The map above shows Kansas and Kentucky side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Kansas vs Kentucky Geography
Land area
- Kansas has a land area of 81,759 square miles (211,754 km²), while Kentucky has 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²).
- Kansas' land area is 2.1 times (107%) larger than Kentucky's.
Total area
- Kansas: 82,278 square miles (213,100 km²) vs Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Kansas' total area is 2.0 times (104%) larger than Kentucky's.
Length
- Kansas is 207 miles (334 km) long from north to south; Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km).
- Kentucky's north-south length is 1.2 times (24%) longer than Kansas'.
Width
- Kansas spans 401 miles (645 km) east to west; Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km).
- Kansas and Kentucky have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- Kansas's highest point is Mount Sunflower at 4,040 feet (1,231 m); Kentucky's is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m).
- Black Mountain is 94 feet higher than Mount Sunflower.
Lowest point
- Kansas's lowest point is Verdigris River at 679 feet; Kentucky's is Mississippi River at 270 feet.
- Kentucky's lowest point is 409 feet lower.
Kansas vs Kentucky Population and History
Population
- Kansas has a population of 2,970,606 (2024), while Kentucky has 4,588,372 (2024).
- Kentucky's population is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Kansas'.
Population density
- Kansas: 36.3 people per square mile vs Kentucky: 116.2.
- Kentucky's population density is 3.2 times (220%) higher than Kansas'.
Biggest city
- Kansas's biggest city is Wichita with 400,991 people; Kentucky's is Louisville with 640,796.
- Louisville's population is 1.6 times (60%) larger than Wichita's.
Largest metro area
- Kansas's largest metropolitan area is Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (2,253,579 people) vs Kentucky's Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815).
- Kansas City, MO-KS metro area and Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area have about the same population.
History
- Kansas: Admitted to the Union on January 29, 1861, as the 34th state.
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 69 years.
Kansas vs Kentucky Economy
GDP
- Kansas's GDP is $230.5 billion (2024) vs Kentucky's $295.4 billion.
- Kentucky's economic output is 1.3 times (28%) larger than Kansas'.
GDP per capita
- Kansas: $77,601 per person vs Kentucky: $64,375.
- Kansas' GDP per capita is 1.2 times (21%) higher than Kentucky's.
Average income
- Kansas: $65,856 vs Kentucky: $58,256 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Kansas' average income is 1.1 times (13%) higher than Kentucky's.
Kansas vs Kentucky Counties
Number of counties
- Kansas has 105 counties, while Kentucky has 120.
- Kentucky's county count is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Kansas'.
Biggest county by area
- Kansas's largest county is Butler County at 1,430 square miles; Kentucky's is Pike County at 786 square miles.
- Butler County's land area is 1.8 times (82%) larger than Pike County's.
Smallest county by area
- Kansas: Wyandotte County (152 sq mi) vs Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi).
- Wyandotte County's land area is 1.5 times (54%) larger than Gallatin County's.
Most populous county
- Kansas: Johnson County (632,276 people) vs Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people).
- Jefferson County's population is 1.3 times (26%) larger than Johnson County's.
Least populous county
- Kansas: Greeley County (1,152 people) vs Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people).
- Robertson County's population is 2.1 times (107%) larger than Greeley County's.
Richest county
- Kansas: Greeley County ($134,780 per capita income) vs Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137).
- Greeley County's income is 1.5 times (55%) richer than Oldham County's.
Poorest county
- Kansas: Wyandotte County ($42,878 per capita income) vs Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817).
- Wyandotte County's income is 1.3 times (35%) richer than Elliott County's.
Kansas vs Kentucky Taxes
State income tax
- Kansas has a top income tax rate of 5.58%, while Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%.
- Kansas's top rate is 2.08 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Kansas: 1.25% effective rate vs Kentucky: 0.71% of home value per year.
- Kansas's rate is 0.54 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Kansas: 8.71% combined state and average local rate vs Kentucky: 6%.
- Kansas's combined rate is 2.71 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Kansas official website · Kentucky official website
Download the Kansas vs Kentucky Size Comparison Map for free
To download the map, right-click the image above (or press and hold on a phone or tablet) and choose Save image as. The map is free to use anywhere, including on your own website or in print, as long as you credit it with a link back to this page or to BrilliantMaps.com.
More Size Comparisons
All Kansas size comparisons · All Kentucky size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.