Kansas was originally home to 36 Indian tribes before white settlers began to settle in 1854. There are still remnants of six original tribes in the state. There were 24,936 Indians in Kansas as of 2000.

Black Americans in Kansas numbered 154,198, or 5.7% of the population, in 2000, Hispanics and Latinos numbered 188,252. The 2000 census recorded 46,806 Asian residents, the largest group being 11,623 Vietnamese (up from 6,001 in 1990), followed by 8,153 Asian Indians and 7,624 Chinese. The foreign born numbered 80,271 (2% of the population) in 2000, the most common lands of origin being Mexico, Germany, and Vietnam.

Protestant missions played an important role in early Kansas history. Isaac McCoy, a Baptist minister, was instrumental in founding the Shawnee Baptist Mission in Johnson County in 1831. Later Baptist, Methodist, Quaker, Presbyterian, and Jesuit missions became popular in Kansas.

Roman Catholics constitute the largest single religious group in the state, with 405,844 adherents in 2000. The leading Protestant denominations in 2000 were the United Methodist Church, with 206,187 adherents followed by the Southern Baptist Convention, 101,696 adherents and the American Baptist Church of 64,312. The estimated Jewish population in 2000 was 14,500, which represents an increase of over 5,000 adherents since 1990. There were over 18,000 Mennonites throughout the state and about 3,470 Muslims.