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36 YEARS SINCE THE LAST COMMUNITY STUDY

This study, the first of its kind since 1985, provides a fresh portrait of the local Jewish community.

18,400 JEWISH ADULTS

Approximately 28,300 adults and children, of whom 22,100 are Jewish, living in 12,600 households.

3,600 JEWISH CHILDREN

37% of Jewish children in grades 6-12 participate in Jewish youth group/teen programs.

The 2021 Greater Kansas City Jewish Community Study employed state-of-the-art methods to create a comprehensive portrait of the present-day Jewish community in Kansas City and the surrounding area.


This report is based on survey data collected from 989 Jewish households in Greater Kansas City, completed between April and July 2021. This study is a first step in identifying communal trends; generating questions to explore; and determining strategies, programs, and policies to enhance Jewish life in Greater Kansas City.

SEE STUDY RESULTS

The study aimed to:

  • Estimate the number of Jewish adults and children in the community, as well as the number of non-Jewish adults and children residing in Jewish households
  • Describe the community in terms of age and gender, geographic distribution, health and economic well-being, and other sociodemographic traits
  • Measure participation in Jewish communal programs and organizations
  • Assess the multifaceted cultural, communal, and religious expressions of Judaism that constitute Jewish engagement
  • Assess attitudes toward Judaism, the Jewish community in Greater Kansas City and around the world, and Israel
     

In The News: As results of the community study are assessed, community-wide planning begins (Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, July 2022)

Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, which commissioned the study, released the results this past March and since then has convened meetings with community leaders and representatives from community institutions to review the data and insights and identify areas for community-wide collaborative planning.

Community Study Town Hall

Recording of the March 15, 2022 virtual town hall with the results of the KC Community Study.

Getting to Know Jew Podcast: Matt Boxer And The Kansas City Jewish Community Study

Dr. Matt Boxer is an assistant research professor at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, and lead the Jewish community study of the Greater Kansas City Area. He discusses key takeaways of the study, from welcoming intermarried families, to addressing mental health, and how the Kansas City Jewish population is looking pretty different from what many community members might expect.

More Resources

COMPARISON CHARTS

Demographics

Jewish Background

Subpopulations

Location

Jewish Education

Synagogue and Ritual

Jewish Connections

Antisemitism and Current Events

Israel

Organizations and Philanthropy

Health

Finance