publisher=Crosby, Nichols and Company |url=https://archive.org/details/kansasitsinterio03robi/ |author1-link=Sara Tappan Doolittle Robinson }}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Kansas|voy=Kansas}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170126072121/http://www.kansas.gov/ State of Kansas]
* [http://www.travelks.com/ Kansas Travel and Tourism Division] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211233010/http://www.travelks.com/ |date=February 11, 2021 }}
* [http://www.kshs.org/ Kansas Historical Society] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125141546/http://kshs.org/kansapedia/cool-things-legislative-war-artifacts/10324 |date=January 25, 2017 }}
* [http://www.kansasmemory.org/ Kansas Memory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517085613/http://www.kansasmemory.org/ |date=May 17, 2013 }}—documents, photographs, and other primary sources provided by the [[Kansas Historical Society]]
* [http://godort.libguides.com/kansasdbs Kansas State Agency Databases] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225114009/http://godort.libguides.com/kansasdbs |date=February 25, 2020 }}—Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Kansas state agencies
* [http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=KS USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Kansas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230094430/http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=KS |date=December 30, 2006 }}
* [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=20&StateName=Kansas#.U85r6_ldVu0 Kansas State Facts from USDA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503221822/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/20000.html#.U85r6_ldVu0 |date=May 3, 2012 }}

'''Maps'''
* [http://www.ksdot.org/maps.asp Kansas Department of Transportation maps] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228054900/http://www.ksdot.org/maps.asp |date=February 28, 2021 }}
:* {{Citation |url = http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burtransplan/maps/MapsState.asp |year = 2019 |title = Kansas Highway Map |publisher = KSDOT |format = PDF |access-date = October 29, 2015 |archive-date = January 3, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210103173743/http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burtransplan/maps/MapsState.asp |url-status = live }}.
:* {{Citation |url = http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/BurTransPlan/maps/RRStateMap.asp |year = 2019 |title = Kansas Railroad Map |publisher = KSDOT |format = PDF |access-date = October 29, 2015 |archive-date = January 3, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210103173733/http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/BurTransPlan/maps/RRStateMap.asp |url-status = live }}.
* {{Citation |url = http://www.kansasmemory.org/category/1277 |contribution = Access state, county, city, railroad, and other maps |title = Kansas Memory |publisher = the Kansas State Historical Society |type = digital portal |access-date = May 15, 2013 |archive-date = January 20, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210120023025/https://www.kansasmemory.org/category/1277 |url-status = live }}.
* {{OSM relation |161644}}
* {{Citation |url = http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/kansas.html |contribution = Kansas Maps |title = Perry–Castañeda Library |type = map collection |publisher = The University of Texas |access-date = February 17, 2004 |archive-date = December 15, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171215014343/http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/kansas.html |url-status = live }}.

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Oregon]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of U.S. states by date of statehood]]|years=Admitted on January 29, 1861 (34th)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[West Virginia]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Kansas}}
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