Stanton County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the state’s southwestern border with Colorado. It had a population of 2,084 at the 2020 census and covers 680 square miles (1,800 km2) centred near 37°34′N 101°47′W.
Johnson City is the county seat, and its postal code is 67855. The county has two incorporated cities and three unincorporated communities, no organized civil townships tracked separately, and sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Stanton County
Stanton County has five named places: two incorporated cities and three unincorporated communities, one of which is a Census-Designated Place (CDP). Johnson City and Manter are the only self-governing municipalities; Julian, Saunders and Big Bow have no city government of their own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson City | City · seat | 1,382 | 67855 |
| Manter | City | 153 | 67862 |
| Big Bow | CDP | — | 67855 |
| Julian | Unincorp. | — | 67855 |
| Saunders | Unincorp. | — | 67862 |
The old listing duplicated “Big Bow” as two separate lines and mixed up “Johnson” with “Johnson City” — these are the same place, the county seat, and are combined into one row above.
ZIP Codes
- 67855 — Johnson (Johnson City, also serves Julian and Big Bow)
- 67862 — Manter (also serves Saunders)
Every community in the county is served by one of these two post offices; there is no separate ZIP code for any unincorporated place.
Geography
Stanton County lies on the High Plains of southwestern Kansas, flat shortgrass country with almost no natural surface water — the U.S. Census Bureau lists barely 0.07 square miles of water in the entire county, out of 680 square miles total. The terrain rises gently toward the Colorado line, and the land is given over almost entirely to dryland and irrigated cropland and cattle pasture. The county borders Stevens County to the east, Morton County to the south, Baca and Prowers counties in Colorado to the west, and Grant County to the north (no live Kansas Grant County profile to link).
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 2,084 residents, concentrated almost entirely in Johnson City (1,382) and Manter (153) — together roughly three-quarters of the county’s population. Median household income runs below the Kansas median of $70,333, typical of the state’s sparsely populated western counties. Population density is about 3 people per square mile, among the lowest in Kansas.
Economy & Local Life
Irrigated corn, wheat and cattle feeding drive the county’s economy, along with oil and natural gas production, both long-established in southwestern Kansas. Stanton County USD 452, the county’s unified school district, is one of the largest local employers and is based in Johnson City, which also functions as the county’s retail and government center. Manter, the county’s smaller city, serves the northern part of the county as a grain-elevator and farm-supply town.
History
Before European-American settlement, the area that became Stanton County lay within territory used by nomadic Plains peoples, and permanent farm settlement did not arrive until the late 1880s land boom that organized many southwestern Kansas counties in quick succession. The county was formally organized in 1887 and named for Edwin Stanton, U.S. Secretary of War for most of the Civil War. Like the rest of southwestern Kansas, it sat inside the heart of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, when soil erosion and drought compounded the economic hardship of the Great Depression, driving out some of the area’s early homesteaders for good. Politically, the county has been reliably Republican for decades; the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry it was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. In November 2022, county voters approved liquor-by-the-drink sales, ending decades of local prohibition.
Getting There
U.S. Route 160 runs east-west through the county and is the main route into Johnson City; Kansas Highway 27 runs north-south, connecting Johnson City to Manter and on toward the Colorado line.
- Garden City, Kansas — roughly 50 miles northeast
- Liberal, Kansas — roughly 45 miles southeast
- Lamar, Colorado — roughly 60 miles west
The nearest commercial airport is Garden City Regional Airport (GCK).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Stanton County, Kansas?
It is in the far southwestern corner of Kansas, on the Colorado state line.
What is the population of Stanton County?
2,084 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Stanton County?
680 square miles (1,800 km2), almost entirely land.
What is the county seat of Stanton County?
Johnson City is the county seat.
How many towns are in Stanton County?
Two incorporated cities, Johnson City and Manter, plus three smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Stanton County?
67855 (Johnson City) and 67862 (Manter).
Why is Stanton County named after Edwin Stanton?
Kansas legislators named the county for the Civil War-era Secretary of War when it was organized in 1887, a practice repeated across many Great Plains counties of that era.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.