Kansas sales tax, and who sets it
Tax year 2026
Set by the state
6.5%
Set locally
2.21%
statewide average
Combined
8.71%
Local share
25.37%
of what you pay
Work out the tax on a purchase in Kansas
Add the tax on
8.71% effectiveThe general rate applies here: 8.71%, state and local combined. “Statewide average” is a comparison estimate. Named locations use the stored local rate; city and special-district coverage varies, so an address may differ. Rate source · as of 2026-07-01.
How Kansas's sales tax is put together
- The rate you pay in Kansas is built from two pieces. Kansas sets about 6.5%. Local government adds about 2.21% more on average across Kansas. Stack them and you get about 8.71% — the number that actually turns up on a receipt, and the one worth quoting.
- Kansas charges less on groceries than on other things, but it does still charge. The food rate is about 2.21%, which comes to $22 per thousand dollars spent. It is a real reduction. It is not the exemption most people assume when they hear their state went easy on food.
- Clothing is taxed at the ordinary rate in Kansas — $87 on a thousand dollars of it. That is the usual arrangement nationally, though a small group of states exempt apparel entirely. Prescription medicine, by contrast, is exempt here, as it is almost everywhere.
- Kansas sets its state rate at about 6.5% and permits locally-set add-ons on top; on average across Kansas that add-on is about 2.21% and the combined rate is about 8.71%. Both layers are substantive, so neither figure alone describes the charge. Published state-rate rankings capture only the first, which is why Kansas's position in such a table can differ markedly from its position on combined rates.
- Kansas levies a reduced grocery rate of about 2.21% — $22 per thousand dollars of food spending — rather than exempting food outright. Reduced-rate states are systematically misclassified in aggregate comparisons, and the error runs in the expensive direction for a reader who assumes exemption. The multiplier model this site uses exists because of exactly this group of states.
- Kansas applies its full combined rate to clothing, adding $87 to a thousand dollars of apparel. This is the majority treatment; a small group of states exempts clothing outright, and those exemptions are a larger source of variation in real household burden than the rate differences that dominate published comparisons. Prescription drugs are exempt in Kansas, consistent with essentially every sales-taxing state.
Sales tax on this purchase
A $75,000 salary
| Tax added | $8.71 |
|---|---|
| Rate appliedStatewide average | 8.71% |
Uses this location’s stored combined rate and category rule. Clothing is one item; address-level coverage varies.
Rates across this state
A $75,000 salary
| Counties in this state | 105 |
|---|---|
| Different rates among them | 14 |
| Lowest county rate | 6.5% |
| Highest county rate | 8.75% |
Most counties here share a rate with many others. The county line rarely changes what you pay.
County floors only — city, transit and special-district taxes are excluded where applicable.
At the register
A $75,000 salary
| Tax added | $8.71 |
|---|---|
| You hand over | $108.71 |
| Rate here | 8.71% |
Uses this location’s stored combined rate and category rule. Clothing is one item; address-level coverage varies.
How much of that was tax
A $75,000 salary
| Goods before tax | $98.43 |
|---|---|
| Rate applied | 8.71% |
Uses the selected combined rate for ordinary goods. Exempt items or a mixed receipt change the split.
Every county here
A $75,000 salary
| Lowest | 6.5% |
|---|---|
| Highest | 8.75% |
| Gap between them | 2.25% |
County floors only — city, transit and special-district taxes are excluded where applicable.
What gets taxed, in each
A $75,000 salary
Kansas
Statewide average
Texas
Harris County (Houston)
- Sales tax
- Fuel
- Tobacco
| Category | Kansas | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Groceries | 2.21% | Exempt |
| Clothing at $100 | 8.71% | 8.25% |
| Fuel | 24¢ | 20¢ |
| Tobacco | $1.29 | $1.41 |
Grocery and general rates use the locations named here. Clothing is one item priced at $100; a more expensive garment may be taxed differently. Fuel and tobacco have separate units and scales.
