Kansas ranks as 10th most religious state, while ‘nones’ continue to increase

A study of American's religious attitudes and behaviors showed Kansas ranking in the top 10 most religious states in the country, but state numbers that indicate a decline in religiosity have yet to stabilize like they have on a national scale. (Erica Shires/Getty Images)

TOPEKA — The number of Kansans who are not affiliated with any religion, sometimes called “nones,” has doubled since 2007, in keeping with a national trend of a less religious but more spiritual America.

However, despite a nearly 15 percentage point decrease in the number of religiously affiliated Kansans in the past 16 years, a September report from the Pew Research Center ranked Kansas as the 10th most religious state in the country.

Christianity remains the dominant religion in Kansas, led by Protestants and Catholics, according to Pew’s religious landscape study that surveyed nearly 37,000 American adults. The national study showed that Christians in particular have stabilized their numbers since 2020, showing they make up anywhere from 60-64% of U.S. adults.

Kansas sits above the national average with 70% of adults identifying with Christianity. But more and more Kansans have rejected religion, favoring spirituality instead.

Atheists, agnostics and “nones” in Kansas have grown from 14% of adults in 2007 to 20% in 2014 and 28% in the most recent survey.

In 2023 and 2024, 60% of Kansans surveyed considered themselves at least somewhat religious, compared to 72% who considered themselves somewhat or very spiritual. Around 30% of adults in Kansas said in the most recent survey that religion is not too or not at all important, and 43% said it was very important. That’s a marked increase from 2007, when 13% said religion was not important and 61% said it was very important.

In 2014, 76% of Kansans said they were religious, and in 2007, 84% of Kansans claimed a religion. Most Kansas Christians in the most recent survey said they were evangelical or mainline Protestant. Catholics now make up about 18% of Kansas’ Christian population, while less than 1% of Kansans practice other religions.

The percentage of Kansans who attend religious services weekly has declined from 48% in 2007 to 34% in 2023 and 2024. Those who seldom or never attend services grew from 21% to 40%.

Pew cautioned trend comparisons with its most recent data because the two previous surveys were conducted by phone, while the 2023-2024 survey was conducted mostly online and on paper.