Kansas, Missouri swapping residents

Missouri welcomed 163,000 new residents last year and Kansas 94,000, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. More people moved to the Show-Me State than left.

The census data compared 2022 population statistics to those from the previous year, showing that Missouri was the top destination for Kansas residents to move that year and vice versa. Other states that saw significant migration into and out of Missouri included neighboring states such as Illinois, Colorado and Oklahoma. High-population states such as Texas, Florida and California also made the list.

The state that contributed the largest number of people to Missouri’s population was neighboring Kansas, with more than 22,000 people migrating to Missouri in 2021. The second-biggest influx of residents came from Illinois, followed by those who moved from a foreign country or U.S. island territory.

Here’s a look at the top contributors to Missouri’s population in 2022:

1. Kansas, 22,333
2. Illinois, 20,646
3. Abroad, 18,047
4. California, 12,107
5. Florida, 9,750
6. Arkansas, 9,590

Missouri also lost around 157,000 residents in 2021 to state-to-state migration. Their top destination was Kansas, which claimed nearly 21,000 Missourians. Other high-volume destinations included Florida, Illinois and Texas. Here are the top states Missourians moved away to in 2021:

1. Kansas, 20,905
2. Illinois, 15,923
3. Texas , 12,766
4. Florida, 10,919
5. Arizona, 7,362
6. California, 6,369

Arizona is a top destination for Missourians but not a top contributor to its population. Conversely, neighboring Arkansas contributed significant numbers to Missouri in 2022 but wasn’t a top destination for its residents the same year. The census data also do not show how many Missourians moved out of the country in 2021,

Meanwhile, Kansas gained more than 94,000 residents from other states and countries in 2022 but also lost around 84,500 to other states.