STD Rates in Kansas
CDC surveillance data for Kansas covering chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV — with 15-year trends, state comparisons, and national benchmarks.
Kansas sits almost exactly in the middle of the national STD landscape — 27th out of 50 states in 2023, with a combined rate of 611.3 cases per 100,000 people. That ranking suggests a state hovering near average, but the trends underneath it are moving in different directions at the same time, and not all of them are heading the same way.
Chlamydia is the most common STD in Kansas, as it is everywhere, but the state's 2023 rate of 453.8 per 100,000 actually comes in below the national median of 471.3 — and it's been falling since peaking at 524.7 in 2019. That's a real shift. For most of the past 15 years, Kansas tracked steadily upward on chlamydia, nearly doubling from 224.9 in 2000. The recent decline suggests the peak may have passed, though the rate is still nearly twice what it was at the start of the century.
Gonorrhea tells a sharper story. After nearly tripling between 2013 and 2021 — from 74.7 to 192.4 per 100,000 — the rate has now pulled back two years in a row, dropping 15.3% in 2023 alone to 144.0. That puts Kansas below the national median of 152.2 for the first time in several years. Syphilis moves in the opposite direction. It's still below the national median of 14.8, but at 13.5 per 100,000, it rose another 14.4% in 2023. Since 2008, when the rate was just 1.1, it has increased more than elevenfold.
HIV diagnoses in Kansas have stayed relatively low and stable, ranging between 115 and 155 cases per year from 2017 to 2022 — the most recent years with available data. The rate dipped in 2020, likely reflecting pandemic-related disruptions to testing rather than an actual decline, and has since settled near 5.4 per 100,000. If you're in Wichita, Overland Park, or Kansas City, STDTest.com can help you find a testing location nearby.
STD Trends in Kansas
Kansas's chlamydia rate has been declining since 2019, and in 2023 it fell below the national median of 471.3 for the first time in recent history — landing at 453.8 per 100,000. That's a meaningful reversal after nearly two decades of almost uninterrupted increases from 224.9 in 2000. The long-run rise of roughly 38% since 2008 is still visible in the numbers, but the current trajectory is downward.
Gonorrhea nearly tripled in Kansas between 2013 and its peak in 2021, one of the sharper long-run increases in the state's STD record — up 77% from 2008 alone. The 2023 rate of 144.0 per 100,000 represents a 15.3% single-year drop and puts Kansas back below the national median of 152.2. Whether this is a sustained reversal or a temporary dip remains to be seen, but two consecutive years of decline after a decade of growth is a notable shift.
Syphilis in Kansas has undergone one of the most sustained climbs of any STD in the state's data — rising from just 1.1 per 100,000 in 2008 to 13.5 in 2023, an increase of more than 1,100%. It's still just below the national median of 14.8, but it gained another 14.4% in 2023 while chlamydia and gonorrhea both fell. The contrast is notable: two diseases declining, one still climbing.
Kansas HIV data runs through 2022 and shows a state with relatively low and fairly stable diagnosis rates, generally between 5 and 7 cases per 100,000 residents annually. The 2020 figure — 141 cases at a rate of 5.8 — likely reflects pandemic disruptions to testing access rather than a true reduction in transmission. By 2022, the rate had returned to 5.4, close to where it stood in 2019.
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Kansas vs National Average
Comparing 2023 rates against the U.S. median across all 50 states.
| Infection | Kansas | US Median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 453.8 | 471.3 | 3.7% below |
| Gonorrhea | 144 | 152.2 | 5.4% below |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 13.5 | 14.8 | 8.8% below |
What the numbers mean — and what to do about them
In 2023, Kansas recorded more than 18,000 combined diagnoses of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis — roughly 611 cases for every 100,000 residents. That puts the state just below the national midpoint, which sounds reassuring until you consider that chlamydia alone accounted for more than 13,300 of those cases, most of them in people who had no idea they were infected. The numbers represent a steady background level of transmission that testing is the only reliable way to detect.
The trend worth watching most closely in Kansas is syphilis. It has risen more than 1,100% since 2008, and unlike gonorrhea and chlamydia — both of which declined in 2023 — syphilis kept climbing. Like chlamydia, syphilis is frequently asymptomatic in its early stages, which means it can be transmitted and go untreated for months or years without anyone realizing it. That's how a disease with a low absolute case count can still drive meaningful ongoing spread.
If you live in Wichita, Overland Park, or Kansas City, routine testing is the most practical response to what Kansas's data actually shows. You don't need symptoms to benefit from a test — in fact, most people who test positive for chlamydia or early syphilis report none. Kansas's syphilis rate climbed another 14% in a single year while most people weren't paying attention. STDTest.com can show you where to get tested today.
WHO SHOULD GET TESTED
Anyone sexually active in Kansas should consider routine testing, but the state's syphilis trend and historically elevated gonorrhea rates make testing especially relevant for men who have sex with men, people with multiple partners, and adults under 25 — who account for a disproportionate share of Kansas's chlamydia diagnoses year after year.
HOW OFTEN
Once a year is a reasonable starting point given Kansas's near-median STD rates, but the ongoing rise in syphilis and the state's long-run gonorrhea increase suggest that people with higher exposure risk should test every three to six months. Kansas's chlamydia rate, while declining, is still nearly double what it was in 2000.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Most STD tests involve a urine sample, a swab, or a blood draw depending on what's being tested — the whole process typically takes under 15 minutes. Results are confidential, and many clinics in Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City offer same-day or next-day appointments. If a result comes back positive, treatment for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis is straightforward with antibiotics.
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