More Kansans think the state economy is doing well

KANSAS (KSNT) - An increasing number of Kansans said they considered the state's economy 'good' or 'excellent' this year, but national concerns are growing, according to the 2025 Kansas Speaks Survey.

The Fort Hays State University Docking Institute released its 2025 version of the long-running Kansas Speaks survey on Oct. 27. Survey respondents were asked numerous questions, including what they thought about the state and national economy.

According to the survey, the number of Kansans who think the economy is 'very good' or 'excellent' is around 27%, an improvement over the past two years. In 2025, 46.6% of survey respondents were very concerned or moderately concerned that Kansas' economy would seriously threaten their family’s welfare, an increase over 2024 and similar to 2023.

While the percentage of Kansans who think the economy is good or excellent increased, 35.9% feel Kansas is on the wrong track this year, the highest in three years.

At the national level, only 17.5% of respondents think the economy is in good shape, according to the 2025 Kansas Speaks survey. A majority, 59.3%, are worried that national economic issues could impact their family and 56.7% reported they thought the country as a whole was heading in the wrong direction.

Support for family-focused policies is strong, according to the latest Kansas Speaks survey. A strong majority of 86% responded that affordable childcare helps the economy. Just over 91% of respondents said affordable childcare is extremely or highly important and 64% believe that education past high school is a good investment.

Regarding elderly care, 77.3% support increasing investments in care for older adults. Even more Kansans, 86.6%, support mental health services for aging Kansans with 84% believing that seniors should be able to get long-term care in their communities.

Kansas is nearly surrounded by states that have minimum wages over $13 an hour. The Sunflower State, though, still has a minimum wage of $7.25/hr, which is the same as the federal minimum. There were two questions fielded on raising the minimum wage in Kansas that appeared on the survey:

• Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri have each set a minimum wage at over $13 per hour. Oklahoma and Kansas are both at $7.25 per hour. Minimum wage in Kansas is $7.25 per hour. Do you support increasing Kansas' minimum wage?
• Minimum wage in Kansas is $7.25 per hour. Do you support increasing Kansas' minimum wage?

When asked the question given border state context, 81.4% of Kansans are in support of raising the minimum wage. Without context, 79.5% are still in support of raising it.

FHSU’s Docking Institute used a panel of 526 adult Kansas residents to gather responses for the online survey from Sept. 26 to Oct. 14 this year. You can download a copy of the full 2025 survey and view surveys from previous years by clicking here.

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