Kansas is astate located in theMidwestern United States. According to the2023 United States Census estimate its population is 2,940,546 and Kansas has a growth rate of 0.09% annually, which ranks 31st among all 50 states. Kansas is the13th largest by land area spanning 81,758.72 square miles (211,754.1 km²) of land.^[1] Kansas is divided into 105counties and contains 627municipalities consisting of cities.^[2]

All incorporated communities in Kansas are calledcities, unlike in some states where some are called towns or villages (11 of 50 states only have cities).

Once a city is incorporated in Kansas, it will continue to be a city even after falling below the minimum required to become a city, and even if the minimum is later raised.^[3] A city can de-incorporate, but if citizens decide to re-incorporate at a later date, then new minimum requirements must be met.

By State law, cities in Kansas are divided into three classes.

• Cities of the 3rd Class - When a city incorporates, it becomes a city of the 3rd class. To incorporate, a city must generally have either 300 inhabitants or 300 or more platted lots served by water and sewer lines. This minimum requirement has increased since older historical minimum requirements.
• Cities of the 2nd Class - A city may petition to become a city of the 2nd class when its population is more than 2,000 but less than 15,000. A city whose population is between 2,000 and 15,000 may elect to remain a city of the 3rd class, but must become a city of the 2nd class when it reaches 15,000 population.
• Cities of the 1st Class - A city may petition to become a city of the 1st class when its population reaches 15,000. A city whose population is between 15,000 and 25,000 may elect to remain a city of the 2nd class but must become a city of the 1st class when it reaches 25,000 population.

Population data based on 2020 census and 2023 estimate with over 4,000 people. The city of Topeka, in addition to being the county seat for Shawnee County, is the state capital.

SeeKansas forts and posts for a historical list

As a supplement to the list of cities, the following military installations are provided because of their relative size in active duty and/or service members living on the post and their location within the borders of the state of Kansas. The table values for "Population in Quarters" includes reported totals of active duty, family, civilians, reservists, and retired personnel living on the installation.

As of 2016, over 85,000 people live on military installations in Kansas—including over 25,000active duty personnel. Although not considered "cities", these military installations certainly should be considered as population centers of note.^[6][7][8]