Wichita County is a county in Kansas, United States, on the High Plains of the western part of the state. It had a population of 2,152 at the 2020 census and covers 719 square miles (1,860 km2) of mostly flat, treeless farmland centred near 38°28′N 101°21′W.
Leoti is the county seat, and its postal code is 67861. The county has one incorporated city (Leoti) and several unincorporated communities, plus one ghost town. It sits in the Central time zone (UTC−6, CDT UTC−5).
Towns & Villages in Wichita County
Leoti, the only incorporated place, anchors a scatter of small farming communities and rail sidings across the county.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leoti | City · seat | 1,475 | 67861 |
| Coronado | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lydia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marienthal | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Selkirk | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Farmer City | Unincorp. (ghost town) | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 67861 — Leoti (also serves the rest of the county)
Coronado, Lydia, Marienthal, Selkirk and Farmer City have no post office of their own and are served by Leoti’s ZIP code.
Geography
Wichita County lies on the unglaciated High Plains, drained by the Smoky Hill River and its tributaries across mostly level cropland and rangeland. The county borders Logan County to the north, Scott County to the east, Kearny County to the south, Hamilton County to the southwest, Greeley County to the west and Wallace County to the northwest. Kansas Highway 25 and Kansas Highway 96 cross the county and meet at Leoti.
Related pages: Scott County, Kansas, Greeley County, Kansas, Hamilton County, Kansas.
Demographics
Wichita County recorded 2,152 residents at the 2020 census, down slightly from prior decades as the county’s farm population has aged and consolidated. Leoti, with 1,475 people, holds more than two-thirds of the county’s total; Coronado and Marienthal are the next-largest named places, each with only a handful of households. The county’s population is 71.9% White and 29.6% Hispanic or Latino, with a median age of 38.5 and 26.9% of residents under 18. Median household income for Kansas overall was $70,333 in the 2023 American Community Survey; a sparsely populated farm county like Wichita typically runs close to that state figure. Population density is 2.99 people per square mile, among the lowest of any Kansas county.
Economy & Local Life
Dryland and irrigated wheat, corn, sorghum and cattle ranching drive the county economy, supplemented by county government, the local school district and Leoti’s grain elevators and farm-supply businesses. Wichita County High School’s activities and the county fair are the year’s main community gatherings, with the Wichita County Fair held each summer drawing 4-H exhibits and livestock judging from across the county.
History
Wichita County was established December 24, 1886, and organized soon after as settlement pushed west along the Kansas Pacific and later branch rail lines. It takes its name from the Wichita people, whose ancestral range once extended across the southern Great Plains. Like its neighbors, the county saw a homesteading boom in the 1880s followed by a sharp population decline after Dust Bowl-era droughts of the 1930s, and it has remained a lightly populated wheat-and-cattle county ever since. Politically the county has voted Republican in nearly every presidential election since statehood; it was last carried by a Democrat, Jimmy Carter, in 1976.
Getting There
Kansas Highway 96 runs east–west through Leoti and Kansas Highway 25 runs north–south, the county’s two paved state routes.
- Scott City — about 25 miles east
- Garden City — about 45 miles south
- Colby — about 60 miles north
Garden City Regional Airport is the nearest commercial airport. Wichita County has no Amtrak service; the closest station is the Southwest Chief stop at Garden City.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Wichita County, Kansas?
It is on the High Plains of western Kansas, bordered by Logan, Scott, Kearny, Hamilton, Greeley and Wallace counties.
What is the population of Wichita County?
It had a population of 2,152 at the 2020 census.
What is the county seat of Wichita County?
Leoti is the county seat and the only incorporated city in the county.
What is the Leoti postcode?
Leoti’s postal code is 67861, which also covers the rest of the county.
How big is Wichita County?
The county covers 719 square miles (1,860 km2), almost entirely land.
What is Wichita County’s economy based on?
Dryland and irrigated grain farming and cattle ranching, along with county government and Leoti’s farm-service businesses.
Where does the county’s name come from?
It is named for the Wichita people, whose historic range extended across the southern Great Plains.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.