Ellsworth County is a county in Kansas, United States, crossed by the Smoky Hill River in the central part of the state. It had a population of 6,376 at the 2020 census and covers 723 square miles (1,873 km2), 716 square miles of it land, centred near 38°42′N 98°14′W.
Ellsworth is the county seat, and its postal code is 67439. The county has five incorporated cities, nineteen townships, and a handful of unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Ellsworth County
Fourteen named places appear on maps of Ellsworth County: five incorporated cities and nine unincorporated communities or crossroads. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no city government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellsworth | City · seat | Ellsworth | 3,066 | 67439 |
| Wilson | City | Wilson | 859 | 67490 |
| Kanopolis | City | Ellsworth | — | 67454 |
| Holyrood | City | Valley | — | 67450 |
| Lorraine | City | Trivoli | — | 67459 |
| Black Wolf | Unincorp. | Black Wolf | — | 67439 |
| Carneiro | Unincorp. | Carneiro | — | 67439 |
| Langley | Unincorp. | Langley | — | 67439 |
| Venango | Unincorp. | Ash Creek | — | 67490 |
| Yankee Run | Unincorp. | Empire | — | 67439 |
| Delight | Unincorp. | Green Garden | — | — |
| Elkhorn | Unincorp. | Mulberry | — | — |
| Arcola | Unincorp. | Clear Creek | — | — |
| Terra Cotta | Unincorp. | Wilson | — | 67490 |
| Midway | Unincorp. | Sherman | — | — |
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Wilson | 894 | Wilson, Terra Cotta |
| Valley | 577 | Holyrood |
| Ellsworth | 797 | Ellsworth, Kanopolis |
| Empire | 174 | Yankee Run |
| Noble | 90 | — |
| Clear Creek | 91 | Arcola |
| Black Wolf | 87 | Black Wolf |
| Langley | 76 | Langley |
| Thomas | 72 | — |
| Palacky | 63 | — |
| Lincoln | 62 | — |
| Columbia | 60 | — |
| Ash Creek | 58 | Venango |
| Carneiro | 57 | Carneiro |
| Trivoli | 55 | Lorraine |
| Sherman | 65 | Midway |
| Mulberry | 44 | Elkhorn |
| Garfield | 27 | — |
| Green Garden | — | Delight |
ZIP Codes
- 67439 — Ellsworth (also serves Black Wolf, Carneiro, Langley, Yankee Run)
- 67490 — Wilson (also serves Venango, Terra Cotta)
- 67454 — Kanopolis
- 67450 — Holyrood
- 67459 — Lorraine
The remaining unincorporated communities — Delight, Elkhorn, Arcola and Midway — use the ZIP code of their nearest post office town rather than a code of their own.
Geography
Ellsworth County lies in the Smoky Hills region of central Kansas, where the Smoky Hill River cuts a broad valley across gently rolling, post-rock-fenced prairie. The Kanopolis Reservoir and surrounding Kanopolis State Park, Kansas’s oldest state park, sit in the southwestern part of the county. Total area is 723 square miles, 716 square miles of it land and 7.4 square miles water.
Ellsworth County borders Lincoln County to the north, Saline County to the east, McPherson County to the southeast, Rice County to the south, Barton County to the southwest, and Russell County to the northwest.
Demographics
The county’s population was 6,376 at the 2020 census. Ellsworth (3,066) and Wilson (859) are the two largest communities, together holding roughly 62 percent of the county’s residents; the rest live across the smaller cities, unincorporated communities, and open township land. Median household income in Ellsworth County runs below the Kansas median of $70,333, typical of the state’s rural wheat-belt counties. Population density is about 8.9 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — wheat, sorghum, and cattle grazing — anchors the county’s economy, alongside wind-power generation from the Smoky Hills and Post Rock wind farms that straddle Ellsworth and neighboring counties. Great Plains Manufacturing runs a tillage-implement plant in Ellsworth, one of the county’s larger employers. Ellsworth’s economy also leans on heritage tourism tied to its 1870s cattle-town history, and Wilson, self-styled the “Czech Capital of Kansas,” draws visitors for its After Harvest Czech Festival each July.
History
Ellsworth County organized on February 26, 1867, taking its name from Fort Ellsworth, an 1864 Army post named for 2nd Lieutenant Allen Ellsworth. The city of Ellsworth grew into a rowdy cattle-shipping town on the Kansas Pacific Railroad in the 1870s, once billed as “the wickedest cattletown in Kansas.” Wilson’s growth traces to Czech immigrants who arrived from Bohemia in 1874 to work the railroad. The county remained legally “dry,” barring alcohol sales, until 1986.
Getting There
Interstate 70 runs east-west across the northern part of the county through Wilson and Kanopolis Lake’s northern shore; U.S. Route 156 and U.S. Route 40 also pass through Ellsworth.
- Salina — 25 miles east
- Great Bend — 35 miles southwest
- Hays — 50 miles northwest
- Wichita — 110 miles southeast
The nearest commercial airport is Salina Regional Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ellsworth County, Kansas?
It sits in central Kansas along the Smoky Hill River, about 25 miles west of Salina, roughly along the Interstate 70 corridor.
What is the population of Ellsworth County?
6,376 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Ellsworth County?
723 square miles (1,873 km2), including 7.4 square miles of water, most of it Kanopolis Reservoir.
What is the county seat of Ellsworth County?
Ellsworth is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Ellsworth County?
Five incorporated cities — Ellsworth, Wilson, Kanopolis, Holyrood, and Lorraine — plus about nine unincorporated communities across nineteen townships.
What ZIP codes are in Ellsworth County?
67439 (Ellsworth), 67490 (Wilson), 67454 (Kanopolis), 67450 (Holyrood), and 67459 (Lorraine).
Why is Wilson, Kansas known as the “Czech Capital of Kansas”?
Czech immigrants from Bohemia settled there beginning in 1874 to work the railroad, and the town still celebrates that heritage each July at the After Harvest Czech Festival.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.