Kansas covers 82,227 square miles, with a 2021 estimated population of 2,934,582 people – 914,980 living in rural Kansas (USDA-ERS). Topeka, the capital, is located in the north-eastern region of the state. The state's largest cities are Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City. According to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 86.0% of the state's population is White, 6.2% is African-American, 3.2% is Asian, 1.2% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.1% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 12.7% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Kansas Rural Healthcare Facilities

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Kansas

9.2% of Kansas residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2020). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Kansans in 2020 was $56,099, with the rural per capita income at $48,618. The ERS reports, based on 2020 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Kansas is 11.9%, compared with 10.1% in urban areas of the state. 10.7% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 7.7% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2016-2020 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Kansas is at 2.7%, and in urban Kansas it is at 3.5% (USDA-ERS, 2021).

Kansas Office of Primary Care & Rural Health
Email: kdhe.ruralhealth@ks.gov
Serves as the State Office of Rural Health (SORH) for Kansas and aids rural and medically underserved communities in the state. Helps build sustainable access to quality, patient-centered primary healthcare services. Focuses on supporting the primary care and rural health workforce, connecting local providers and partners to resources and programs, and strengthening system-wide performance improvement capacity.
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