List of counties in Kansas

This is a list of counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. Select from the links at right to go directly to an article, or browse the listing below for additional information. Every license plate issued by the state contains the same two-letter abbreviation for the county in which its vehicle is registered.

Counties of Kansas
AL AN AT BA BT BR BB BU CS CQ CK CN CA CY CD CF CM CL CR DC DK DP DG ED EK EL EW FI FO FR GE GO GH GT GY GL GW HM HP HV HS HG JA JF JW JO KE KM KW LB LE LV LC LN LG LY MN MS MP ME MI MC MG MR MT NM NO NS NT OS OB OT PN PL PT PR RA RN RP RC RL RO RH RS SA SC SG SW SN SD SH SM SF ST SV SU TH TR WS WB WA WH WL WO WY
Location	State of Kansas
Number	105
Populations	1,152 (Greeley) – 632,276 (Johnson)
Areas	151 square miles (390 km2) (Wyandotte) – 1,428 square miles (3,700 km2) (Butler)
Government	County government
Subdivisions	Cities, towns, townships, unincorporated communities, Indian reservations, census-designated places

Overview

Kansas has 105 counties, the fifth-highest total of any state. The first counties were established while Kansas was a Territory from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when Kansas became a state. Many of the counties in the eastern part of the state are named after prominent Americans from the late 18th and early-to-mid-19th centuries, while those in the central and western part of the state are named for figures in the American Civil War. Several counties throughout the state bear names of Native American origin.

Wyandotte County and the city of Kansas City,^[1] and Greeley County and the city of Tribune, operate as unified governments.^[2]

The FIPS state code for Kansas is 20.

