Haskell County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the High Plains of the state’s southwest corner. It had a population of 3,780 at the 2020 census and covers 578 square miles (1,500 km2) centred near 37°34′N 100°52′W.
Sublette is the county seat, and its postal code is 67877. The county has two incorporated cities and one unincorporated community, no organized townships with local government today, sits in the Central time zone, and carries FIPS code 20081.
Towns & Villages in Haskell County
Haskell County has two incorporated cities and one small unincorporated community. Both cities sit along US-83, the county’s main north–south highway. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no city government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sublette | City · seat | 1,413 | 67877 |
| Satanta | City | 1,092 | 67870 |
| Tice | Unincorp. | — | — |
Tice is a small rail-siding community on the BNSF line between Sublette and the Finney County line; it has no post office of its own. An older gazetteer entry for a “Western Lark Trailer Park” is a residential mobile-home community rather than a separate town and is not listed as its own place here.
ZIP Codes
- 67877 — Sublette (county seat)
- 67870 — Satanta
Tice and the county’s rural addresses are served by one of these two post offices depending on location.
Geography
Haskell County lies on flat, treeless High Plains tableland — it is often cited as Kansas’s flattest county, with almost no natural drainage relief. The land is nearly all in cultivation or rangeland, irrigated in large part from the Ogallala Aquifer, and surface water is minimal (about 0.4 square miles of the county’s total area). Haskell County borders Finney County to the north, Gray County to the east, Meade County to the southeast, Seward County to the south, Stevens County to the southwest, Grant County to the west, and Kearny County to the northwest.
Demographics
The county’s population was 3,780 at the 2020 census, spread across 578 square miles for a density of about 6.5 people per square mile — sparse even by rural-Kansas standards. Sublette (1,413) and Satanta (1,092) are the county’s two population centers and together hold roughly two-thirds of all residents. Median household income in Haskell County runs close to the Kansas median of $70,333, buoyed by steady agricultural and feedlot employment.
Economy & Local Life
Irrigated corn, wheat, and sorghum farming drives the county economy, alongside large-scale cattle feeding operations typical of southwest Kansas. Grain elevators anchor both towns, including the Sublette Cooperative elevator that is a local landmark. Satanta holds an annual Satanta Day celebrating the town’s namesake, Kiowa Chief Satanta.
History
Haskell County was organized on March 23, 1887, and named for Dudley C. Haskell, a Kansas congressman of the 1870s and 1880s. The county was legally “dry,” prohibiting alcohol sales, until a local option vote ended prohibition in 2023. Historian John M. Barry has pointed to Haskell County as the site of one of the earliest documented influenza outbreaks recognized by a local physician in early 1918, ahead of that year’s global pandemic — though the link remains debated among researchers.
Getting There
US-83 runs north–south through the county connecting Sublette and Satanta; US-56 crosses the southeastern part of the county.
- Garden City, Finney County — 30 miles north
- Liberal, Seward County — 30 miles south
- Dodge City, Ford County — 55 miles northeast
- Elkhart, Morton County — 60 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Garden City Regional Airport in Finney County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Haskell County, Kansas?
It is in the southwestern part of Kansas, on the High Plains between Garden City and Liberal.
What is the population of Haskell County?
3,780 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Haskell County?
578 square miles (1,500 km2), almost entirely land.
What is the county seat of Haskell County?
Sublette, also the county’s largest city.
How many towns are in Haskell County?
Two incorporated cities — Sublette and Satanta — plus the small unincorporated community of Tice.
What ZIP codes are in Haskell County?
67877 (Sublette) and 67870 (Satanta).
Why is Haskell County called Kansas’s flattest county?
Its High Plains terrain has almost no natural relief or drainage variation, a distinction locals and geographers both cite.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.