Free State ResearchTracker
Map data updated 11/15 17:07 CT · what feeds this
| AT THE PUMP AND THE METER | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular gas | $3.87 Midwest | +32.9% a year | 11/09/26 · -0.23 this week |
| Diesel | $6.20 Midwest | +59.4% a year | 11/09/26 |
| Electricity | 15.47¢ per kWh, Kansas homes | +5.6% a year | August 2026 |
| Natural gas | $25.12 per thousand cubic feet, Kansas homes (about $2.42 a therm) | -4.3% a year | May 2026 |
| Propane | $2.30 a gallon, Kansas homes | +25.5% a year | 11/09/26 · +0.032 that week |
| AT THE STORE | |||
| Eggs, a dozen | $2.32 | Oct 2026 | |
| Milk, a gallon | $4.10 | Oct 2026 | |
| Bread, a loaf | $1.86 | Oct 2026 | |
| Ground beef, a pound | $6.75 | Oct 2026 | |
| Chicken, a pound | $4.10 | Oct 2026 | |
| Coffee, a pound | $9.25 | Oct 2026 | |
| THE WHOLE BASKET | |||
| Food at home, U.S. | – over a year | Oct 2026 · +0.4% over 3 months | |
| Everything, Kansas City | +3.6% over a year | Sep 2026 | |
| Everything, Midwest | – over a year | Oct 2026 · +1.6% over 3 months | |
| Everything, U.S. | – over a year | Oct 2026 · +1.1% over 3 months | |
| Shelter, U.S. | – over a year | Oct 2026 · +0.8% over 3 months | |
| Electricity, U.S. | – over a year | Oct 2026 · -1.3% over 3 months | |
| Piped gas, U.S. | – over a year | Oct 2026 · -1.9% over 3 months | |
| Water, sewer and trash, U.S. | – over a year | Oct 2026 · +1.3% over 3 months | |
Gas and diesel from EIA weekly, electricity and natural gas from EIA monthly, propane from EIA weekly through the heating season, the store and basket lines from the Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly; the map's Prices layers carry the same figures by market.
| the question, in the poll's words | favor | oppose | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top issue: groceries · rank the cost of groceries among their top five issues · the highest of 13 issues | 89.5% | — | new |
| Top issue: housing · rank the cost of housing among their top five issues | 86.7% | — | new |
| Top issue: Kansas economy · rank the Kansas economy in general among their top five issues · 45% rank it first | 85.7% | — | new |
| Top issue: energy · rank the cost of energy, including gasoline and diesel, among their top five issues | 82.0% | — | new |
| Top issue: abortion rights · rank abortion rights among their top five issues | 43.9% | — | new |
| Top issue: access to firearms · rank access to firearms among their top five issues | 21.8% | — | new |
| Kansas economy · rate the Kansas economy very good or excellent · oppose = poor or very poor | 20.4% | 17.5% | 27.7% |
| Kansas economy, past year · say the Kansas economy got better over the last 12 months · oppose = got worse; 36.1% said worse in 2025 | 11.2% | 48.6% | new |
| Kansas: right track · Kansas is on the right track | 36.5% | 41.1% | 44.9% |
| Nation: right track · the nation is on the right track | 25.6% | 65.3% | new |
| Data center near me · a new data center has been proposed for their community · oppose = no; 26.3% don't know | 36.0% | 37.7% | new |
| Data centers: energy use · extremely or definitely concerned about data center energy usage | 60.9% | — | new |
| Data centers: water use · extremely or definitely concerned about data center water usage | 55.3% | — | new |
| Data centers: local economy · a new data center would help the local economy · oppose = would hurt it; 22.6% say neither | 30.6% | 40.4% | new |
| Medicaid expansion · support expanding Medicaid in Kansas | 67.9% | 10.9% | 70.2% |
| Medicaid and rural hospitals · expanding Medicaid would help rural Kansas hospitals remain in business | 65.1% | 7.9% | 74.3% |
| Paid family and medical leave · support Kansas providing paid, job-related family and medical leave for all employees | 68.9% | 11.4% | new |
| Petition initiative · support Kansas adopting the petition initiative, when told all bordering states have it · 51.3% to 12.2% without being told | 58.4% | 7.7% | new |
| Fund education or cut taxes · funding education is more important than cutting taxes · oppose = cutting taxes is more important | 53.8% | 36.7% | new |
| K-12 tax dollars · comfortable supporting K-12 public schools with their tax dollars | 74.9% | 10.4% | new |
| Medical marijuana · support legalizing medical marijuana | 65.0% | 15.3% | 70.4% |
| Recreational marijuana · support legalizing recreational marijuana in general | 58.3% | 21.3% | 58.8% |
| Recreational marijuana, taxed · support legalizing recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older to allow state taxation | 60.9% | 20.9% | 64.8% |
| Cigarette and cigar taxes · support increasing taxes on cigarettes and cigars | 55.5% | 23.3% | 63.6% |
| Alcohol taxes · support increasing taxes on alcohol | 54.6% | 20.2% | 63.2% |
| Abortion: who decides · women are in a better position than politicians to make their own choices about abortion | 63.9% | 15.4% | 72.2% |
| Abortion: no state regulation · the Kansas government should not place any regulations on the circumstances under which women can get abortions | 54.0% | 26.9% | 59.5% |
