Cowley County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the Oklahoma border about 50 miles south
of Wichita. It had a population of 34,549 at the 2020 census, an estimated 34,382 by 2024, and
covers 1,126 square miles (2,920 km2) of land centred near 37°14′N 96°50′W.
Winfield is the county seat; its postal code is 67156. Arkansas City, four miles north of the
Oklahoma line, is the county’s largest city. The county holds 9 incorporated cities and about 30
unincorporated communities across 25 townships, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is
20035.
Towns & Villages in Cowley County
Cowley County has 39 named places on record: 9 incorporated cities and roughly 30
unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Kansas gives every incorporated
place the single legal designation “city” regardless of size, so there is no separate
town class here; Unincorp. covers crossroads, former rail stops and open-country neighborhoods
with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas City | City | Creswell | 11,974 | 67005 |
| Winfield | City · seat | — | 11,777 | 67156 |
| Udall | City | — | 661 | 67146 |
| Burden | City | — | 512 | 67019 |
| Parkerfield | City | — | 406 | 67005 |
| Dexter | City | Dexter | 224 | 67038 |
| Atlanta | City | — | 168 | 67008 |
| Geuda Springs | City | — | 158 | 67051 |
| Cambridge | City | — | 92 | 67023 |
| Akron | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Albright | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Box | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cameron | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Eaton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Eschs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Floral | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Glen Crouse | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Grand Summit | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hackney | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hooser | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kellogg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Maple City | Unincorp. | Maple | — | — |
| Moxham | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Salem | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Otto | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pleasant Valley | Unincorp. | Pleasant Valley | — | — |
| Rainbow Bend | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Redbud | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Silverdale | Unincorp. | Silverdale | — | — |
| Tannehill | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Taussig | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tisdale | Unincorp. | Tisdale | — | — |
| Torrance | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tresham | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Vinton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wilmot | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
New Salem, Rock and Silverdale each name both a community and a separate Cowley County
township — the settlement and the township share a name but are not the same thing. Arkansas
City itself was platted as Cresswell before an 1873 rename, which is why it sits in Creswell
Township rather than one carrying its current name. A list of nine mobile-home developments —
including entries styled “Glenview Estates MH Park,” “Louanns MH Park” and
“Sunflower MH Estates” — has circulated online for this county; none of them appear
among Cowley County’s recognized cities, townships or unincorporated communities, so they are
left off this list.
Townships
Cowley County is divided into 25 civil townships. Seven have a 2020 population figure on
record; the rest are sparsely populated farm country with no town of their own.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Creswell | 2,098 | Arkansas City |
| Bolton | 1,754 | — |
| Ninnescah | 1,114 | — |
| Pleasant Valley | 838 | Pleasant Valley |
| Silver Creek | 770 | — |
| Maple | 702 | Maple City |
| Walnut | 626 | — |
| Beaver | — | — |
| Cedar | — | — |
| Dexter | — | Dexter |
| Fairview | — | — |
| Grant | — | — |
| Harvey | — | — |
| Liberty | — | — |
| Omnia | — | — |
| Otter | — | — |
| Richland | — | — |
| Rock Creek | — | — |
| Salem | — | — |
| Sheridan | — | — |
| Silverdale | — | Silverdale |
| Spring Creek | — | — |
| Tisdale | — | Tisdale |
| Vernon | — | — |
| Windsor | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 67156 — Winfield (the county’s most populous ZIP)
- 67005 — Arkansas City (also serves Parkerfield)
- 67146 — Udall
- 67019 — Burden
- 67038 — Dexter
- 67023 — Cambridge
- 67008 — Atlanta
- 67051 — Geuda Springs
None of Cowley County’s roughly 30 unincorporated communities has ever had its own post
office ZIP; mail addressed to Maple City, Silverdale, Tisdale and the rest is sorted under
whichever incorporated city’s ZIP code above serves that area.
Geography
Cowley County sits at the southern edge of the Flint Hills, tallgrass prairie broken by low
limestone ridges, with the terrain flattening toward the Oklahoma line. Of its 1,132 square miles,
1,126 are land and 6.7 are water, about 0.6 percent — low, since the county has no large
reservoir. The Walnut River runs south through the county past Winfield and joins the Arkansas
River at Arkansas City, which took its name from that confluence.
