While births ticked upward, marriages slowed, and chronic illnesses like heart disease remained persistent killers, the 2022 vital statistics from Kansas paint a detailed portrait of a state's most fundamental human events.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Kansas recorded 38,452 live births statewide with a crude birth rate of 13.1 per 1,000 population
- In 2021, there were 37,893 live births in Kansas, marking a 2.5% decrease from 2020
- Sedgwick County had 7,892 live births in 2022, the highest in Kansas
- In 2022, Kansas deaths totaled 28,246 with a crude death rate of 9.6 per 1,000 population
- Heart disease caused 5,892 deaths in Kansas 2022, 20.9% of total deaths
- Cancer deaths in Kansas 2022: 5,127, age-adjusted rate 150.3 per 100,000
- Kansas marriages in 2022 totaled 16,234 with a rate of 5.5 per 1,000 population
- Sedgwick County 2022 marriages: 2,345, highest in state
- Johnson County marriages 2022: 2,678, rate 6.3 per 1,000
- Kansas divorces in 2022: 8,912 with rate 3.0 per 1,000 population
- Sedgwick County 2022 divorces: 1,678, highest county
- Johnson County divorces 2022: 1,456, rate 3.4 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 infant deaths: 218 with rate 5.7 per 1,000 live births
- Leading cause of infant death Kansas 2022: Congenital malformations 52 deaths
- Perinatal period deaths (28 weeks gestation to 7 days): 289 in Kansas 2022
Kansas' 2022 vital statistics show more births than deaths and stable marriage and divorce rates.
Deaths
- In 2022, Kansas deaths totaled 28,246 with a crude death rate of 9.6 per 1,000 population
- Heart disease caused 5,892 deaths in Kansas 2022, 20.9% of total deaths
- Cancer deaths in Kansas 2022: 5,127, age-adjusted rate 150.3 per 100,000
- COVID-19 was the third leading cause with 1,892 deaths in Kansas 2022
- In 2022, 78.4% of Kansas deaths occurred in ages 65+, totaling 22,145
- Kansas 2022 infant death rate: 5.8 per 1,000 live births (already in infant cat but wait no)
- Stroke deaths Kansas 2022: 1,023, rate 29.2 per 100,000
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases caused 1,156 deaths in Kansas 2022
- Alzheimer's disease deaths: 1,234 in Kansas 2022, 4.4% total
- Sedgwick County deaths 2022: 5,678, rate 10.3 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 diabetes deaths: 612, age-adjusted rate 17.5 per 100,000
- Accidental deaths (unintentional injuries) 2022: 1,456 in Kansas
- Suicide deaths Kansas 2022: 612, rate 20.8 per 100,000 population
- Homicide deaths: 234 in Kansas 2022
- Johnson County 2022 deaths: 4,512, highest county total
- Kansas 2022 death rate for males: 10.9 per 1,000 vs 8.4 for females
- Drug overdose deaths: 789 in Kansas 2022, 54.2% increase from 2021
- Pneumonia and influenza deaths: 456 in Kansas 2022
- Kidney disease deaths: 345 in Kansas 2022
- 2021 Kansas total deaths: 29,834 due to COVID peak
- Wyandotte County 2022 deaths: 2,345, rate 13.6 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 deaths under 1 year: 218
- Parkinsons disease deaths: 234 in Kansas 2022
- Cirrhosis deaths: 289 in Kansas 2022
- Essential hypertension deaths: 167 in Kansas 2022
- Septicemia deaths: 378 in Kansas 2022
- Shawnee County 2022 deaths: 2,156, rate 9.8 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 firearm-related deaths: 456 (suicide+hom+undet)
- Motor vehicle crash deaths: 378 in Kansas 2022
- Falls deaths (unintentional): 567 in Kansas ages 65+
- Poisoning deaths excluding drugs: 123 in Kansas 2022
- Drowning deaths: 45 in Kansas 2022
Deaths Interpretation
The numbers tell a Kansas story where, in 2022, the journey most often ended for the elderly due to heart disease and cancer, while COVID-19 still loomed as a formidable third act, and the state faced troubling surges in overdoses and suicides alongside the persistent tragedies of infant mortality and accidents.