The split, county by county
The state rate is the same everywhere in Kansas. Anything beyond it was decided by a county or a city. These counties are a sample chosen to show the range, not a complete list.
| County | State | Local | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide average | 6.5% | 2.21% | 8.71% |
| Sedgwick County (Wichita) | same | 1% | 7.5% |
| Johnson County (Overland Park) | same | 2.85% | 9.35% |
What it costs on a thousand dollars
The same purchase in four categories, priced on average across Kansas. A flat thousand dollars is used deliberately — this is Kansas's own rate restated in money, not a claim about what anyone spends.
| What you're buying | Tax as share of price | Tax on $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| General goods | 8.71% | $87 |
| Groceries | 2.21% | $22 |
| Prescription drugs | 0% | $0 |
| Clothing | 8.71% | $87 |
Every county in Kansas
This is the whole state, not a sample — 105 counties, from 6.5% in Butler County up to 8.75% in Sherman County. These are county floors. City, transit and special-district taxes can add to them, so an address may pay more.
Complete county coverage for Kansas: 105 counties spanning 6.5% (Butler County) to 8.75% (Sherman County), across 14 distinct rates. Figures are county floors: the state rate plus the county's own levy, excluding municipal, transit and special-district taxes. The representative location figures earlier in the page may include additional local layers.
| County | State portion | County levy | Floor (state + county) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County | 6.5% | 1.25% | 7.75% |
| Anderson County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Atchison County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Barber County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Barton County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Bourbon County | 6.5% | 1.65% | 8.15% |
| Brown County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Butler County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Chase County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Chautauqua County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Cherokee County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Cheyenne County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Clark County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Clay County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Cloud County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Coffey County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Comanche County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Cowley County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Crawford County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Decatur County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Dickinson County | 6.5% | 1.75% | 8.25% |
| Doniphan County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Douglas County | 6.5% | 1.25% | 7.75% |
| Edwards County | 6.5% | 1.38% | 7.88% |
| Elk County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Ellis County | 6.5% | 0.5% | 7% |
| Ellsworth County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Finney County | 6.5% | 1.8% | 8.3% |
| Ford County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Franklin County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Geary County | 6.5% | 1.25% | 7.75% |
| Gove County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Graham County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Grant County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Gray County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Greeley County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Greenwood County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Hamilton County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Harper County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Harvey County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Haskell County | 6.5% | 0.5% | 7% |
| Hodgeman County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Jackson County | 6.5% | 1.65% | 8.15% |
| Jefferson County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Jewell County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Johnson County | 6.5% | 1.47% | 7.98% |
| Kearny County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Kingman County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Kiowa County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Labette County | 6.5% | 1.25% | 7.75% |
| Lane County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Leavenworth County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Lincoln County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Linn County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Logan County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Lyon County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Marion County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Marshall County | 6.5% | 0.5% | 7% |
| McPherson County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Meade County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Miami County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Mitchell County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Montgomery County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Morris County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Morton County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Nemaha County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Neosho County | 6.5% | 1.75% | 8.25% |
| Ness County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Norton County | 6.5% | 1.75% | 8.25% |
| Osage County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Osborne County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Ottawa County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Pawnee County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Phillips County | 6.5% | 0.5% | 7% |
| Pottawatomie County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Pratt County | 6.5% | 1.75% | 8.25% |
| Rawlins County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Reno County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Republic County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Rice County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Riley County | 6.5% | 0.7% | 7.2% |
| Rooks County | 6.5% | 0.5% | 7% |
| Rush County | 6.5% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Russell County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Saline County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Scott County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Sedgwick County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Seward County | 6.5% | 1.25% | 7.75% |
| Shawnee County | 6.5% | 1.35% | 7.85% |
| Sheridan County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Sherman County | 6.5% | 2.25% | 8.75% |
| Smith County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Stafford County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Stanton County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Stevens County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Sumner County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Thomas County | 6.5% | 1.75% | 8.25% |
| Trego County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Wabaunsee County | 6.5% | 1.5% | 8% |
| Wallace County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Washington County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Wichita County | 6.5% | 2% | 8.5% |
| Wilson County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Woodson County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
| Wyandotte County | 6.5% | 1% | 7.5% |
Streamlined Sales Tax member rate files plus individual state Department of Revenue rate tables — county-level rows only; city, transit and special-district levies excluded — as of 2026-01-01, last verified 2026-08-29.
