Barber County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the Oklahoma border in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 4,228 at the 2020 census and covers 1,136 square miles (2,940 km2) centred near 37°14′N 98°41′W.
Medicine Lodge is the county seat, and its postal code is 67104. The county has seven incorporated cities and a handful of unincorporated communities, is in the Central time zone, and carries FIPS county code 20007.
Towns & Villages in Barber County
Barber County has seven incorporated cities, one census-designated place, and several unincorporated communities and former townsites scattered across its ranchland. “Unincorp.” below marks places with no city government today; several are little more than a grain elevator and a few houses.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine Lodge | City · seat | 2,142 | 67104 |
| Kiowa | City | — | 67070 |
| Sharon | City | — | 67138 |
| Hardtner | City | — | 67057 |
| Hazelton | City | — | 67061 |
| Isabel | City | — | 67065 |
| Sun City | City | — | 67143 |
| Lake City | CDP | 5 | 67071 |
| Aetna | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Deerhead | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eldred | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Elm Mills | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Forest City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gerlane | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mingona | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pixley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stubbs | Unincorp. | — | — |
The old list on this page repeated Lake City twice; the duplicate row has been removed. Lake City is a census-designated place rather than an incorporated town, and at just 5 residents it is the smallest place in the county.
ZIP Codes
- 67104 — Medicine Lodge (post office town for the county seat)
- 67070 — Kiowa
- 67138 — Sharon
- 67057 — Hardtner
- 67061 — Hazelton
- 67065 — Isabel
- 67143 — Sun City
- 67071 — Lake City
The unincorporated communities—Aetna, Deerhead, Eldred, Elm Mills, Forest City, Gerlane, Mingona, Pixley, and Stubbs—have no ZIP code of their own and are served by mail from the nearest incorporated town.
Geography
Barber County sits on the Gyp Hills, a red-rock plateau of gypsum-capped buttes and canyons that gives the county its distinctive scenery along the Medicine Lodge and Salt Fork Arkansas rivers. Ranchland and the Red Hills State Wildlife Area cover much of the terrain, and the county has 1,134 square miles of land against 2.1 square miles of water.
Barber County borders Pratt County to the north, Kingman County to the northeast, Harper County, Kansas to the east, Comanche County and Kiowa County to the west, and two Oklahoma counties along its southern line, including Harper County, Oklahoma to the southeast. Its other Kansas neighbor with a page on this site is Kiowa County, Kansas.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 4,228 residents, down slightly from prior decades as the county’s ranching economy has shed population like much of rural western Kansas. Medicine Lodge is by far the largest place, home to just over half the county’s residents, followed distantly by Kiowa. Barber County’s median household income runs well below the Kansas median of $70,333, typical of a sparsely populated agricultural county. Population density is under 4 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Cattle ranching and wheat farming anchor the local economy, alongside oil and gas production in the Anadarko Basin that underlies the southern part of the county. Medicine Lodge is the commercial hub, home to the county’s schools, hospital, and the Barber County Courthouse. The city stages the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant, a historical re-enactment held every few years, and Gyp Hills scenery draws hikers and hunters to the Red Hills.
History
Barber County was organized on February 26, 1867, from parts of Washington, Peketon, and Marion counties. It is named for Thomas Barber, a free-state settler killed during the Bleeding Kansas conflict in 1855; the name was briefly misspelled “Barbour” before being corrected. Medicine Lodge is where the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty was signed with southern Plains tribes, and in 1900 temperance activist Carrie Nation smashed her first saloon in the town of Kiowa. In 1884, vigilantes hanged the captured members of a gang that had robbed and killed a Medicine Lodge bank cashier.
Getting There
U.S. Route 160 and U.S. Route 281 cross at Medicine Lodge, the county’s main highway junction.
- Wichita — 90 miles east
- Pratt — 30 miles north
- Alva, Oklahoma — 35 miles south
- Dodge City — 85 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Barber County?
It is in south-central Kansas, on the Oklahoma border.
What is the population of Barber County?
4,228 at the 2020 census.
How big is Barber County?
1,136 square miles (2,940 km2), of which 1,134 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Barber County?
Medicine Lodge is the county seat.
How many towns are in Barber County?
Seven incorporated cities plus the Lake City CDP and nine unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Barber County?
67057, 67061, 67065, 67070, 67071, 67104, 67138, and 67143.
Who is Barber County named after?
Thomas Barber, a free-state settler killed during Bleeding Kansas in 1855.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.