Mitchell County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the Solomon River in the north-central part of the state. It had a population of 5,796 at the 2020 census and covers 719 square miles (1,860 km2) centred near 39°26′40″N 98°5′33″W.
Beloit is the county seat, and its postal code is 67420. The county has seven incorporated cities, several unincorporated communities, and 20 civil townships. Mitchell County sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 20-123.
Towns & Villages in Mitchell County
Seven of the county’s places are incorporated cities; the rest are unincorporated communities that still appear on maps and in township records. Type legend: City · seat = county seat, City = incorporated city, Unincorp. = unincorporated community.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beloit | City · seat | Beloit | 4,003 | 67420 |
| Cawker City | City | Solomon | 578 | 67430 |
| Glen Elder | City | Glen Elder | 553 | 67446 |
| Tipton | City | Center | 346 | 67485 |
| Simpson | City | Blue Hill | 168 | 67478 |
| Hunter | City | Hayes | 132 | 67452 |
| Scottsville | City | Lulu | 90 | — |
| Asherville | Unincorp. | Asherville | — | 67420 |
| Blue Hill | Unincorp. | Blue Hill | — | 67478 |
| Solomon Rapids | Unincorp. | Solomon | — | 67430 |
| Victor | Unincorp. | Victor | — | 67420 |
| Gilbert | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Scottsville has no post office of its own and its residents use nearby ZIP codes. Unincorporated Asherville and Victor are both served out of Beloit’s 67420 code; Blue Hill and Solomon Rapids sit within Simpson’s and Cawker City’s delivery areas, respectively.
Townships
Mitchell County is divided into 20 civil townships. Each of the seven incorporated cities lies within its own township of roughly the same name, and several townships carry an unincorporated community as their only settlement.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Beloit | — | Beloit (city, seat) |
| Solomon | — | Cawker City, Solomon Rapids |
| Glen Elder | — | Glen Elder |
| Blue Hill | — | Simpson, Blue Hill |
| Center | — | Tipton |
| Hayes | — | Hunter |
| Lulu | — | Scottsville |
| Asherville | — | Asherville |
| Victor | — | Victor |
The Kansas Legislature reorganizes small-township populations only at the decennial census; each of the townships above holds under 200 residents outside its named city.
ZIP Codes
- 67420 — Beloit (also serves Asherville and Victor)
- 67430 — Cawker City (also serves Solomon Rapids)
- 67446 — Glen Elder
- 67452 — Hunter
- 67478 — Simpson (also serves Blue Hill; PO Box delivery only)
- 67485 — Tipton
Scottsville and Gilbert have no post office of their own and use a neighboring town’s ZIP code depending on the mail carrier route.
Geography
Mitchell County lies on the rolling Smoky Hills of north-central Kansas, split by the Solomon River, which crosses the county from northwest to southeast and is impounded at Glen Elder to form Waconda Lake. Land use is a mix of wheat and sorghum cropland along the river bottoms and mixed-grass pasture on the upland divides. Total area is 719 square miles, of which 17 square miles (2.4%) is water — almost all of it Waconda Lake.
Mitchell County borders Jewell County to the north, Cloud County to the east, Ottawa County to the southeast, Lincoln County to the south, and Osborne County to the west.
Demographics
Mitchell County had 5,796 residents at the 2020 census, down from 14,911 at its 1880 peak and continuing a long decline typical of rural north-central Kansas. Beloit is by far the largest place with 4,003 residents, about 69% of the county total; Cawker City is a distant second at 578. Median household income in the county trails the Kansas median of $70,333, reflecting the farm-dependent local economy. Population density works out to roughly 8 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the county economy: wheat, grain sorghum, and cattle dominate outside Beloit, supplemented by center-pivot corn irrigation near the Solomon River. Beloit is the commercial and institutional hub, home to North Central Kansas Technical College and the county’s two public school districts, Waconda USD 272 and Beloit USD 273. Waconda Lake, on the county’s northeast edge, draws boating and fishing visitors from across north-central Kansas and supports a small tourism trade around Glen Elder State Park.
History
Mitchell County was organized on February 26, 1867, and named for Union Army Captain William D. Mitchell, killed in an 1864 skirmish with Cheyenne warriors near the site that became Beloit. Like the rest of the Kansas plains, the area was traveled and hunted by Kiowa, Pawnee, and Cheyenne peoples before permanent Anglo-American settlement followed the Civil War. The federal government built Waconda Lake and its dam on the Solomon River in the 1960s for flood control and irrigation, submerging the site of the old Waconda Springs mineral-water resort and reshaping the county’s northeastern townships.
Getting There
U.S. Route 24 runs east-west through Cawker City and Glen Elder along the north side of the county, and U.S. Route 81 crosses the eastern edge north-south through Beloit’s vicinity via connecting state highways; K-9 and K-14 link Beloit to the surrounding towns.
- Salina — 55 miles southeast
- Concordia — 30 miles northeast
- Great Bend — 65 miles south
- Hays — 60 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Salina Regional Airport, about an hour’s drive southeast of Beloit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Mitchell County, Kansas?
It is in north-central Kansas, on the Solomon River, between Jewell and Lincoln counties.
What is the population of Mitchell County?
5,796 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Mitchell County?
719 square miles (1,860 km2), including 17 square miles of water, mostly Waconda Lake.
What is the county seat of Mitchell County?
Beloit, the largest city in the county.
How many towns are in Mitchell County?
Seven incorporated cities — Beloit, Cawker City, Glen Elder, Hunter, Scottsville, Simpson, and Tipton — plus several unincorporated communities across its 20 townships.
What ZIP codes are in Mitchell County?
67420 (Beloit), 67430 (Cawker City), 67446 (Glen Elder), 67452 (Hunter), 67478 (Simpson), and 67485 (Tipton).
What lake is in Mitchell County?
Waconda Lake, formed by a Solomon River dam near Glen Elder, is the county’s main recreation destination.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.