How America Moves

Kansas

State-to-state migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
90
10% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$203,400
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+46.2%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,029
national $1,348
Homeownership
67%
national 65%
Unemployment
2.9%
national 3.6%
Household income
$72,639
national $78,538
Median age
37.2 yrs
national 38.7

The cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. The median home is valued at $203,400 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 46% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,029 a month. Unemployment averaged 2.9% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $72,639. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Kansas saw a net loss of 3,377 tax-filing households and a net loss of 4,059 individuals. Against a population of about 2,940,546, that is a net outflow of about 1.4 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $368.6M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 10,597 households, came from Missouri; the largest outflow, about 12,138 households, went to Missouri. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 4,852 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$368.6M
nominal dollars
Net households
-3,377
tax returns
Net people
-4,059
exemptions

-1.4 net people per 1,000 residents (population 2,940,546)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$2.6B
Moved out$3B
Net -$368.6M (nominal)
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Kansas counties

Net migration by county. Hover for figures; click a county to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Top origin states

  1. 1Missouri10,597$691M
  2. 2Texas3,876$253.8M
  3. 3Colorado2,355$150M
  4. 4Oklahoma2,280$121.8M
  5. 5California2,251$151.5M
  6. 6Florida1,848$120.7M
  7. 7Nebraska1,267$76.5M
  8. 8Arizona1,036$72.7M
  9. 9Illinois989$75.1M
  10. 10Georgia794$47.3M
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Top destination states

  1. 1Missouri12,138$837.3M
  2. 2Texas4,667$321M
  3. 3Oklahoma2,651$148.9M
  4. 4Colorado2,283$149.7M
  5. 5Florida2,142$212.5M
  6. 6California1,711$114.9M
  7. 7Nebraska1,161$63.8M
  8. 8Illinois1,022$67M
  9. 9Arizona1,020$83.3M
  10. 10Georgia911$63.4M
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Churn by state · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Missouri10,59712,138-1,541-$146.3M
Texas3,8764,667-791-$67.2M
Oklahoma2,2802,651-371-$27.1M
Colorado2,3552,283+72+$282K
Florida1,8482,142-294-$91.8M
California2,2511,711+540+$36.6M
Nebraska1,2671,161+106+$12.7M
Arizona1,0361,020+16-$10.6M
Illinois9891,022-33+$8.2M
Georgia794911-117-$16.1M
Washington778899-121-$3.7M
North Carolina703897-194-$21.2M

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$4.7B (-106,911 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$285.9M-7,318
2013-$225.1M-9,795
2014-$174.2M-11,077
2015-$492.7M-4,961
2016-$408.6M-15,416
2017-$660.6M-19,151
2018-$535.5M-9,849
2019-$389.5M-10,441
2020-$288.4M-6,221
2021-$227.7M-3,771
2022-$606.3M-4,852
2023-$368.6M-4,059
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the state?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 4,059 more people left Kansas than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $368.6M in income (nominal) — in a state of 2,949,749 people.

Population
2,949,749
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-1.4
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -14 people.
Net income per resident
−$125
nominal dollars
-$368.6M total across 2,949,749 residents.

The rate lets you compare Kansas with a stateof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the state’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+34,681
Deaths
-30,221
Net domestic migration
-5,284
Net international migration
+12,815
Total change
+11,715

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Kansas run about 10% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $111 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$63,513
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
9% below the U.S. average
Price level
89.9
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 10.1% lower than average
What that income buys
$70,642
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
1% above the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Price parity shown at the state level (BEA does not publish a single figure below the metro level).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents68.6
Goods96.5
Utilities90.8
Other services93.0

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Kansas

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
37.2
years
Median household income
$72,639
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
8% below the U.S. median
College degree
35%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
11.5%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
20 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
89%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 73%Hispanic 13%Black 5%Asian 3%Other 5%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$203,400
owner-occupied homes
33% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,029
gross rent per month
24% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
67%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+7.4%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+46%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
9,504new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 52%Multifamily 48%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
2.9%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
1,527,042
1,483,017 employed
Disaster declarations
1
major federal, 2023
most common: Severe Storm

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.7%
May 2026 · ▲ 0.1 points vs May 2025
January 2024May 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this state, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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Who’s moving by income

Net migration by income bracket

Tax-filing households that moved into Kansas minus those that left, by the adjusted gross income they reported, 20222023. Positive means more arrived than left at that income level.

$1–$10k
+38
In 3,601Out 3,563+$358K AGI
$10k–$25k
-400
In 7,953Out 8,353-$7.7M AGI
$25k–$50k
-1,357
In 11,569Out 12,926-$50.5M AGI
$50k–$75k
-715
In 6,369Out 7,084-$43.3M AGI
$75k–$100k
-372
In 3,696Out 4,068-$31.6M AGI
$100k–$200k
-301
In 4,982Out 5,283-$40M AGI
$200k+
-249
In 1,787Out 2,036-$194.9M AGI

Among the highest earners ($200k+), Kansas ranks #32 of 51 states for net household migration (-249).