Alphabetical list

County	FIPS code[3]	County seat[4]	Est.[4]	Origin	Etymology[5]	County code	Population (2024 estimate)[6]	Area[4]	Map
Allen County	001	Iola	1855	One of the original 36 counties	William Allen, U.S. Senator from Ohio and prominent supporter of westward expansion	AL	12,425	503 sq mi (1,303 km2)
Anderson County	003	Garnett	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Joseph C. Anderson, Kansas territorial legislator and Border Ruffian during "Bleeding Kansas"	AN	7,908	583 sq mi (1,510 km2)
Atchison County	005	Atchison	1855	One of the original 36 counties	David Rice Atchison, U.S. Senator from Missouri and Border Ruffian during "Bleeding Kansas"	AT	16,249	432 sq mi (1,119 km2)
Barber County	007	Medicine Lodge	1867	From unorganized area	Thomas W. Barber, prominent Free-Stater killed in the Wakarusa War	BA	4,070	1,134 sq mi (2,937 km2)
Barton County	009	Great Bend	1867	From unorganized area	Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross	BT	24,835	894 sq mi (2,315 km2)
Bourbon County	011	Fort Scott	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Bourbon County, Kentucky, from which many original settlers hailed	BB	14,424	637 sq mi (1,650 km2)
Brown County	013	Hiawatha	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Browne County)	Albert Gallatin Brown, U.S. Senator from Mississippi and Kansas statehood advocate	BR	9,142	571 sq mi (1,479 km2)
Butler County	015	El Dorado	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Andrew Pickens Butler, U.S. Senator from South Carolina and Kansas statehood advocate	BU	69,158	1,428 sq mi (3,699 km2)
Chase County	017	Cottonwood Falls	1859	Formed from Butler and Wise counties	Salmon Portland Chase, U.S. Senator from Ohio and Kansas statehood advocate	CS	2,507	776 sq mi (2,010 km2)
Chautauqua County	019	Sedan	1875	Formed from Howard County	Chautauqua County, New York, from which many early settlers hailed	CQ	3,339	642 sq mi (1,663 km2)
Cherokee County	021	Columbus	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly McGee County)	Cherokee Native Americans, whose lands borders the county in nearby Indian Territory	CK	19,133	587 sq mi (1,520 km2)
Cheyenne County	023	Saint Francis	1873	From unorganized area	Cheyenne Native Americans, who inhabited the area	CN	2,646	1,020 sq mi (2,642 km2)
Clark County	025	Ashland	1885	Formed from Ford County	Charles F. Clarke, Captain in 6th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry during American Civil War[7]	CA	1,873	975 sq mi (2,525 km2)
Clay County	027	Clay Center	1857	From unorganized area	Henry Clay, influential U.S. Senator from Kentucky	CY	7,969	644 sq mi (1,668 km2)
Cloud County	029	Concordia	1866	Formed from Washington (Formerly Shirley County)	William F. Cloud, Union general in the American Civil War who chiefly fought in Kansas and Missouri	CD	8,723	716 sq mi (1,854 km2)
Coffey County	031	Burlington	1855	One of the original 36 counties	A.M. Coffey, territorial legislator and Free-Stater during Bleeding Kansas	CF	8,301	630 sq mi (1,632 km2)
Comanche County	033	Coldwater	1867	From unorganized area	Comanche Native Americans, who lived in the area	CM	1,694	788 sq mi (2,041 km2)
Cowley County	035	Winfield	1867	Formed from Butler County	Matthew R. Cowley, Union lieutenant and distinguished Civil War hero	CL	34,186	1,126 sq mi (2,916 km2)
Crawford County	037	Girard	1867	Bourbon and Cherokee Counties	Samuel J. Crawford, third Governor of Kansas	CR	38,904	593 sq mi (1,536 km2)
Decatur County	039	Oberlin	1873	From unorganized area	Stephen Decatur, naval commodore and War of 1812 hero	DC	2,716	894 sq mi (2,315 km2)
Dickinson County	041	Abilene	1857	From unorganized area	Daniel Stevens Dickinson, U.S. Senator from New York and Kansas statehood advocate	DK	18,621	848 sq mi (2,196 km2)
Doniphan County	043	Troy	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Alexander William Doniphan, Mexican–American War hero and pro-slavery sympathizer in "Bleeding Kansas"	DP	7,575	392 sq mi (1,015 km2)
Douglas County	045	Lawrence	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Stephen Arnold Douglas, U.S. Senator from Illinois and advocate for the moderate popular sovereignty choice in the Kansas slavery debate	DG	121,989	457 sq mi (1,184 km2)
Edwards County	047	Kinsley	1874	Formed from Kiowa County	John H. Edwards, state senator who pushed for creation of the county	ED	2,731	622 sq mi (1,611 km2)