| Abortion: new restrictions · support new laws from the Kansas Legislature that restrict access to abortion | 33.3% | 44.7% | new |
| Abortion: out-of-state travel ban · if Kansas banned abortion it should also make it illegal to travel out of state for one | 27.4% | 49.8% | 30.0% |
| Background checks · favor background checks on private gun sales and sales at gun shows | 69.2% | — | new |
| Concealed carry without a permit · adults should be allowed to carry concealed handguns without a license or permit | 28.8% | 55.7% | new |
| Legal immigrants and the economy · legal immigrants contribute to the economic vitality of Kansas | 61.4% | 14.4% | 64.1% |
| Too many immigrants · there are too many immigrants coming into the U.S. | 39.5% | 33.3% | 43.7% |
| Leave law-abiding undocumented people alone · illegal immigrants should be left alone by authorities if they don't break other laws | 39.6% | 38.0% | 44.4% |
| Detention camps · illegal immigrants should be arrested and held in detention camps awaiting deportation hearings | 36.8% | 43.3% | 38.1% |
| Governor Kelly · satisfied with the performance of Governor Laura Kelly | 46.9% | 29.1% | 47.0% |
| Senator Moran · satisfied with U.S. Senator Jerry Moran | 28.2% | 32.0% | new |
| The Kansas Legislature · satisfied with the Kansas Legislature | 27.4% | 34.6% | 34.0% |
| The Kansas Supreme Court · satisfied with the Kansas Supreme Court | 31.7% | 25.2% | new |
| Kansas Democratic Party · satisfied with the Democratic Party in Kansas | 32.8% | 40.3% | new |
| Kansas Republican Party · satisfied with the Republican Party in Kansas | 32.1% | 45.6% | new |
| President Trump · satisfied with President Trump | 32.9% | 54.0% | 43.5% |
| U.S. Congress · satisfied with the U.S. Congress | 19.6% | 53.7% | 21.4% |
The governor question. The university held it until after the vote: Holscher 43.05%, Masterson 40.81% among 506 registered voters, and 45.23% to 45.09% among the 377 who said they voted in both 2022 and 2024. The November 6, 2026, supplement ↗
The university's own wording and shares; the last column is the share who favored the same question a year earlier. The report and crosstabs ↗
| gas prices | 1.09× flat |
| inflation | 1.06× flat |
| public schools | 1.03× flat |
| unemployment | 1.03× flat |
| guns | 1.02× flat |
| tariffs | 1.02× flat |
| electric bill | 1.00× flat |
| grocery prices | 1.00× flat |
| crime | 0.97× flat |
| minimum wage | 0.97× flat |
| health insurance | 0.93× flat |
| rent | 0.92× flat |
| Medicaid | 0.90× flat |
| immigration | 0.89× flat |
| property tax | 0.86× flat |
| drought | 0.86× flat |
| marijuana | 0.81× fading |
| data center | 0.76× fading |
| Kansas Legislature | 0.39× fading |
| abortion | 0.34× fading |
| Sharice Davids | 0.19× fading |
| Cindy Holscher | 0.14× fading |
| Derek Schmidt | 0.12× fading |
| Adam Hamilton | 0.09× fading |
| Ron Estes | 0.04× fading |
| Tracey Mann | 0.02× fading |
| Chris Mann | 0.00× fading |
| Jerry Moran | 0.00× fading |
| Pat Proctor | 0.00× fading |
One figure for the whole state, this week against last — a direction, not a level. Google Trends goes no finer than the media market (a metro/DMA, e.g. Wichita‑Hutchinson or Kansas City), never the county; the Search layer on the map above shows each term by market, and every county in a market carries that market's value. Read 2026-11-15 23:07 UTC.
| term | JOP | KC | STJ | TOP | WIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abortion | 13 | 18 | 31 | 22 | 15 |
| Adam Hamilton | 16 | 30 | – | 18 | 20 |
| Chris Mann | – | 2 | – | 4 | 2 |
| Cindy Holscher | 84 | 64 | 100 | 72 | 73 |
| crime | 27 | 30 | 24 | 28 | 32 |
| data center | 11 | 18 | 12 | 20 | 29 |
| Derek Schmidt | – | 15 | – | 53 | – |
| drought | 3 | 2 | – | 2 | 2 |
| electric bill | 2 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| gas prices | 20 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 19 |
| grocery prices | – | – | – | – | – |
| guns | 44 | 30 | 34 | 33 | 28 |
| health insurance | 31 | 35 | 32 | 42 | 49 |
| immigration | 5 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 11 |
| inflation | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Jerry Moran | – | 3 | – | 5 | 4 |
| Kansas Legislature | – | 1 | – | 10 | 2 |
| marijuana | 35 | 22 | 30 | 24 | 23 |
| Medicaid | 43 | 38 | 53 | 27 | 25 |
| minimum wage | 23 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
| Pat Proctor | – | 1 | – | 1 | 1 |
| property tax | 31 | 44 | 41 | 27 | 30 |
| public schools | 11 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 14 |
| rent | 74 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 75 |
| Ron Estes | – | 6 | – | – | 62 |
| Sharice Davids | 100 | 69 | – | 22 | 15 |
| tariffs | 1 | 2 | – | 2 | 2 |
| Tracey Mann | – | 10 | – | 25 | 23 |
| unemployment | 22 | 23 | 15 | 27 | 22 |
JOP Joplin-Pittsburg · KC Kansas City · STJ St. Joseph · TOP Topeka · WIC Wichita-Hutchinson Plus
Google Trends, past 7 days. Each number is the term’s share of search in that market among the terms Google compared it with: five at most, and they add up to 100 in each market. – = too little volume there to report. This is Google’s finest geography — the same numbers shade the map’s Search layer.