Source: IRS Statistics of Income, state-level gross migration file (returns with negative AGI are excluded, so this won’t exactly match the totals above). Income is what filers reported, not a reason anyone moved. Compare all states by income bracket. How the data works.

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Goods trade

What Kansas ships and receives

Physical goods shipped between Kansas and other states, 2022. This is freight, not the migration of people or income shown above.

$145.2B
Ships to other states
+38% since 2017
$99.9B
Receives from states
+15% since 2017
+$45.3B
Net balance

Top goods shipped out

Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and their preparations
$33.8B
Fuel oils
$25.2B
Mixed freight
$18.3B
Cereal grains (includes seed)
$14.0B
Electronic and other electrical equipment and components, and office equipment
$13.7B
Machinery
$11.7B

Top goods received

Mixed freight
$16.5B
Fuel oils
$15.5B
Machinery
$10.4B
Cereal grains (includes seed)
$9.3B
Electronic and other electrical equipment and components, and office equipment
$8.5B
Motorized and other vehicles (includes parts)
$7.3B

Biggest trading partners (both ways)

Goods trade runs in both directions: states swap different goods, so a partner is often near the top of both columns. Net is ships minus receives (positive means Kansas ships more to that partner than it gets back).

PartnerShips toReceivesNetTotal
Missouri$30.7B$16.4B+$14.3B$47.1B
Texas$13.6B$9.3B+$4.2B$22.9B
Oklahoma$10.0B$7.3B+$2.8B$17.3B
California$9.6B$5.2B+$4.4B$14.8B
Illinois$6.8B$6.1B+$715M$12.9B
Iowa$4.2B$5.5B-$1.3B$9.8B
Nebraska$5.6B$3.7B+$1.9B$9.3B
Wisconsin$2.9B$4.9B-$2.0B$7.7B

Goods shipped every five years by the Census Commodity Flow Survey (a sample, so figures are estimates and the smallest flows are withheld). Value is nominal. The totals and partner table above count trade between Kansas and other states; the goods lists count everything the state ships or receives, including within-state shipments. Compare all states. How the data works.

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Taxes the state collects

What Kansas collects in taxes

Total state taxes
$13.1B
FY 2023, nominal
Per resident
$4,454
total state taxes ÷ population
Largest categories (share of total)
Individual income tax$4.5B · 34%
General sales & gross receipts$4.4B · 33%
Corporation net income tax$1.6B · 12%
Property taxes$881.7M · 7%
Insurance premium sales tax$503.1M · 4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections. This is what the state government collected (not local taxes), not a measure of any individual’s tax burden. How the data works.

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How Kansas has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

President, 19762024

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
2024544,853758,80223,936R +16.11,327,591
2020570,323771,40630,574R +14.71,372,303
2016427,005671,01886,380R +20.61,184,403
2012439,908689,80926,537R +21.61,156,254
2008514,765699,65521,452R +15.01,235,872
2004434,993736,45616,307R +25.41,187,756
2000399,276622,33250,608R +20.81,072,216
1996387,659583,245103,396R +18.21,074,300
1992390,434449,951316,851R +5.11,157,236
1988422,636554,04916,359R +13.2993,044
1984333,149677,29611,546R +33.71,021,991
1980326,150566,81286,833R +24.6979,795
1976430,421502,75224,672R +7.6957,845

U.S. Senate races · all states →

YearWinnerDemocraticRepublicanOtherMargin
2022Jerry Moran372,214602,97629,766R +23.0
2020Roger Marshall571,530727,96268,263R +11.4
2016Jerry Moran379,740732,37665,760R +29.9
2014Pat Roberts460,350405,841
2010Jerry Moran220,971587,17529,546R +43.7
2008Pat Roberts441,399727,12142,170R +23.6
2004Sam Brownback310,337780,86337,822R +41.7
2002Pat Roberts641,075135,775

U.S. House seats won · district maps →

2024
D 1 · R 3
2022
D 1 · R 3
2020
D 1 · R 3
2018
D 1 · R 3
2016
D 0 · R 4
2014
D 0 · R 4
2012
D 0 · R 4
2010
D 0 · R 4
2008
D 1 · R 3
2006
D 2 · R 2
2004
D 1 · R 3
2002
D 1 · R 3
2000
D 1 · R 3

2024 results by county

Republican wonDemocratic wonIndependent / other
Which party received the most votes, as a solid color.Winning margin as a share of all votes cast.Change in margin since 2020, in percentage points.Total votes cast, all candidates.
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Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

Counties in Kansas (105)

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