What this page does not cover
- The first county table and calculator location list for Kansas are a sample, not a complete address lookup. They were chosen to show the range rather than to cover every address, so your own county may sit outside what you see. If you have a receipt to hand, the rate printed on it beats any figure on this page.
- One tax, not all of them. What you see here is Kansas's general sales tax. Gas, drink and cigarettes are taxed separately and those taxes are usually hidden inside the price. Hotels, restaurant meals and vehicle purchases often carry extra charges of their own on top.
- Categories have edges, and the edges are where the money is. Kansas sets its own rules for what falls inside each exemption. A roast chicken and the ingredients for one are not always taxed the same way, and neither are trainers and shoes. Those distinctions decide what a real shopping trip costs.
- The first county table and calculator location list for Kansas are representative rather than exhaustive. The listed jurisdictions illustrate the spread of local rates; they are not a complete enumeration, and an address outside them may carry a rate above or below anything shown. Where a complete county-floor table appears separately below, it covers counties but still excludes additional city and district taxes. Prefer the state revenue authority’s address lookup for a specific purchase.
- This covers Kansas's general sales tax in isolation. Fuel, alcohol and tobacco are subject to per-unit excise regimes that are generally included in the advertised price and are invisible at the point of sale. Lodging, prepared food and motor vehicle transactions commonly carry supplementary state or local levies beyond the general rate, so a transaction in one of those categories is not fully described by anything on this page.
- The three exemption classes recorded for Kansas describe treatment at category level only. Statutory definitions determine what actually qualifies: prepared, heated and ready-to-eat foods are commonly excluded from grocery exemptions, and clothing exemptions frequently exclude athletic footwear, accessories or items above a stated price. Effective burden on a real basket therefore depends on these boundaries at least as much as on the headline rate.
Questions people ask
Why is the tax at the register higher than the state rate?
Because the state rate is only the first layer. Counties, cities and special districts add their own on top, which takes about 6.5% up to about 8.71% — and it changes as you cross town lines rather than staying put.
Is food taxed at a lower rate here?
Not exempt, but not full rate either. Kansas applies a reduced rate to groceries, so food is taxed more lightly than other goods rather than not at all.
Is clothing exempt here?
No. A handful of states exempt clothing and Kansas is not one of them, so a coat is taxed exactly like a television. The exemption is unusual enough that assuming it is the common mistake.
Will the rate change if I shop in the next town?
Barely. The local portion is about 25.37% of the combined rate, so a statewide figure is close to right almost everywhere in Kansas.
What composes the combined rate in this state?
The combined rate is the state levy plus every local levy sourced to the point of sale. Kansas sets about 6.5%; the representative combined rate is about 8.71%, of which about 25.37% is decided locally. A single statewide figure is therefore an approximation.
What reduced rate applies to groceries in this state?
Kansas applies a preferential reduced rate to groceries rather than a full exemption. Local add-ons may or may not follow the reduced rate depending on state law, so the effective grocery rate is not always the state reduced rate alone.
How is apparel classified for sales tax in this state?
Kansas applies the standard rate to apparel with no general exemption. Only a small minority of states exempt clothing, and among those several impose per-item caps or exclude athletic and formal wear, so cross-state assumptions about apparel are unreliable.
How much intra-state variation is there in the combined rate?
Locally determined levies account for about 25.37% of the representative combined rate, so intra-state dispersion is limited and the statewide figure approximates most locations closely. Rates remain sourced to the point of sale.