Rush County is a county in Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state, roughly midway between Wichita and Hays. It had a population of 2,956 at the 2020 census and covers 718 square miles (1,860 km2) centred near 38°31′N 99°18′W.
La Crosse is the county seat and largest city, and its postal code is 67548. The county holds eight incorporated cities, four unincorporated communities, and twelve civil townships, all on Central time.
Towns & Villages in Rush County
Twelve named places appear on the map of Rush County: eight incorporated cities and four unincorporated communities. Every incorporated city here is a Kansas “city of the third class,” the state’s designation for small municipalities; the unincorporated places (labeled Unincorp. below) have no city government of their own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse | City · seat | La Crosse-Brookdale | — | 67548 |
| Otis | City | — | — | 67565 |
| Bison | City | — | — | 67520 |
| McCracken | City | — | — | 67556 |
| Rush Center | City | — | — | 67575 |
| Timken | City | Union | — | — |
| Liebenthal | City | — | — | 67553 |
| Alexander | City | Alexander-Belle Prairie | — | 67513 |
| Nekoma | Unincorp. | — | — | 67559 |
| Hargrave | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Loretta | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Schaffer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Hargrave, Loretta and Schaffer are rail-siding or farm-community remnants with no post office of their own; mail there is addressed through the nearest incorporated town’s ZIP code.
Townships
Rush County is divided into twelve civil townships, several combined from earlier smaller townships and carrying hyphenated names as a result.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| La Crosse-Brookdale | — | La Crosse |
| Alexander-Belle Prairie | — | Alexander |
| Union | — | Timken |
| Banner | — | — |
| Big Timber | — | — |
| Center | — | — |
| Garfield | — | — |
| Hampton-Fairview | — | — |
| Illinois | — | — |
| Lone Star | — | — |
| Pioneer | — | — |
| Pleasantdale | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 67548 — La Crosse (also serves surrounding La Crosse-Brookdale township)
- 67520 — Bison
- 67513 — Alexander
- 67553 — Liebenthal
- 67556 — McCracken
- 67559 — Nekoma
- 67565 — Otis
- 67575 — Rush Center
Timken, Hargrave, Loretta and Schaffer have no ZIP code of their own; addresses there use the nearest post office town.
Geography
Rush County sits on the high plains of central Kansas, drained by Walnut Creek and its tributaries, an Arkansas River drainage that crosses the county roughly west to east. The terrain is gently rolling farmland with little natural tree cover outside the creek bottoms; of the county’s 718 square miles, only about 0.2 square miles is water.
Rush County borders Ellis County to the north, Russell County to the northeast, Barton County to the east, Pawnee County to the south, and Ness County to the west.
Demographics
Rush County’s 2020 census population was 2,956, giving it a density of roughly 4 people per square mile, among the more sparsely settled counties on the central Kansas plains. La Crosse, the county seat, is the largest community, followed by Otis. Median household income in the county runs below the Kansas median of $70,333, reflecting the county’s small, aging, farm-dependent population base.
Economy & Local Life
Wheat and cattle farming anchor the local economy, as they have for more than a century, supplemented by oil and gas production from wells scattered across the county. The Alexander Wind Farm, built in 2015 near the town of Alexander, cost about $85 million and generates 48 megawatts of power, adding a renewable-energy income stream to the county’s tax base. La Crosse is home to the Kansas Barbed Wire Museum, marking the town’s long-standing claim as the self-styled “Barbed Wire Capital of the World.”
History
Rush County was established on February 26, 1867, and formally organized on December 5, 1874, with La Crosse eventually chosen as the county seat. It was named for Alexander Rush, a name carried by the county’s oldest town as well. Like much of central Kansas, the county’s early towns grew up around railroad sidings in the 1870s and 1880s as homesteaders, including a substantial wave of German-Russian Catholic settlers, moved onto the former grazing lands of the southern plains.
Getting There
U.S. Route 183 runs north-south through La Crosse and Rush Center; Kansas Highway 4 and Kansas Highway 96 cross the county east-west. There is no scheduled Amtrak service in Rush County.
- Hays — about 25 miles north
- Great Bend — about 30 miles east
- Russell — about 30 miles northeast
- Larned — about 30 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Hays Regional Airport in neighboring Ellis County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Rush County, Kansas?
It sits in the central part of Kansas, between Wichita and Hays, drained by Walnut Creek.
What is the population of Rush County?
2,956, per the 2020 census.
How big is Rush County?
718 square miles (1,860 km2) of land and water.
What is the county seat of Rush County?
La Crosse is the county seat.
How many towns are in Rush County?
Eight incorporated cities and four unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Rush County?
Eight ZIP codes serve the county, led by 67548 for La Crosse.
What is Rush County known for?
Wheat and cattle farming, oil and gas wells, the Alexander Wind Farm, and La Crosse’s Kansas Barbed Wire Museum.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.