1. Cities of the United States
  2. The Midwest
  3. Kansas

KANSAS

Kansas City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Overland Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Topeka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Wichita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Kansas

The State in Brief

Nickname: Sunflower State

Motto: Ad astra per aspera (To the stars through difficulties)

Flower: Native sunflower

Bird: Western meadowlark

Area: 82,276 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 15th)

Elevation: Ranges from 680 feet to 4,039 feet above sea level

Climate: Temperate, but with seasonal extremes of temperature as well as blizzards, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms; semi-arid in the west

Admitted to Union: January 29, 1861

Capital: Topeka

Head Official: Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) (until 2007)

Population

1980: 2,364,000

1990: 2,495,000

2000: 2,688,824

2004 estimate: 2,735,502

Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.5%

U.S. rank in 2004: 33rd

Percent of residents born in state: 59.5% (2000)

Density: 32.9 people per square mile (2000)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 110,997

Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)

White: 2,313,944

Black or African American: 154,198

American Indian and Alaska Native: 24,936

Asian: 46,806

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 1,313

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 188,252

Other: 90,725

Age Characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 188,708

Population 5 to 19 years old: 609,710

Percent of population 65 years and over: 13.3%

Median age: 35.2 years (2000)

Vital Statistics

Total number of births (2003): 40,609

Total number of deaths (2003): 24,840 (infant deaths, 261)

AIDS cases reported through 2003: 1,123

Economy

Major industries: Agriculture, oil production, mining, manufacturing

Unemployment rate: 5.4% (March 2005)

Per capita income: $29,545 (2003; U.S. rank: 27th)

Median household income: $43,622 (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Percentage of persons below poverty level: 10.3% (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Income tax rate: Ranges from 3.5% to 6.45%

Sales tax rate: 5.3%