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 Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in Kansas’s Eligible Voter Population

Population and Electorate in the United States and Kansas, 2012
  • The Hispanic population in Kansas is the 26th largest in the nation. About 315,000 Hispanics reside in Kansas, 0.6% of all Hispanics in the United States.
  • Kansas’s population is 11% Hispanic, the 17th largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
  • There are 123,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas—the 26th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.4 million.
  • Some 6% of Kansas eligible voters are Hispanic, the 19th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
  • About 39% of Hispanics in Kansas are eligible to vote, ranking Kansas 32nd nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, 78% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Kansas and the United States, 2012
  • Age. About four-in-ten Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas (39%) are ages 18 to 29, higher than the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) and the share of all Kansas eligible voters and of all U.S. eligible voters (both 22%) in that age range.
  • Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas, 20% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is less than the 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 are naturalized U.S. citizens.
  • Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. About 85% of Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas are of Mexican origin, 7% are of Puerto Rican origin, and 9% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, 59% are Mexican, 14% are Puerto Rican, and 27% are of some other Hispanic origin.
  • Educational Attainment. About one-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Kansas (24%) have not completed high school, nearly triple the 9% of all Kansas eligible voters who have not completed high school and about the same as the 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
  • Homeownership. About six-in-ten Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas (59%) live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 56% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in Kansas (69%) and eligible voters nationwide (67%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Kansas, by Race and Ethnicity

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Kansas and the United States, by Race and Ethnicity, 2012
  • Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Kansas by 14 to 1. There are similar numbers of Hispanic (123,000) and black (113,000) eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters outnumber Asian eligible voters by about 4 to 1.
  • Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white, black and Asian eligible voters in Kansas. Some 39% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 20% of white eligible voters, 27% of black eligible voters and 20% of Asian eligible voters.
  • Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white, black and Asian eligible voters in Kansas. Some 24% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 7% of white eligible voters, 13% of black eligible voters and 11% of Asian eligible voters. Hispanics and blacks are less likely to have a bachelor’s degree (12% and 14%, respectively) than whites and Asians (30% and 33%).
  • Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (59%) are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes than black eligible voters (43%) in Kansas, but are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white (71%) or Asian (73%) eligible voters.