Elk County	049	Howard	1875	Formed from Howard County	Elk River, which originates in the county	EK	2,436	648 sq mi (1,678 km2)
Ellis County	051	Hays	1867	From unorganized area	George Ellis, Union lieutenant and distinguished Civil War hero	EL	29,007	900 sq mi (2,331 km2)
Ellsworth County	053	Ellsworth	1867	From unorganized area	Fort Ellsworth, a Union Civil War outpost in the area	EW	6,316	716 sq mi (1,854 km2)
Finney County	055	Garden City	1883	Formed from Arapahoe, Grant, Kearney and Sequoyah Counties	David W. Finney, tenth lieutenant governor of Kansas	FI	38,354	1,300 sq mi (3,367 km2)
Ford County	057	Dodge City	1867	From unorganized area	James H. Ford, Union general in the Civil War who mainly fought in Kansas and Missouri	FO	34,072	1,099 sq mi (2,846 km2)
Franklin County	059	Ottawa	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Benjamin Franklin, orator, writer, scholar, and founding father of the U.S.	FR	26,273	574 sq mi (1,487 km2)
Geary County	061	Junction City	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Davis County)	John White Geary, Union general in the Civil War who mainly fought in Kansas and Missouri, and who later became Kansas territorial governor	GE	35,459	384 sq mi (995 km2)
Gove County	063	Gove City	1868	From unorganized area	Grenville L. Gove, Captain in the 11th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War[8]	GO	2,658	1,072 sq mi (2,776 km2)
Graham County	065	Hill City	1867	From unorganized area	John L. Graham, Union captain and Civil War hero	GH	2,370	898 sq mi (2,326 km2)
Grant County	067	Ulysses	1888	Formed from Finney and Hamilton Counties	Ulysses Simpson Grant, commander of Union forces during the Civil War and U.S. President	GT	7,097	575 sq mi (1,489 km2)
Gray County	069	Cimarron	1887	Formed from Finney and Ford Counties	Alfred Gray, Kansas Secretary of Agriculture	GY	5,730	869 sq mi (2,251 km2)
Greeley County	071	Tribune	1873	From unorganized area	Horace Greeley, publisher of the New York Tribune and anti-slavery advocate	GL	1,152	778 sq mi (2,015 km2)
Greenwood County	073	Eureka	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Alfred B. Greenwood, U.S. Representative from Arkansas and Kansas statehood advocate	GW	5,871	1,140 sq mi (2,953 km2)
Hamilton County	075	Syracuse	1873	From unorganized area	Alexander Hamilton, first U.S. Treasury Secretary and founding father	HM	2,488	996 sq mi (2,580 km2)
Harper County	077	Anthony	1867	From unorganized area	Marion Harper, Union sergeant and Civil War hero	HP	5,413	802 sq mi (2,077 km2)
Harvey County	079	Newton	1872	Formed from McPherson, Sedgwick and Reno Counties	James M. Harvey, fifth governor of Kansas	HV	33,642	539 sq mi (1,396 km2)
Haskell County	081	Sublette	1887	Formed from Finney and Ford Counties	Dudley Chase Haskell, U.S. Representative from Kansas	HS	3,591	577 sq mi (1,494 km2)
Hodgeman County	083	Jetmore	1867	From unorganized area (Formerly Hageman County)	Amos Hodgman, Union captain and Civil War hero	HG	1,673	860 sq mi (2,227 km2)
Jackson County	085	Holton	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Calhoun County)	Andrew Jackson, seventh U.S. President	JA	13,525	657 sq mi (1,702 km2)
Jefferson County	087	Oskaloosa	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Thomas Jefferson, third U.S. President and founding father	JF	18,332	536 sq mi (1,388 km2)
Jewell County	089	Mankato	1867	From unorganized area	Lewis R. Jewell, Union colonel and Civil War hero	JW	2,899	909 sq mi (2,354 km2)
Johnson County	091	Olathe	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Thomas Johnson, Methodist missionary who was one of the state's first settlers	JO	632,276	477 sq mi (1,235 km2)
Kearny County	093	Lakin	1887	Formed from Finney and Hamilton Counties	Philip Kearny, American general in the Mexican–American and Civil Wars	KE	3,808	870 sq mi (2,253 km2)
Kingman County	095	Kingman	1872	Harper and Reno Counties	Samuel A. Kingman, Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court	KM	6,946	864 sq mi (2,238 km2)
Kiowa County	097	Greensburg	1886	Formed from Comanche and Edwards Counties	Kiowa Native Americans, who inhabited the area	KW	2,436	722 sq mi (1,870 km2)
Labette County	099	Oswego	1867	Formed from Neosho County	Pierre La Bette, French fur trapper who formed a peaceful relationship with area natives	LB	19,692	649 sq mi (1,681 km2)
