Clark County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the Oklahoma state line in the south-central part of the state, along the Cimarron River breaks. It had a population of 1,991 at the 2020 census and covers 977 square miles (2,530 km2), of which 975 square miles (2,530 km2) is land, centred near 37°14′N 99°50′W.
Ashland is the county seat, and its postal code is 67831. The county has three incorporated cities (Ashland, Englewood, Minneola), a handful of small unincorporated communities, and six civil townships. It sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Clark County
Clark County has three incorporated cities plus a small cluster of unincorporated places, most of them former railroad stops that never grew past a store and a grain elevator. “City · seat” marks Ashland; “Unincorp.” covers places with no municipal government of their own, including Lexington, now a ghost town that survives only as the name of its township.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | City · seat | Center | — | 67831 |
| Minneola | City | Appleton | — | 67865 |
| Englewood | City | Englewood | — | 67840 |
| Sitka | Unincorp. | Sitka | — | — |
| Acres | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Letitia | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lexington | Unincorp. | Lexington | — | — |
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Center | 1,097 | Ashland |
| Appleton | 921 | Minneola |
| Englewood | 171 | Englewood |
| Sitka | 86 | Sitka |
| Lexington | 83 | Lexington (ghost town) |
| Liberty | 32 | rural, no platted town |
ZIP Codes
- 67831 — Ashland
- 67865 — Minneola
- 67840 — Englewood (PO Box delivery)
Sitka, Acres and Letitia have no post office of their own; residents there use one of the three ZIPs above depending on which town is closer.
Geography
Clark County sits on the High Plains where they break down toward the Cimarron River, giving the south of the county rougher, canyon-cut terrain than the flat farmland typical further north in Kansas. The Cimarron River crosses the southwestern corner, and Clark State Fishing Lake, fed by Bluff Creek near Ashland, is the county’s main body of water. Water covers 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) of the total area, leaving 975 square miles (2,530 km2) of land, most of it in cattle pasture rather than row crops because of the broken terrain. The county has no incorporated city larger than a few hundred residents, so its skyline, such as it is, is grain elevators and church steeples rather than anything taller.
Clark County borders Ford County to the north, Kiowa County to the northeast, Comanche County to the east, Harper County, Oklahoma to the southeast, Beaver County, Oklahoma to the southwest, and Meade County to the west.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 1,991 residents, down from earlier decades as the county’s farm population has thinned. Ashland and Minneola are the two largest communities; Englewood, on the Oklahoma line, is smaller still. Current county-level median household income is not published in a form this page can verify; state-wide, the Kansas median is $70,333, and rural High Plains counties like Clark typically run below that figure. Population density is roughly 2 people per square mile, among the lowest in Kansas.
Economy & Local Life
Cattle ranching and wheat farming drive the county economy, with grain elevators anchoring Ashland, Minneola and Englewood. Ashland is the retail and government hub, home to the Clark County courthouse and Clark County Community Hospital. Feedlots and pasture leasing bring seasonal cattle-trucking traffic through the county on top of the wheat harvest run each June. The Clark County Fair, held in Ashland each summer, is the county’s main annual gathering.
History
Clark County was created February 26, 1867, from Peketon County territory and organized in May 1885, with Ashland named county seat from the start — an 18-year gap that reflects how thinly this stretch of the plains was settled before the railroads reached it. It is named for Charles F. Clarke, a captain in the 6th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War (the county spelling later dropped the final “e”). Like the rest of southwestern Kansas, the area was Cheyenne and Comanche hunting ground before cattle drives and homestead settlement in the 1880s brought in the ranch families whose descendants still work much of the county today.
Getting There
US Routes 54, 160, 183 and 283 all pass through the county, along with Kansas Highway 34.
- Dodge City — 30 miles north
- Liberal — 45 miles west
- Woodward, Oklahoma — 60 miles south
Dodge City Regional Airport, north in Ford County, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Clark County, Kansas?
It is in south-central Kansas on the Oklahoma border, roughly 30 miles south of Dodge City.
What is the population of Clark County?
1,991 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Clark County?
977 square miles (2,530 km2), most of it land.
What is the county seat of Clark County?
Ashland is the county seat.
How many towns are in Clark County?
Three incorporated cities — Ashland, Minneola and Englewood — plus a few small unincorporated places.
What ZIP codes are in Clark County?
67831 (Ashland), 67865 (Minneola) and 67840 (Englewood).
Is Lexington, Kansas still an active town?
No. Lexington is a ghost town; only Lexington Township, with 83 residents, carries the name today.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.