Decatur County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the Nebraska border in the northwest corner of the state. It had a population of 2,764 at the 2020 census and covers 894 square miles (2,320 km2) centred near 39°48′N 100°28′W.
Oberlin is the county seat, and its postal code is 67749. The county has five incorporated cities, six unincorporated communities and a scattering of ghost towns. Decatur County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Decatur County
Eleven named places from the old county list are carried forward below: five incorporated cities and six unincorporated communities. CDP/Unincorp. denotes a place with no city government of its own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oberlin | City · seat | — | 67749 |
| Norcatur | City | — | 67653 |
| Jennings | City | — | 67643 |
| Dresden | City | — | 67635 |
| Clayton | City | — | — |
| Allison | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Bluffs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kanona | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Leoville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lyle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Traer | Unincorp. | — | — |
Clayton is the county’s smallest incorporated city and sits closest to the Sheridan County line; its own ZIP is unverified and mail there is typically routed through a neighboring county post office.
ZIP Codes
- 67749 — Oberlin (also serves the surrounding unincorporated communities)
- 67653 — Norcatur
- 67643 — Jennings
- 67635 — Dresden
Clayton and the county’s unincorporated communities have no dedicated ZIP code and are served by the nearest listed post office town.
Geography
Decatur County lies on the High Plains of northwest Kansas, a landscape of wheat fields and shortgrass rangeland cut by the Sappa Creek and Prairie Dog Creek valleys. Both streams run generally west to east across the county before crossing into Nebraska and Norton County. The terrain is gently rolling upland broken by shallow creek breaks, with almost no natural tree cover away from the waterways. Land makes up nearly all of the county’s area, with only a small share in water. Nebraska forms the county’s entire northern border. In Kansas, Decatur County borders Rawlins County to the west, Norton County to the east, Sheridan County to the south, and touches Thomas County at its southwest corner.
Demographics
The county’s population was 2,764 at the 2020 census, down from a peak of 8,414 in 1890. Oberlin is by far the largest community, followed by Norcatur. Median household income runs below the Kansas median of $70,333, typical of the state’s sparsely populated northwest counties. Population density is roughly 3 people per square mile, among the lowest in the state.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the county’s economy: wheat, grain sorghum and cattle ranching dominate the countryside, supported by grain elevators along the rail line through Oberlin. Center-pivot irrigation off the Ogallala Aquifer supplements dryland wheat farming in parts of the county, though water levels are a long-running local concern shared across northwest Kansas. Decatur Health, the county’s hospital, is based in Oberlin and is one of the area’s larger employers. Local government, schools and the county’s retail trade are also concentrated in Oberlin as the only sizable town; the smaller communities function mainly as farm-service points with a grain elevator, a church or two, and little else.
History
Decatur County was organized by an act of the Kansas legislature on March 20, 1873, and named for Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr., the naval officer who fought in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Homesteaders settled the county through the 1870s and 1880s, drawn by railroad promotion and cheap land, and the population reached its historic peak of 8,414 in 1890. Like much of rural western Kansas, the county then declined steadily as dryland farming proved harder than promised, the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s pushed families out, and later farm consolidation kept reducing the number of people the land could support. Ten former townsites, including Decatur and Hawkeye, are now ghost towns, and the county has voted Republican in nearly every presidential election since 1936.
Getting There
US-36 crosses the county east–west and US-83 runs north–south through Oberlin, the county’s only traffic-light town.
- Norton, Kansas — about 30 miles east
- McCook, Nebraska — about 40 miles north
- Colby, Kansas — about 45 miles southwest
- Goodland, Kansas — about 70 miles west
The nearest major air service is Denver International Airport, roughly 300 miles west; Oberlin has a small general-aviation municipal airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Decatur County, Kansas?
It is in the northwest corner of Kansas, on the Nebraska state line.
What is the population of Decatur County?
2,764 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Decatur County?
894 square miles (2,320 km2), almost all of it land.
What is the county seat of Decatur County?
Oberlin is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Decatur County?
Five incorporated cities — Oberlin, Norcatur, Jennings, Dresden and Clayton — plus six unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Decatur County?
67749 (Oberlin), 67653 (Norcatur), 67643 (Jennings) and 67635 (Dresden).
Who is Decatur County named after?
Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr., a U.S. Navy officer who served in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.