I didn't realize NE had a lower population, but it does.

Per DuckAssist, whatever that is (top of DuckDuckGo search results):

"As of July 1, 2023, Nebraska's population is estimated to be 1,978,379."

"The population of Kansas was 2,937,880 according to the 2020 census."

I guess that makes sense, since KS has Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas, plus a bunch of KC suburbs, whereas NE has only Omaha and Lincoln.