Stevens County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the state’s southwestern border with Oklahoma. It had a population of 5,250 at the 2020 census and covers 727 square miles (1,880 km2) centred near 37°12′N 101°18′W.
Hugoton is the county seat, and its postal code is 67951. The county has 2 incorporated cities and 6 townships. Stevens County observes Central time and uses area code 620.
Towns & Villages in Stevens County
Stevens County has two incorporated cities, Hugoton and Moscow, plus the ghost towns of Woodsdale and Feterita from the 1880s county-seat war. Neither ghost town has a resident population today.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugoton | City · seat | Center | 4,563 | 67951 |
| Moscow | City | Moscow | 452 | 67952 |
| Woodsdale | Unincorp. | Voorhees | — | — |
| Feterita | Unincorp. | Harmony | — | — |
Woodsdale and Feterita are ghost towns with no current population; both are included here for historical completeness rather than as living settlements.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Center | — | Hugoton |
| Moscow | — | Moscow |
| Banner | — | rural |
| Harmony | — | Feterita (ghost town) |
| Voorhees | — | Woodsdale (ghost town) |
| West Center | — | rural |
ZIP Codes
- 67951 — Hugoton (also serves the surrounding rural county)
- 67952 — Moscow
Woodsdale and Feterita, both long-abandoned, have no ZIP codes of their own; mail there would route through the nearest active post office.
Geography
Stevens County sits on the flat, high plains of southwestern Kansas, part of the Dust Bowl region hit hard in the 1930s. Of its 727 square miles, about 0.2 square miles is water — roughly a quarter of one percent of the county’s total area. The land is nearly all in farm and ranch use, with almost no natural surface water; the small share of water area in the county is made up of playa lakes and irrigation ponds rather than a river or lake of any size. Elevation across the county is uniformly high, typical of the western Kansas tableland, and the terrain offers few natural landmarks beyond the open wheat and grazing land.
Stevens County borders Grant County to the north, Haskell County to the northeast, Seward County to the east, Texas County, Oklahoma to the south, Morton County to the west, and Stanton County to the northwest.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 5,250 residents. Hugoton is by far the largest community, followed by Moscow. Roughly 38 percent of county residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, well above the statewide share, reflecting decades of migration tied to the natural gas and agriculture industries. Median household income in Stevens County trends above the Kansas median of $70,333, driven by natural-gas employment. Population density is about 7.2 people per square mile, and the county is entirely rural.
Economy & Local Life
Natural gas has anchored the local economy since a major 1927 discovery turned Hugoton into one of the country’s largest gas-producing fields for decades, and pipeline and processing jobs still support much of the county’s tax base. Irrigated wheat, corn, and cattle ranching round out the economy on the surrounding plains, fed by groundwater from the Ogallala Aquifer. Stevens County Hospital and USD 210 (Hugoton Public Schools) are among the county’s largest employers, alongside the natural-gas processing plants near Hugoton.
History
Stevens County was organized on August 3, 1886, and named for Thaddeus Stevens, the Reconstruction-era Pennsylvania congressman. Its early years were marked by a bitter county-seat rivalry between Hugoton and the now-vanished town of Woodsdale, which turned violent on July 25, 1888, in the Hay Meadow Massacre — a gunfight that killed four men. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s devastated the county’s agricultural economy before the 1927 natural-gas discovery gave Hugoton a lasting industrial base.
Getting There
US Route 56 and Kansas Highways 25 and 51 cross the county.
- Liberal, Kansas — 30 miles southeast
- Guymon, Oklahoma — 35 miles south
- Garden City, Kansas — 65 miles northeast
- Dodge City, Kansas — 90 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport in Seward County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Stevens County, Kansas?
It is in the far southwest corner of Kansas, on the Oklahoma state line.
What is the population of Stevens County?
5,250 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Stevens County?
727 square miles (1,880 km2), almost entirely land.
What is the county seat of Stevens County?
Hugoton is the county seat.
How many towns are in Stevens County?
Two incorporated cities, Hugoton and Moscow, plus the historic ghost towns of Woodsdale and Feterita.
What ZIP codes are in Stevens County?
67951 (Hugoton) and 67952 (Moscow).
What happened at the Hay Meadow Massacre?
On July 25, 1888, a gun battle between factions backing Hugoton and Woodsdale for county seat killed four men, one of the deadliest county-seat conflicts in Kansas history.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.