The United States acquired the area of Kansas from France in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Part of the area was subsequently relinquished in a treaty with Spain in 1819, and was reacquired as part of the annexation of Texas in 1845. Kansas Territory was organized on May 30, 1854, from Missouri Territory (also identified in some statutes as Indian Country or Indian Territory), and included part of present-day Colorado. Kansas was admitted to the Union on January 29, 1861, as the 34^th state, with generally the same boundary as the present state. The remaining part of the territory was included in Colorado Territory, which was organized in February 1861.

Census data for Kansas are available beginning with the 1860 census. The 1860 population includes only the population within the present state boundary; the population for the area that became part of Colorado Territory was assigned to that area even though it was not yet legally established. The population of the entire legally established Kansas Territory in 1860 was 141,483.

Data for the legally established state of Kansas are available beginning with the 1870 census.

American Indian Areas

Kansas has four federally recognized American Indian reservations, two with off-reservation trust land.  There is also one joint-use area.

Metropolitan And Micropolitan Statistical Areas And Related Statistical Areas

Kansas has 6 metropolitan statistical areas, 14 micropolitan statistical areas, and 2 combined statistical areas.

Counties

Kansas has 105 counties.  One county, Wyandotte, has consolidated with Kansas City city and is considered nonfunctioning.  All other counties are functioning governmental units; each governed by a board of county commissioners. 

County Subdivisions

There are 1,530 county subdivisions in Kansas known as minor civil divisions (MCDs).  There are 1,403 townships, of which 1,274 (in 96 counties) are governmental active; 129 (in 27 counties) are inactive, but have the ability to activate and perform governmental functions.  In addition, there are 120 incorporated places that are independent of any township, creating 127 MCDs.  The active governmental townships are administered by an elected clerk, treasurer, and trustee.

The 27 counties with inactive townships are:

• Chautauqua
• Clark
• Clay
• Coffey
• Grant
• Gray
• Greeley
• Hamilton
• Jackson
• Johnson
• Kiowa
• Labette
• Lincoln
• Marion
• Meade
• Mitchell
• Morris
• Morton
• Scott
• Sedgewick
• Sheridan
• Sherman
• Stanton
• Stevens
• Wichita
• Wilson
• Wyandotte

Places

Kansas has 671 places; 627 incorporated places and 44 census designated places (CDPs).  The incorporated places are all cities.  The minimum requirement for incorporation is 300 persons or 300 platted lots each served by water and sewer lines.  There are 120 cities that are independent of any township creating 127 county subdivisions.  The remaining 507 incorporated places are dependent within county subdivision.

Census Tracts/Block Groups/Blocks

Kansas has 770 tracts, 2,351 block groups, and 238,600 blocks.

Congressional Districts

For the 111^th Congress (January 2009-January 2011), Kansas had four congressional districts.  For the 113^th Congress (January 2013-January 2015), Kansas continues to have four congressional districts as a result of reapportionment based on the 2010 Census.

School Districts

Kansas has 293 unified school districts.

State Legislative Districts

There are 40 state senate districts and 125 state house districts in Kansas.

Urban Areas

Kansas has 78 urban areas; 6 urbanized areas and 72 urban clusters.

Zip Code Tabulation Areas

There are 700 ZIP Code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) in Kansas.

¹  Source:  U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1923
²  Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, recomputation for historical county level data which relied upon aggregate county level population data with an estimated county centroid resulting in a possible error of up to one mile.
³  Source:  U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Centers of Population for States and Counties, 1974
⁴  Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division, recomputation from archived national block group/enumeration area data resulting in a possible error of up to 1,000 feet.
⁵  Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division, recomputation from archived national block group data resulting in a possible error of up to 1,000 feet.
⁶  Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, computation from national block-level data