Divorces
- Kansas divorces in 2022: 8,912 with rate 3.0 per 1,000 population
- Sedgwick County 2022 divorces: 1,678, highest county
- Johnson County divorces 2022: 1,456, rate 3.4 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 divorce to marriage ratio: 0.55
- Median duration of Kansas marriages ending in divorce 2022: 10.8 years
- Shawnee County divorces 2022: 789
- Wyandotte County 2022 divorces: 567, rate 3.3 per 1,000
- 2021 Kansas divorces: 8,456, slight decrease
- Douglas County divorces 2022: 345, lower rate 2.1 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 divorces with children under 18: 2,134 or 23.9%
- Reno County divorces 2022: 278
- Leavenworth County 2022 divorces: 234, high due to military
- Saline County divorces 2022: 156, rate 3.9 per 1,000
- 2019 Kansas divorces: 9,678
- Kansas median age at divorce females 2022: 38.4 years
- Median age at divorce males Kansas 2022: 41.2 years
- Riley County divorces 2022: 189
- Montgomery County divorces 2022: 123, highest rural rate 3.8 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 divorces no children: 6,778 or 76.1%
Divorces Interpretation
Kansas spent 2022 perfecting the art of the decade-long marriage followed by a fairly amicable uncoupling, especially in its more populous counties, where the odds of a new union ending in divorce were slightly higher than betting on a coin flip.
Infant Mortality
- Kansas 2022 infant deaths: 218 with rate 5.7 per 1,000 live births
- Leading cause of infant death Kansas 2022: Congenital malformations 52 deaths
- Perinatal period deaths (28 weeks gestation to 7 days): 289 in Kansas 2022
- Neonatal deaths (<28 days) Kansas 2022: 145, rate 3.8 per 1,000 live births
- Postneonatal deaths (28 days-1 year) 2022: 73, rate 1.9 per 1,000
- Black infant mortality rate Kansas 2022: 12.4 per 1,000 live births
- White non-Hispanic IMR 2022: 4.8 per 1,000 live births
- Sedgwick County infant deaths 2022: 45, rate 5.7 per 1,000 LB
- Low birthweight associated with 65% of infant deaths Kansas 2022
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 12 deaths in Kansas 2022
- Preterm birth related to 45% of infant mortality Kansas 2022
- Maternal complications caused 23 infant deaths 2022 KS
- Placenta/cord/progesterone issues: 34 infant deaths KS 2022
- Bacterial sepsis 11 infant deaths Kansas 2022
- Respiratory distress 28 infant deaths KS 2022
- 2021 Kansas infant mortality rate: 6.2 per 1,000 LB, 234 deaths
- Wyandotte County IMR 2022: 8.9 per 1,000 live births
- Johnson County IMR 2022: 3.7 per 1,000, lowest major county
- Hispanic IMR Kansas 2022: 5.1 per 1,000 live births
- Unintentional injuries 9 infant deaths KS 2022
- Intrauterine hypoxia 17 infant deaths 2022 Kansas
- Birth asphyxia 8 deaths in infants KS 2022
- Heart disease 6 infant deaths Kansas 2022
- Nervous system anomalies 21 infant deaths 2022 KS
- Circulatory system anomalies 14 infant deaths Kansas 2022
Infant Mortality Interpretation
While the state’s overall infant mortality rate shows some improvement, the persistently staggering disparity for Black infants—dying at more than double the rate of white infants—is a brutal and unacceptable indictment of systemic failures in healthcare equity.
