Kansas City
Competitive — 2.6M residents — 33 counties
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 71.5% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 10.1% |
▶Black / African American(14) | 10.4% |
▶Asian(6) | 2.8% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 0.5% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4) | 0.5% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(5) | 0.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.5% |
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Protestant | 19.7% | 44.0% |
| Catholic | 10.7% | 23.9% |
| Mainline Protestant | 7.3% | 16.4% |
| Other | 3.8% | 8.6% |
| Black Protestant | 3.1% | 6.9% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 1.6% | 3.6% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Non-religious | 55.3% | — |
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+1.3 |
| 2020 | Biden+0.8 |
| 2016 | Trump+5.0 |
| 2012 | Romney+4.1 |
| 2008 | Obama+4.1 |
| 2004 | Bush+5.0 |
| 2000 | Bush+1.3 |
| 1996 | Clinton+4.3 |
| 1992 | Clinton+9.4 |
Kansas City is a media market that has a population of 2,630,036. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+1.3. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 48.4% | 49.7% | R+1.3 | R+2.1 |
| 2020 | 49.3% | 48.5% | D+0.8 | D+5.7 |
| 2016 | 43.8% | 48.7% | R+5.0 | R+0.8 |
| 2012 | 46.8% | 50.9% | R+4.1 | R+8.2 |
| 2008 | 51.3% | 47.2% | D+4.1 | D+9.1 |
| 2004 | 47.1% | 52.1% | R+5.0 | R+3.7 |
| 2000 | 47.6% | 48.9% | R+1.3 | R+5.6 |
| 1996 | 47.2% | 42.9% | D+4.3 | R+5.2 |
| 1992 | 41.8% | 32.4% | D+9.4 | D+9.0 |
| 1988 | 49.9% | 49.5% | D+0.4 | D+17.1 |
| 1984 | 41.5% | 58.2% | R+16.7 | R+11.1 |
| 1980 | 43.8% | 49.5% | R+5.7 | R+7.4 |
| 1976 | 49.9% | 48.2% | D+1.7 | D+30.3 |
| 1972 | 35.3% | 63.8% | R+28.5 | R+25.1 |
| 1968 | 42.4% | 45.8% | R+3.4 | R+28.1 |
| 1964 | 62.2% | 37.5% | D+24.7 | D+29.4 |
| 1960 | 47.6% | 52.3% | R+4.7 | D+2.0 |
| 1956 | 46.6% | 53.3% | R+6.7 | D+2.9 |
| 1952 | 45.1% | 54.7% | R+9.6 | R+23.0 |
| 1948 | 56.4% | 43.0% | D+13.4 | — |
What defines Kansas City?
Kansas City has flipped between parties in each of the last three elections — a fiercely contested battleground. It has a moderately diverse, middle-class electorate where education levels and suburban growth shape the partisan balance.
Constituent Counties
Similar media markets
Counties in Kansas City
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 720K | D+19.5 | 187,026 | 125,610 | 315,614 | 24.9% |
| Johnson | 621K | D+8.4 | 183,451 | 154,247 | 346,860 | 27.3% |
| Clay | 258K | R+5.6 | 60,345 | 67,688 | 130,160 | 10.3% |
| Wyandotte | 168K | D+22.6 | 30,938 | 18,867 | 53,373 | 4.2% |
| Douglas | 120K | D+37.6 | 39,582 | 17,523 | 58,707 | 4.6% |
| Cass | 111K | R+32.1 | 19,753 | 38,792 | 59,349 | 4.7% |
| Platte | 110K | R+3.1 | 27,566 | 29,381 | 57,817 | 4.6% |
| Leavenworth | 83K | R+22.6 | 13,732 | 22,055 | 36,756 | 2.9% |
| Johnson | 55K | R+39.6 | 6,960 | 16,298 | 23,602 | 1.9% |
| Pettis | 43K | R+48.7 | 4,703 | 13,907 | 18,882 | 1.5% |
| Miami | 35K | R+39.4 | 5,472 | 12,854 | 18,750 | 1.5% |
| Lafayette | 33K | R+48.9 | 4,294 | 12,720 | 17,248 | 1.4% |
| Franklin | 26K | R+40.0 | 3,676 | 8,773 | 12,759 | 1.0% |
| Saline | 23K | R+40.4 | 2,726 | 6,498 | 9,330 | 0.7% |
| Ray | 23K | R+48.7 | 2,927 | 8,602 | 11,662 | 0.9% |
| Henry | 22K | R+52.6 | 2,535 | 8,286 | 10,932 | 0.9% |
| Clinton | 21K | R+47.9 | 2,855 | 8,235 | 11,230 | 0.9% |
| Nodaway | 21K | R+43.7 | 2,674 | 6,909 | 9,689 | 0.8% |
| Atchison | 16K | R+37.2 | 2,201 | 4,911 | 7,284 | 0.6% |
| Bates | 16K | R+61.6 | 1,563 | 6,702 | 8,344 | 0.7% |
| Livingston | 14K | R+57.8 | 1,422 | 5,395 | 6,873 | 0.5% |
| Linn | 12K | R+57.2 | 1,183 | 4,437 | 5,687 | 0.4% |
| Grundy | 10K | R+63.5 | 784 | 3,582 | 4,404 | 0.3% |
| Linn | 10K | R+64.4 | 854 | 4,093 | 5,029 | 0.4% |
| Caldwell | 9K | R+61.3 | 888 | 3,771 | 4,703 | 0.4% |
| Daviess | 8K | R+63.3 | 701 | 3,185 | 3,925 | 0.3% |
| Carroll | 8K | R+64.5 | 789 | 3,708 | 4,528 | 0.4% |
| Harrison | 8K | R+71.8 | 534 | 3,293 | 3,845 | 0.3% |
| Anderson | 8K | R+59.6 | 732 | 2,998 | 3,802 | 0.3% |
| Gentry | 6K | R+61.8 | 616 | 2,651 | 3,292 | 0.3% |
| Holt | 4K | R+69.1 | 357 | 1,982 | 2,352 | 0.2% |
| Mercer | 3K | R+73.1 | 235 | 1,545 | 1,792 | 0.1% |
| Worth | 2K | R+64.6 | 190 | 904 | 1,105 | 0.1% |
Ask the Historian
Key Insights
- The 2020 election was decided by just 0.8 points — razor-thin
- Won by both parties in recent history — Democrats most recently in 2020, Republicans in 2024
Who Lives Here
| Group | Kansas City | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 71.5% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(14) | 10.4% | 12.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 10.1% | 19.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.5% | 4.0% |
▶Asian(6) | 2.8% | 6.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4) | 0.5% | 0.9% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 0.5% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(5) | 0.2% | 0.2% |
Religious Adherents
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -24.6pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.7% | 44.0% | — | — | |
| 10.7% | 23.9% | — | — | |
| 7.3% | 16.4% | — | — | |
| 3.8% | 8.6% | — | — | |
| 3.1% | 6.9% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 1.6% | 3.6% | — | — |
| 0.1% | 0.2% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 55.3% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Kansas City media market? 2,630,036 residents across 33 counties.
Demographics
38% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 5pp above the national average. Places with similar education levels vote D+8 on average nationally.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Turnout in Kansas City
How competitive is Kansas City?
Do voters in Kansas City split their tickets?
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Governor | R+1.3 | R+7.7 | 6.4pp |
| Senate vs Governor | R+1.9 | R+7.7 | 5.8pp |
| President vs Senate | R+1.3 | R+1.9 | 0.6pp |