List of cities in Kansas
is a state located in the Midwestern United States. As of the 2020 census, 2,937,880 of the 2,970,606 residents of Kansas lived in a city in the 2024 estimate.
Kansas is the 34th-most populous state with 2,970,606 inhabitants but the 13rd-largest by land area spanning of land. Kansas is divided into 105 counties and contains 626 municipalities consisting of cities.
City requirements
All incorporated communities in Kansas are called cities, unlike in some states where some are called towns or villages.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. 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.
Cities
Military installations
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 25,000 active duty personnel. Although not considered "cities", these military installations certainly should be considered as population centers of note.
| Installation | Population in quarters | Active duty personnel | County |
| Fort Riley | 54,957 | 18,553 | Riley and Geary |
| McConnell Air Force Base | 17,523 | 2,989 | Sedgwick |
| Fort Leavenworth | 12,733 | 5,383 | Leavenworth |
Fictional cities
- Flowers, Kansas, from the book The Van Gogh Cafe, located on I-70 interstate.
- Jericho, Kansas, setting of the 2006 TV series Jericho, located approximately where the real cities of Colby and Oakley are located in northwest Kansas.
- Rustwater, Kansas, the setting of the 1992 film Leap of Faith.
- Smallville, Kansas, childhood hometown of fictional character Superman.
- Stubbville, Kansas, the town the "people train" passes through near Wichita in the film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
- Nowhere, Kansas, the nearest town to the main farmhouse in the 1999 animated series Courage the Cowardly Dog.
- Rachel, Kansas, the setting of the 1966 film, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.
- Pork Corners, Kansas, hometown of Sgt. Orville Snorkel of Beetle Bailey comics.