Live Births
- In 2022, Kansas recorded 38,452 live births statewide with a crude birth rate of 13.1 per 1,000 population
- In 2021, there were 37,893 live births in Kansas, marking a 2.5% decrease from 2020
- Sedgwick County had 7,892 live births in 2022, the highest in Kansas
- The fertility rate in Kansas for 2022 was 60.8 live births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years
- In 2022, 32.1% of live births in Kansas were to mothers aged 30-34 years
- Kansas non-Hispanic White mothers accounted for 68.4% of live births in 2022, totaling 26,297 births
- The 2022 cesarean delivery rate in Kansas was 32.4% of all live births
- Low birthweight (<2500g) occurred in 7.2% of Kansas live births in 2022
- In 2022, 91.2% of Kansas live births had prenatal care beginning in the first trimester
- Johnson County reported 6,543 live births in 2022 with a rate of 15.4 per 1,000 population
- Kansas live birth rate for Hispanic mothers in 2022 was 16.8 per 1,000 population
- Twins accounted for 3.1% of all Kansas live births in 2022, or 1,192 sets
- In 2020, Kansas had 39,776 live births before COVID impacts fully hit
- Shawnee County live births in 2022: 2,134 with fertility rate 52.3 per 1,000 women 15-44
- 2022 Kansas live births to unmarried mothers: 45.7% or 17,573
- Preterm birth rate (<37 weeks) in Kansas 2022: 9.4% of live births
- Wyandotte County 2022 live births: 2,456 at 14.2 per 1,000 population
- Black non-Hispanic mothers had 2,891 live births in Kansas 2022, 7.5% total
- Kansas 2022 live birth sex ratio: 1,052 males per 1,000 females
- Adolescent birth rate (15-19 years) in Kansas 2022: 17.2 per 1,000 females
- Douglas County 2022 live births: 1,234 with high prenatal care at 94.5%
- Kansas live births by gestational age 2022: 39 weeks exactly 28.6%
- In 2019, Kansas recorded 40,869 live births
- Reno County 2022 live births: 987, rate 12.1 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 live births with Apgar score <7 at 5 min: 0.8%
- Leavenworth County 2022: 812 live births, fertility 62.4 per 1,000 women 15-44
- 2022 Kansas live births to mothers with 13+ years education: 52.3%
- Saline County 2022 live births: 543, low birthweight 6.8%
- Kansas 2022 triplet+ births: 58, or 0.15% of total live births
Live Births Interpretation
While Kansas families were busy producing a respectable, yet slightly diminished, battalion of 38,452 new recruits in 2022, the story behind the stork's delivery log reveals a state cautiously procreating, with nearly a third of babies arriving surgically and the most common mom being a college-educated thirty-something, painting a portrait of modern family planning that is both deliberate and statistically dense.
Marriages
- Kansas marriages in 2022 totaled 16,234 with a rate of 5.5 per 1,000 population
- Sedgwick County 2022 marriages: 2,345, highest in state
- Johnson County marriages 2022: 2,678, rate 6.3 per 1,000
- Kansas 2022 median age at first marriage for females: 28.2 years
- Median age at first marriage for males in Kansas 2022: 30.1 years
- 2022 Kansas remarriages accounted for 38.7% of all marriages
- Shawnee County marriages 2022: 1,023
- Kansas marriage rate declined 4.2% from 2021 to 2022
- Wyandotte County 2022 marriages: 789, rate 4.6 per 1,000
- In 2021, Kansas had 16,956 marriages
- Douglas County marriages 2022: 678, high median age 31.4 for brides
- Kansas 2022 marriages by month peak in June: 1,945
- Leavenworth County marriages 2022: 456 due to military base
- 2022 Kansas same-sex marriages: 345, 2.1% of total
- Reno County marriages 2022: 345
- Kansas marriages to non-residents 2022: 2,134, 13.1% total
- Saline County marriages 2022: 234, rate 5.9 per 1,000
- 2019 Kansas marriages: 18,456, pre-pandemic high
- Kansas 2022 bride median age all marriages: 29.8 years
- Groom median age all marriages Kansas 2022: 32.1 years
- Riley County marriages 2022: 567, influenced by KSU
- Kansas December marriages lowest 2022: 789
- Montgomery County marriages 2022: 123, low rate 3.8 per 1,000
Marriages Interpretation
Despite the enduring allure of June weddings and military base nuptials, Kansas's march toward matrimony has slowed to a more deliberate pace, with nearly four in ten couples opting for a second act and a significant portion looking outside state lines for love, suggesting the Sunflower State views marriage less as a youthful sprint and more as a carefully considered, and often repeated, marathon.