Lane County	101	Dighton	1873	From unorganized area	James H. Lane, U.S. Senator from Kansas and Free-Stater during "Bleeding Kansas"	LE	1,482	717 sq mi (1,857 km2)
Leavenworth County	103	Leavenworth	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Henry Leavenworth, general in the Indian Wars who established a fort in the area	LV	84,670	463 sq mi (1,199 km2)
Lincoln County	105	Lincoln Center	1867	From unorganized area	Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth U.S. President	LC	2,928	719 sq mi (1,862 km2)
Linn County	107	Mound City	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Lewis Fields Linn, U.S. Senator from Kentucky whose family was later involved in the settlement of Kansas	LN	9,841	599 sq mi (1,551 km2)
Logan County	109	Oakley	1888	Formed from Wallace County (formerly named St. John County)	John Alexander Logan, prominent Union Civil War general and U.S. Senator from Illinois	LG	2,694	1,073 sq mi (2,779 km2)
Lyon County	111	Emporia	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Breckenridge County)	Nathaniel Lyon, first Union general to be killed in the Civil War	LY	32,520	851 sq mi (2,204 km2)
Marion County	115	Marion	1860	From unorganized area	Francis Marion, American Revolutionary War hero	MN	11,670	943 sq mi (2,442 km2)
Marshall County	117	Marysville	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Frank J. Marshall, state representative who became locally known for operating the first ferry over the Big Blue River	MS	9,950	903 sq mi (2,339 km2)
McPherson County	113	McPherson	1867	From unorganized area	James Birdseye McPherson, prominent Union Civil War general	MP	30,334	900 sq mi (2,331 km2)
Meade County	119	Meade	1885	Formed from Finney, Ford and Seward Counties	George Gordon Meade, Union Civil War general best known for his victory at the Battle of Gettysburg	ME	3,892	978 sq mi (2,533 km2)
Miami County	121	Paola	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Lykins)	Miami Native Americans, who lived in the area	MI	35,737	577 sq mi (1,494 km2)
Mitchell County	123	Beloit	1867	From unorganized area	William D. Mitchell, Union captain and Civil War hero	MC	5,803	700 sq mi (1,813 km2)
Montgomery County	125	Independence	1867	Formed from Wilson County	Richard Montgomery, Revolutionary War hero	MG	30,459	645 sq mi (1,671 km2)
Morris County	127	Council Grove	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Wise County)	Thomas Morris, U.S. Senator from Ohio and anti-slavery advocate	MR	5,279	697 sq mi (1,805 km2)
Morton County	129	Elkhart	1886	Formed from Seward County	Oliver P. Morton, Governor of Indiana and prominent anti-slavery advocate	MT	2,485	730 sq mi (1,891 km2)
Nemaha County	131	Seneca	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Nemaha River, which passes through the county	NM	10,062	719 sq mi (1,862 km2)
Neosho County	133	Erie	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Dorn County)	Neosho River, which passes through the county	NO	15,552	572 sq mi (1,481 km2)
Ness County	135	Ness City	1867	From unorganized area	Noah V. Ness, Corporal in 7th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry during Civil War[9]	NS	2,617	1,075 sq mi (2,784 km2)
Norton County	137	Norton	1867	From unorganized area (Formerly Billings (1873–79)	Orloff Norton, Union captain and Civil War hero	NT	5,335	878 sq mi (2,274 km2)
Osage County	139	Lyndon	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Weller County)	Osage River, which flows through the county	OS	15,737	704 sq mi (1,823 km2)
Osborne County	141	Osborne	1867	From unorganized area	Vincent B. Osborne, Union soldier and Civil War hero	OB	3,353	893 sq mi (2,313 km2)
Ottawa County	143	Minneapolis	1860	From unorganized area	Ottawa Native Americans, who lived in the area	OT	5,853	721 sq mi (1,867 km2)
Pawnee County	145	Larned	1867	From unorganized area	Pawnee Native Americans, who lived in the area	PN	6,012	754 sq mi (1,953 km2)
Phillips County	147	Phillipsburg	1867	From unorganized area	William Phillips, state legislator who pushed for creation of the county, and later U.S. Representative	PL	4,733	886 sq mi (2,295 km2)
Pottawatomie County	149	Westmoreland	1857	Formed from Calhoun and Riley	Pottawatomie Native Americans, who lived in the area	PT	26,876	844 sq mi (2,186 km2)
Pratt County	151	Pratt	1867	From unorganized area	Caleb Pratt, Union lieutenant and Civil War hero	PR	9,137	735 sq mi (1,904 km2)
