This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters1 and other major groups of eligible voters in Kansas.2 All demographic data are based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in Kansas’ Eligible Voter Population

  • The Hispanic population in Kansas ranks 26th in the nation.4 About 301,000 Hispanics reside in Kansas, 0.6% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • Kansas’s population is 11% Hispanic, the 17th largest Hispanic population share nationally.
  • There are 112,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas—ranking 25th in Hispanic eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.9 million.
  • Some 6% of Kansas eligible voters are Hispanic, ranking 19th in Hispanic eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 39%.
  • More than one-third (37%) of Hispanics in Kansas are eligible to vote, ranking Kansas 30th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, more than three-quarters (77%) of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

  • Age. More than one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas (37%) are ages 18 to 29, slightly more than the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 22% of all Kansas eligible voters and of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
  • Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas, 21% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This compares with 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., but just 3% of all eligible voters in Kansas and 8% of eligible voters in the U.S overall.
  • Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. More than eight-in-ten (83%) of Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas are of Mexican origin, 4% are of Puerto Rican origin, and 14% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, six-in-ten (59%) are Mexican, a similar share are Puerto Rican (14%), and about a quarter (26%) are of some other Hispanic origin.
  • Educational Attainment. More than one-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Kansas (28%) have not completed high school, nearly triple the 10% of all Kansas eligible voters who have not completed high school.
  • Homeownership. About two-thirds of Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas (65%) live in owner-occupied homes, more than the share of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (58%). Slightly greater shares of all eligible voters in Kansas (71%) and all eligible voters nationwide (69%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Kansas, by Race and Ethnicity

  • Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas by 15 to 1. There is a similar number of Hispanic (112,000) and black (107,000) eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters outnumber Asian eligible voters by nearly 4 to 1.
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than Asian, black and white eligible voters in Kansas. Some 37% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 28% of Asian, 26% of black eligible voters and 21% of white eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do black, Asian and white eligible voters in Kansas. Some 28% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 14% of black eligible voters, 11% of Asian eligible voters and 8% of white eligible voters.
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (65%) are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes than black (46%) eligible voters in Kansas, but they are less likely to do so than Asian (80%) or white (73%) eligible voters in Kansas.