Latinos in the 2012 Election: Kansas

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.