| Chris Mann Attorney General, pending canvass |
0.75× Press 2 stories this week (0.04×) · Wikipedia 3,368 views this week (2.49×) |
| Pat Proctor Secretary of State, pending canvass |
0.65× Press 3 stories this week (0.33×) · Wikipedia 1,433 views this week (0.77×) |
| Cindy Holscher Governor, pending canvass |
0.46× Google search 0.14×≈ · Press 127 stories this week (1.20×) · Wikipedia 47,124 views this week (0.69×) · YouTube 0.20×≈ · News search 0.00×≈ |
| Jerry Moran U.S. Senate |
0.40× Press 0 stories this week (0.00×) · Wikipedia 9,364 views this week (0.55×) |
| Derek Schmidt U.S. House, 2nd District |
0.33× Google search 0.12×≈ · Press 1 stories this week (0.08×) · Wikipedia 1,807 views this week (0.59×) |
| Ron Estes U.S. House, 4th District |
0.28× Google search 0.04×≈ · Press 2 stories this week (0.17×) · Wikipedia 858 views this week (0.52×) |
| Sharice Davids U.S. House, 3rd District |
0.28× Google search 0.19×≈ · Press 0 stories this week (0.00×) · Wikipedia 7,490 views this week (0.58×) |
| Tracey Mann U.S. House, 1st District |
0.25× Google search 0.02×≈ · Press 0 stories this week (0.00×) · Wikipedia 1,352 views this week (0.56×) |
| Adam Hamilton U.S. Senate, pending canvass |
0.15× Google search 0.09×≈ · Press 42 stories this week (0.10×) · Wikipedia 56,763 views this week (0.25×) · YouTube 0.16× |
One line per name: each source scaled to its own fortnight, then averaged, so the line is a shape and a momentum, never a level. YouTube and news interest by market are layers under Talk of. Read 2026-11-15 22:09 UTC.
| 3-month net change | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Libertarian | Other parties | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| statewide | +24,408 | +10,479 | -17,968 | +72 | +196 | +17,187 |
Every column is a headcount from the Secretary of State's monthly county workbooks, 2026-07 to 2026-10. All is the state's own total, so it includes the minor parties the first five columns do not; the five add up to it.
Shares now: D 25.7% · R 44.5% · unaffiliated 28.5%. The map's "Dem + unaffiliated net gain vs Republican" layer is per 1,000 registered over the same 3 months; a county can rank high because Republicans lapsed, not because Democrats joined — the click panel shows which.
The federal WARN Act makes an employer give about 60 days' notice before a plant closing or mass layoff — the earliest hard sign a county is about to lose a big employer, well before it reaches the unemployment rate. Kept for a year; the last 240 days feed the map, weighted so a fresh notice counts most and its weight halves every 90 days. A notice's city is sometimes the company's out-of-state headquarters, so the place shown is the Kansas site or, failing that, its workforce region.
| notice date | employer | where | age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-10 | General Motors | Wyandotte County | 5d |
| 2026-11-05 | Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation | Johnson County | 10d |
| 2026-10-29 | Family Endeavors, Inc. | Kansas WorkforceONE (western & north-central KS) | 17d |
| 2026-05-01 | First Student | Kansas WorkforceONE (western & north-central KS) | 198d |
| 2026-03-27 | Ashley Clinic/Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center | Allen County | 233d |
| 2026-02-27 | First Brands Group, LLC (Horizon Global) · context | Johnson County | 261d |
| 2026-02-23 | First Brands Group, LLC (Hopkins) · context | Johnson County | 265d |
| 2026-02-23 | First Brands Group, LLC (Hopkins) · context | Lyon County | 265d |
| 2026-02-13 | Lowe's · context | Workforce Partnership (Kansas City metro) | 275d |
| 2026-01-30 | Vornado Air, LLC. · context | Butler County | 289d |
Sources: NWS alerts, US Drought Monitor, BLS county unemployment, CDC ILINet via Delphi, WastewaterSCAN, Google News and Kansas subreddit feeds. Rankings and momentum — not levels to quote.