Background: The utility of employee wellness programs (EWPs) in cancer prevention and control is not well established. Purpose: This project is to determine the potential value of EWPs in preventing cancer by examining the characteristics of EWP participants and their prevalence of cancer risk factors. Methods: A secondary data analysis of health risk assessment (HRA) participants' data in the 2009 Kansas state EWP. Results: Among the 60,006 eligible participants, 9,202 (15.3%) completed an HRA. The prevalence of cancer risk factors were 59.7% for family cancer history, 7.7% for smoking, and 69.7% for overweight or obesity. Non-adherence rates in colorectal cancer screening, breast cancer screening, and cervical cancer screening were 28%, 12.2%, and 12.6%, respectively. Discussion: Overall, 94.4% of all HRA participants had at least one cancer risk factor. The majority of HRA participants were at risk for cancer, indicating the potential high impact of EWP-based cancer prevention programs. However, the low HRA participation rate and related self-selection bias of healthy workers severely undermines the utility of EWPs in cancer prevention. Translation to Health Education Practice: More health education and intervention programs should be implemented in employee communities to promote higher HRA participation rates to reduce this bias and realize the full potential impact of EWPs. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)