Rawlins County	153	Atwood	1873	From unorganized area	John Aaron Rawlins, prominent Union Civil War general	RA	2,432	1,070 sq mi (2,771 km2)
Reno County	155	Hutchinson	1867	From unorganized area	Jesse L. Reno, prominent Union Civil War general	RN	61,417	1,254 sq mi (3,248 km2)
Republic County	157	Belleville	1868	Formed from Washington County	Republican River, which flows through the county	RP	4,613	716 sq mi (1,854 km2)
Rice County	159	Lyons	1867	From unorganized area	Samuel A. Rice, prominent Union Civil War general	RC	9,284	727 sq mi (1,883 km2)
Riley County	161	Manhattan	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Bennett C. Riley, Mexican–American War hero	RL	72,557	610 sq mi (1,580 km2)
Rooks County	163	Stockton	1867	From unorganized area	John C. Rooks, Private in 11th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry during Civil War[7]	RO	4,748	888 sq mi (2,300 km2)
Rush County	165	La Crosse	1867	From unorganized area	Alexander Rush, Union captain and Civil War hero	RH	2,810	718 sq mi (1,860 km2)
Russell County	167	Russell	1867	From unorganized area	Avra P. Russell, Union captain and Civil War hero	RS	6,620	885 sq mi (2,292 km2)
Saline County	169	Salina	1860	From unorganized area	Saline River, which flows through the county	SA	53,459	720 sq mi (1,865 km2)
Scott County	171	Scott City	1873	From unorganized area	Winfield Scott, Mexican–American War hero and unsuccessful presidential candidate	SC	4,914	718 sq mi (1,860 km2)
Sedgwick County	173	Wichita	1867	Formed from Butler County	John Sedgwick, highest ranking Union general killed in the Civil War	SG	536,081	1,000 sq mi (2,590 km2)
Seward County	175	Liberal	1873	From unorganized area	William Henry Seward, U.S. Secretary of State	SW	21,276	640 sq mi (1,658 km2)
Shawnee County	177	Topeka	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Shawnee Native Americans, who lived in the area	SN	177,942	550 sq mi (1,424 km2)
Sheridan County	179	Hoxie	1873	From unorganized area	Philip Henry Sheridan, prominent Union Civil War general	SD	2,397	896 sq mi (2,321 km2)
Sherman County	181	Goodland	1873	From unorganized area	William Tecumseh Sherman, prominent Civil War general	SH	5,796	1,056 sq mi (2,735 km2)
Smith County	183	Smith Center	1867	From unorganized area	J. Nelson Smith, Union major and Civil War hero	SM	3,541	896 sq mi (2,321 km2)
Stafford County	185	Saint John	1867	From unorganized area	Lewis Stafford, Union captain and Civil War hero	SF	3,901	792 sq mi (2,051 km2)
Stanton County	187	Johnson City	1887	Formed from Hamilton County	Edwin McMasters Stanton, U.S. Secretary of War during the Civil War	ST	2,071	680 sq mi (1,761 km2)
Stevens County	189	Hugoton	1886	Formed from Seward County	Thaddeus Stevens, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania who was a leader of Reconstruction politics	SV	5,035	728 sq mi (1,886 km2)
Sumner County	191	Wellington	1867	Formed from Butler County	Charles Sumner, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts who was a leader of Reconstruction politics	SU	22,336	1,182 sq mi (3,061 km2)
Thomas County	193	Colby	1873	From unorganized area	George Henry Thomas, prominent Union Civil War general	TH	7,802	1,075 sq mi (2,784 km2)
Trego County	195	WaKeeney	1867	From unorganized area	Edgar P. Trego, Union captain and Civil War hero	TR	2,774	888 sq mi (2,300 km2)
Wabaunsee County	197	Alma	1855	One of the original 36 counties (Formerly Richardson County)	Chief Wabaunsee, Potawatomi leader	WB	7,112	798 sq mi (2,067 km2)
Wallace County	199	Sharon Springs	1868	From unorganized area	W.H.L. Wallace, prominent Union Civil War general	WA	1,472	914 sq mi (2,367 km2)
Washington County	201	Washington	1857	From unorganized area	George Washington, first U.S. President and founding father	WS	5,572	898 sq mi (2,326 km2)
Wichita County	203	Leoti	1873	From unorganized area	Wichita Native Americans, who lived in the area	WH	2,072	719 sq mi (1,862 km2)
Wilson County	205	Fredonia	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Hiero T. Wilson, Union colonel and Civil War hero	WL	8,398	574 sq mi (1,487 km2)
Woodson County	207	Yates Center	1855	One of the original 36 counties	Daniel Woodson, five time acting governor of Kansas Territory	WO	3,111	501 sq mi (1,298 km2)
Wyandotte County	209	Kansas City	1859	Formed from Leavenworth and Johnson Counties	Wyandotte Native Americans, who lived in the area	WY	169,418	151 sq mi (391 km2)

