Crawford County is a county in Kansas, United States, in the southeastern part of the state. It had a population of 38,972 at the 2020 census and covers 595 square miles (1,540 km2) centred near 37°28′N 94°50′W.
Girard is the county seat, and its postal code is 66743. Pittsburg, home to Pittsburg State University, is the largest city. The county has 10 incorporated cities plus roughly two dozen unincorporated communities and former coal camps, and 9 townships. Crawford County sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 20037.
Towns & Villages in Crawford County
Crawford County contains 10 incorporated cities and around two dozen unincorporated places, several of them former coal-mining camps from the county’s “Little Balkans” era. City = a state-chartered municipality; CDP = an unincorporated Census-designated place with its own population count; Unincorp. = a named community with no separate municipal government or current census count.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girard | City · seat | 2,496 | 66743 |
| Pittsburg | City | 20,646 | 66762 |
| Frontenac | City | 3,382 | 66763 |
| Arma | City | 1,407 | 66712 |
| Mulberry | City | 409 | 66756 |
| McCune | City | 370 | 66753 |
| Cherokee | City | 590 | 66724 |
| Walnut | City | — | 66780 |
| Arcadia | City | — | 66711 |
| Hepler | City | — | 66746 |
| Franklin | Unincorp. | — | 66735 |
| Farlington | Unincorp. | — | 66734 |
| Opolis | Unincorp. | — | 66760 |
| Chicopee | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Croweburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Radley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Radley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ringo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Yale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cato | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fleming | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Litchfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Curranville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kirkwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Klondike | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dunkirk | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Edison | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Englevale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Monmouth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Midway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Polk | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greenbush | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gross | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dry Wood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fox Town | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beulah | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Barber | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Brazilton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Capaldo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coalvale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cornell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Filler | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fuller | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Langdon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lone Oak | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mertz | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Onion | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Atlas | Unincorp. | — | — |
Several of these are all but vanished coal camps rather than active communities — the county’s “Little Balkans” mining boom of the early 1900s left dozens of company towns that never incorporated and have since thinned to a handful of houses or a rural crossroads. Opolis holds a post office (66760) but no through-town retail; Franklin and Farlington keep their own ZIP codes despite having no municipal government.
ZIP Codes
- 66743 — Girard (county seat)
- 66762 — Pittsburg
- 66763 — Frontenac
- 66712 — Arma
- 66756 — Mulberry
- 66753 — McCune
- 66724 — Cherokee
- 66780 — Walnut
- 66711 — Arcadia
- 66746 — Hepler
- 66735 — Franklin
- 66734 — Farlington
- 66760 — Opolis (PO box only)
The county’s smaller unincorporated coal-camp communities are covered by these ZIP codes rather than having their own.
Geography
Crawford County sits in the Cherokee Lowlands of southeast Kansas, low rolling former prairie cut by strip-mine pits left from decades of shallow coal mining. Dry Wood Creek and the Marmaton River drain the northern part of the county, and several reclaimed strip-pit lakes near Pittsburg and Farlington are now used for fishing and recreation. The county borders Bourbon County to the north, Vernon County, Missouri, to the northeast, Barton County, Missouri, to the east, Jasper County, Missouri, to the southeast, Cherokee County to the south, Labette County to the southwest, and Neosho County to the west.
Demographics
Crawford County had 38,972 residents at the 2020 census. Pittsburg (20,646) and Frontenac (3,382) are its two largest communities, together holding well over half the county’s population. The county’s median household income runs below the Kansas median of $70,333, reflecting its coal-mining and manufacturing legacy. Population density is roughly 66 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Pittsburg State University is the county’s largest institution, anchoring Pittsburg’s economy alongside manufacturing, healthcare and retail. The area’s coal-mining industry, once the largest in Kansas, closed out decades ago, and the county’s economy has shifted toward education, light manufacturing and services. Pittsburg is known locally for its fried chicken restaurants, a legacy of the town’s early-20th-century Eastern European immigrant community, and hosts the annual Little Balkans Days festival each Labor Day weekend.
History
Crawford County was organized on February 13, 1867, and named for Samuel J. Crawford, the third governor of Kansas. Coal was discovered under much of the county in the late 1800s, drawing immigrant miners from Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and other parts of Eastern Europe — the source of the “Little Balkans” name still used for the region. Many of the county’s smaller unincorporated communities began as company mining camps and never incorporated once the mines closed. On May 4, 2003, an F4 tornado struck the county, badly damaging Franklin and Mulberry.
Getting There
U.S. Route 69 runs north–south through the county, connecting Pittsburg with Fort Scott to the north and Joplin, Missouri, to the south, and U.S. Route 160 crosses east–west through Girard.
- Fort Scott — 25 miles north
- Joplin, Missouri — 20 miles south
- Independence, Kansas — 45 miles southwest
- Fort Smith, Arkansas — 130 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Joplin Regional Airport in Missouri; Pittsburg also has a small general-aviation airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Crawford County, Kansas?
It is in the southeastern part of Kansas, bordering Missouri to the east.
What is the population of Crawford County?
38,972 residents, per the 2020 census.
How big is Crawford County?
595 square miles (1,540 km2), of which 590 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Crawford County?
Girard is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in Crawford County?
10 incorporated cities, led by Pittsburg, plus about two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Crawford County?
66743 (Girard), 66762 (Pittsburg), 66763 (Frontenac) and 10 more listed above.
What is Crawford County known for?
Its coal-mining “Little Balkans” heritage, Pittsburg State University, and Pittsburg’s fried chicken restaurants.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.