What Is the Abbreviation for Kansas?

What Is the Abbreviation for Kansas?

Kansas is abbreviated KS. Older sources may use Kans., but the two-letter postal form KS is the modern standard for addresses, forms, databases, and current style guides.

Use KS for Kansas in mailing addresses, shipping labels, official forms, and database entries.

Why Kansas Uses KS

Kansas uses the USPS abbreviation KS.

KS became Kansas's standard postal abbreviation in 1963. The older form Kans. still appears in older writing, but KS is the form used in current addresses and forms.

Old Abbreviation for Kansas

Before the USPS two-letter system became the mailing standard in 1963, printed reference books and newspapers often used longer abbreviations with punctuation. For Kansas, that older style was usually Kans..

That older form still appears in historical texts, archival material, and some legacy style guides, but the modern postal and database standard is KS. If someone searches for old abbreviation for Kansas, the practical answer is to recognize Kans. and use KS in current writing and addresses.

How to Write Kansas in an Address

In standard American addressing, the state line uses the city name followed by the two-letter code and ZIP Code. The abbreviation stays uppercase and does not take periods.

That same format applies in checkout forms, school worksheets, CRM exports, spreadsheets, shipping labels, and government databases — anywhere a two-letter state code is required.

KS Compared With Similar State Codes

KS is most often checked against KY because the two K-state abbreviations are easy to confuse in short lists and forms.

Related Abbreviation Questions

These states share a first letter, region, or alphabetical position with Kansas and are commonly checked alongside it.

Capital, Region, and Context

Kansas belongs to the Midwest region. Its capital is Topeka, and its postal code KS is used in addresses, forms, and databases throughout the country.

Kansas entered the Union on January 29, 1861.

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