Miami County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the Missouri state line in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It had a population of 34,191 at the 2020 census and covers 590 square miles (1,528 km2), of which 576 square miles are land and 15 square miles are water, centred near 38°35′N 94°51′W.
Paola is the county seat, and its postal code is 66071. The county has 5 incorporated cities, 3 census-designated places and about 14 unincorporated communities, grouped into 13 townships. Miami County observes Central time (UTC−6, UTC−5 in summer) and carries FIPS code 20121.
Towns & Villages in Miami County
Miami County’s largest places are its five incorporated cities, led by Spring Hill and Paola; three more places are unincorporated census-designated places (CDP), and roughly a dozen are informal unincorporated communities with no municipal government. The table below carries every named settlement still in use, dropping a duplicated old list entry for Somerset and a mobile-home park (Paola MH Park) that is not a distinct place.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paola | City · seat | Paola | 5,768 | 66071 |
| Spring Hill | City | — | 7,952 | 66083 |
| Osawatomie | City | Osawatomie | — | 66064 |
| Louisburg | City | — | — | 66053 |
| Fontana | City | — | — | 66025 |
| Bucyrus | CDP | — | — | — |
| Hillsdale | CDP | — | — | — |
| Somerset | CDP | — | — | — |
| Antioch | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Beagle | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Block | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Chiles | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Drexel Corner | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Henson | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jingo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lento | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Lancaster | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| O’Brien | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ringer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stanton | Unincorp. | Stanton | — | — |
| Wagstaff | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wea | Unincorp. | Wea | — | — |
Spring Hill, the county’s largest city, sits mostly across the line in Johnson County; only part of the city and its ZIP code fall inside Miami County. Stanton and Wea appear twice in county records — once as a township name and once as the small unincorporated place inside it.
Townships
Miami County is divided into 13 civil townships, which run local road maintenance and cemetery boards outside the incorporated cities.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Marysville | 2,575 | Rural, north county |
| Wea | 1,836 | Wea |
| Richland | 1,758 | Rural, east county |
| Middle Creek | 1,649 | Rural, west county |
| Valley | 1,478 | Rural, southwest county |
| Ten Mile | 1,259 | Rural, south county |
| Paola | 1,100 | Paola |
| Stanton | 925 | Stanton |
| Osawatomie | 794 | Osawatomie |
| Mound | 705 | Rural, southeast county |
| Osage | 649 | Rural, southwest county |
| Miami | 506 | Rural, north county |
| Sugar Creek | 449 | Rural, east county |
ZIP Codes
- 66071 — Paola (also serves the surrounding townships)
- 66083 — Spring Hill (shared with Johnson County)
- 66064 — Osawatomie
- 66053 — Louisburg
- 66025 — Fontana
Bucyrus, Hillsdale and Somerset, along with the county’s smaller unincorporated communities, do not have a dedicated post office and use the ZIP code of the nearest listed town.
Geography
Miami County lies in the Osage Cuestas of east-central Kansas, a belt of low limestone ridges and rolling prairie. The Marais des Cygnes River crosses the county from west to east through Paola and Osawatomie, and Hillsdale Lake, formed by a dam on Big Bull Creek in the county’s northwest corner, is the area’s main reservoir and state park. Miami County borders Johnson County to the north, Cass County, Missouri to the east, Bates County, Missouri to the southeast, Linn County to the south, Anderson County to the southwest, Franklin County to the west, and Douglas County to the northwest.
Demographics
Miami County had a population of 34,191 at the 2020 census. Its two largest communities are Spring Hill, with 7,952 residents split between Miami and Johnson counties, and Paola, with 5,768. Median household income in the county runs above the Kansas median of $70,333, reflecting its share of Kansas City-area commuters. With 576 square miles of land, the county’s overall density is about 59 people per square mile, though most residents live in the northern townships nearest the Johnson County line.
Economy & Local Life
Miami County’s economy mixes row-crop and cattle farming in the southern townships with commuter growth in the north, where Spring Hill has expanded rapidly as part of the Kansas City suburbs. Paola is home to the county’s hospital, Miami County Medical Center, and its historic downtown square anchors local retail. Osawatomie hosts a state psychiatric hospital, one of the county’s largest employers. The Miami County Free Fair, held each summer in Paola, is the county’s biggest annual event.
History
Miami County was organized on August 25, 1855, as Lykins County, named for Baptist missionary Johnston Lykins. After Kansas entered the union as a free state in January 1861, the legislature renamed it Miami County on June 3, 1861, for the Miami people who had been relocated to a reservation there. Bordering slaveholding Missouri, the county was a flashpoint of the pre-Civil War “Bleeding Kansas” violence; the Battle of Osawatomie was fought there in August 1856, and John Brown’s cabin in Osawatomie is preserved as a state historic site.
Getting There
US-169 runs north-south through the county connecting Paola and Louisburg to the Kansas City metro, while K-68 crosses east-west through Paola toward the Missouri line and K-7 serves the county’s western edge.
- Overland Park, Kansas — 15 miles north
- Kansas City, Missouri — 30 miles northeast
- Ottawa, Kansas — 25 miles west
- Harrisonville, Missouri — 20 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Kansas City International Airport, roughly 45 miles north of Paola.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Miami County, Kansas?
It is in east-central Kansas, on the Missouri state line just south of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
What is the population of Miami County?
34,191 at the 2020 census.
How big is Miami County?
590 square miles (1,528 km2), of which 576 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Miami County?
Paola is the county seat.
How many towns are in Miami County?
Five incorporated cities — Paola, Spring Hill, Osawatomie, Louisburg and Fontana — plus three census-designated places and about a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Miami County?
66071 (Paola), 66083 (Spring Hill), 66064 (Osawatomie), 66053 (Louisburg) and 66025 (Fontana).
Why is it called Miami County?
It was renamed in 1861 for the Miami people, who had been relocated to a reservation in the area; it was originally organized in 1855 as Lykins County.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.