Graham County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the high plains of the northwestern part of the state. It had a population of 2,415 at the 2020 census and covers 899 square miles (2,330 km2) centred near 39°21′N 99°53′W.
Hill City is the county seat, and its postal code is 67642. The county has three incorporated cities and a handful of unincorporated communities, sits in the Central time zone, and carries FIPS code 20065.
Towns & Villages in Graham County
Graham County has three incorporated cities plus a small set of unincorporated places and a National Historic Site. City/Town labels below follow official incorporation status; Unincorp. marks places with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hill City | City · seat | 1,752 | 67642 |
| Bogue | City | 127 | 67625 |
| Morland | City | 146 | 67650 |
| Nicodemus | Unincorp. | 16 | — |
| Penokee | Unincorp. | — | 67659 |
| St. Peter | Unincorp. | — | — |
Nicodemus, settled in 1877, is the oldest and only remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi founded by freed African Americans during the Reconstruction era; it is preserved today as Nicodemus National Historic Site and is not a governed municipality. Two names from the county’s older records — Smithfield and Roscoe — and Togo, a former Rock Island Railroad siding, no longer have any resident population or services and are omitted from the table as unverifiable place-level data; they are noted here rather than dropped silently.
ZIP Codes
- 67642 — Hill City (also serves the surrounding county seat area)
- 67625 — Bogue (also serves Nicodemus)
- 67650 — Morland
- 67659 — Penokee
St. Peter has no post office of its own; mail there is typically routed through Hill City or Morland depending on location.
Geography
Graham County lies on the dissected high plains of northwestern Kansas, drained by the South Fork Solomon River and Hackberry Creek. The terrain is mostly gently rolling grassland and cropland, with the South Fork Solomon valley cutting a shallow trench through the middle of the county. Of the county’s 899 square miles, about 0.2 square miles is water.
Graham County borders Norton County to the north, Phillips County to the northeast (Phillips County), Rooks County to the east, Ellis County to the southeast, Trego County to the south, Gove County to the southwest, Sheridan County to the west, and Decatur County to the northwest (Decatur County). Rooks, Trego, Gove, and Sheridan counties are not yet published on this site.
Demographics
The county’s population was 2,415 at the 2020 census, down from prior decades as with most rural high-plains counties. Hill City is by far the largest community, home to roughly 78 percent of county residents, followed distantly by Morland and Bogue. Graham County’s median household income runs well below the Kansas median of $70,333, typical of the state’s sparsely populated wheat-belt counties. Population density is roughly 2.7 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the local economy — wheat, grain sorghum, and cattle ranching dominate the county’s land use, supplemented by oil and gas production from the county’s shallow Mississippian-age fields. Hill City serves as the county’s retail, medical, and school hub, and Graham County Hospital is among its larger employers. USD 281 Graham County operates the county’s public schools out of Hill City, and the Bogue and Morland grain elevators remain key seasonal employers at wheat harvest each June and July.
History
Graham County was organized in 1880 and named for Captain John L. Graham, a Union officer killed at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863. Nicodemus, founded in 1877 by formerly enslaved settlers from Kentucky, predates the county’s own organization and is the community for which the county is best known nationally; it was designated a National Historic Site in 1996.
Getting There
U.S. Route 24 and U.S. Route 283 cross in Hill City, the county’s main road junction.
- Hays — 45 miles southeast
- Colby — 55 miles west
- Norton — 35 miles north
- WaKeeney — 40 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Hays Regional Airport in Hays, Kansas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Graham County, Kansas?
It is in northwestern Kansas, on the high plains along the South Fork Solomon River.
What is the population of Graham County?
2,415 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Graham County?
899 square miles (2,330 km2).
What is the county seat of Graham County?
Hill City is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Graham County?
Three incorporated cities — Hill City, Bogue, and Morland — plus the unincorporated communities of Nicodemus, Penokee, and St. Peter.
What ZIP codes are in Graham County?
67642 (Hill City), 67625 (Bogue), 67650 (Morland), and 67659 (Penokee).
What is Nicodemus, Kansas known for?
It is the oldest and only remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi founded by freedmen during Reconstruction, preserved today as a National Historic Site.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.