Kansas ranked 32nd in population in the US with an estimated total of 2,715,884 in 2002, an increase of 1% since 2000. Between 1990 and 2000, Kansas's population grew from 2,477,574 to 2,688,418, an increase of 8.5%. The population is projected to reach 2,761,000 by 2005 and 3.1 million by 2025. The population density in 2000 was 32.9 persons per sq mi.
When it was admitted to the Union in 1861, Kansas's population was 107,206. During the decade that followed, the population grew by 240%, more than 10 times the US growth rate. Steady growth continued through the 1930s, but in the 1940s the population declined by 4%. Since then, the population has risen, though at a slower pace than the national average.
In 2000, the median age for Kansans was 35.2; 26.5% of the population was below the age of 18 while 13.3% were 65 or older.
Whereas the populations of Wichita and Topeka grew 8.6% and 1.0% respectively, the population of Kansas City dropped 7.1% during the 1980s. Estimates for 2002 showed about 355,126 residents for Wichita, 158,430 for Overland Park, and 146,987 for Kansas City. The Kansas City metropolitan area had an estimated population of 1,755,899 in 1996; the Wichita metropolitan area had an estimated 548,714 residents.