State Profile

Kansas

Population (2019): 2.913 million

Kansas’s public health outcomes stack up unevenly against those of the United States, and it has not taken several steps that would strengthen its preparedness for public health emergencies. Deaths owed to drug misuse, alcohol, or suicide trail the country as a whole. Its rates of obesity and related conditions indicate a mixed picture, with the percentage of adults with obesity higher than the U.S. median, as rates of diabetes and hypertension rank in the middle of the pack. Finally, the state achieved a score of three out of a possible 10 measures of public health preparedness for diseases, disasters, and bioterrorism.