Butler County lies to the north, Elk County to the northeast, Chautauqua County to the east,
Kay County, Oklahoma to the south, Sumner County to the west, and Sedgwick County to the
northwest. Butler County, Elk County, Kay County and Sedgwick County all border Cowley
directly.
Demographics
Cowley County had a population of 34,549 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 34,382 residents. Arkansas City and Winfield are by far the two largest communities,
together holding roughly two-thirds of the county’s population. Median household income runs
about $57,878, well below Kansas’s 2023 ACS figure of $70,333. Population density works out
to roughly 31 people per square mile of land, low even by rural Kansas standards outside the two
main cities.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 2,837 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 2,131 and educational services at 2,015. Newell Rubbermaid’s
Winfield plant, making storage and home-organization products, and GE Aviation’s Winfield
engine-overhaul facility are among the county’s largest private employers. In Arkansas City,
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef employs more than 1,100 workers at its processing plant. Cowley
College, founded in Arkansas City in 1922 with a second campus in Winfield, enrolled about 2,166
students in fall 2023. Southwestern College, a private four-year college in Winfield affiliated
with the United Methodist Church, is the county’s other higher-education institution. The
county’s biggest annual event is the Walnut Valley Festival, held in Winfield the third
weekend of every September, drawing more than 15,000 people for one of the country’s oldest
bluegrass and flatpicking competitions.
History
The Kansas territorial legislature organized the county on 26 February 1867 as Hunter County,
then renamed it in 1870 for Matthew Cowley, a first lieutenant in Company I of the 9th Kansas
Cavalry who died at Little Rock, Arkansas, on 7 October 1864. Winfield and Cresswell, later
renamed Arkansas City, fought a county-seat contest before Winfield prevailed; the county
courthouse, built in 1873, cost $11,500. Spanish governor Juan de Oñate reached the Wichita
settlement of Etzanoa near present-day Arkansas City in 1601, a site now marked as a ghost town
along with nearby Polo. The 1893 Cherokee Strip land run, which opened the Oklahoma Territory just
south of the county line, drew a wave of settlers through Arkansas City.
Getting There
No interstate crosses Cowley County. US-77 runs north–south through both Winfield and
Arkansas City; US-160 and K-15 serve Winfield, US-166 serves Arkansas City, and K-360 bypasses
Winfield’s southeast side.
- Wichita — about 50 miles north
- Wellington — about 25 miles west
- Ponca City, Oklahoma — about 25 miles south
- Independence, Kansas — about 40 miles east
Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, roughly an hour’s drive north, is the
nearest major commercial airport. Strother Field, a shared general-aviation field and industrial
park between Winfield and Arkansas City, handles local business and training traffic. No Amtrak
train currently stops in the county; the nearest active station is Newton, on the Southwest Chief
route. Kansas and Oklahoma officials have proposed extending the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma
City to Newton with a new Arkansas City stop, tentatively by 2029.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cowley County located?
It sits on the Oklahoma border in south-central Kansas, about 50 miles south of Wichita, bordered
by Butler, Elk, Chautauqua, Sumner and Sedgwick counties and Kay County, Oklahoma.
What is the population of Cowley County?
34,549 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 34,382.
How big is Cowley County?
1,132 square miles (2,930 km2) in total, of which 1,126 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Cowley County?
Winfield, which won an early county-seat contest against neighboring Cresswell, now Arkansas
City.
How many towns and cities are in Cowley County?
Nine incorporated cities — Arkansas City, Winfield, Udall, Burden, Parkerfield, Dexter,
Atlanta, Geuda Springs and Cambridge — plus roughly 30 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes does Cowley County use?
67156 for Winfield, 67005 for Arkansas City and Parkerfield, 67146 for Udall, 67019 for Burden,
67038 for Dexter, 67023 for Cambridge, 67008 for Atlanta and 67051 for Geuda Springs.
What is Cowley County known for?
The Walnut Valley Festival, a nationally known bluegrass and flatpicking gathering held in
Winfield each September, and Etzanoa, the pre-Columbian Wichita settlement site near Arkansas
City.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.