Former counties of Kansas

1881 map of Kansas, showing Arrapahoe, Buffalo, Kansas, Kearney, Sequoyah, St. John counties

1893 map of Kansas, showing Garfield and Kearney counties

Sortable table

County	Dates	Notes	Source
Washington	1855–57	One of 36 Original Counties.	[10]
Seward	1861–67	Formerly part of Godfrey. Dissolved into Greenwood and Howard Counties.	[11]
Godfrey	1855–61	One of the Original 36 Counties. Name changed to Seward around 1861.	[12]
Hunter	1855–64	One of the Original 36 Counties. Dissolved into Butler County.	[13]
Irving	1860–64	Formed from Hunter County. Dissolved into Butler County.	[14]
Otoe	1860–64	Formed from Unorganized Area and dissolved into Butler County.	[15]
Shirley	1860–67	Formed from Unorganized Area and renamed Cloud County.	[16]
Peketon	1860–65	Formed from Unorganized Area and dissolved back into Unorganized Area.	[17]
Madison	1855–61	One of the Original 36 Counties. Dissolved into Breckenridge and Greenwood.	[18]
Howard	1867–75	Formed from Seward and Butler Counties. Dissolved into Chautauqua and Elk Counties.	[19]
Arapahoe	1873–83	Formed from Unorganized Area. Dissolved into Finney County.	[20]
Buffalo	1873–81	Formed from Unorganized Area. Dissolved into Gray County.	[21]
Foote	1873–81	Dissolved into Ford and Finney Counties.	[22]
Kansas	1873–83	Formed from Unorganized Area. Dissolved into Seward County.	[23]
Sequoyah	1873–83	Formed from Unorganized Area. Dissolved into Finney County.	[24]
Garfield	1887–93	Formed from Finney and Hodgeman Counties and merged into Finney County.	[25]
Billings	1873–74	Created from Norton County and returned to Norton County.	[26]
Davis	1855–89	One of 36 Original Counties, now part of Geary County.
Breckinridge	1855–62	Now Lyon County.	[27]

St. John County was established in 1881, and formed from the area to the east of range 38 in what was then part of Wallace County. In 1887, the name was changed to Logan County.^[28]

Kearney County was established on March 6, 1873, and was dissolved in 1883, with the land area being split between Hamilton and Finney counties. It was reestablished with its original borders in 1887, and organized on March 27, 1888. In 1889, the name was corrected to Kearny County (without an extra "e") to match the last name of Philip Kearny.^[29]

See also

• List of townships in Kansas
• List of cities in Kansas
• List of unincorporated communities in Kansas
• List of census-designated places in Kansas
• List of ghost towns in Kansas
• Lists of places in Kansas
• Kansas locations by per capita income
• Kansas census statistical areas
• Kansas license plate county codes