Wilson County is a county in Kansas, United States, in the southeast part of the state between the Fall River and Verdigris River valleys. It had a population of 8,624 at the 2020 census and covers 575 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 570 square miles are land, centred near 37°34′N 95°44′W.
Fredonia is the county seat, and its postal code is 66736. The county has two incorporated cities and five smaller towns, plus a handful of unincorporated communities. Wilson County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Wilson County
Fredonia and Neodesha anchor the county’s population; the remaining communities are small towns and unincorporated crossroads scattered across the county’s farmland and former oil fields.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fredonia | City · seat | 2,151 | 66736 |
| Neodesha | City | 2,275 | 66757 |
| Altoona | Town | — | — |
| Benedict | Town | — | — |
| Buffalo | Town | — | — |
| Coyville | Town | — | — |
| New Albany | Town | — | — |
| Buffville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Guilford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lafontaine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vilas | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 66736 — Fredonia (also serves the county’s south-central townships)
- 66757 — Neodesha (also serves the county’s north-central and eastern townships)
Altoona, Benedict, Buffalo, Coyville, New Albany and the smaller unincorporated places do not have their own ZIP code and are served through the Fredonia or Neodesha post offices.
Geography
Wilson County lies in the Osage Cuestas region of southeast Kansas, a landscape of low ridges and cross-timbered valleys drained by the Fall River in the west and the Verdigris River through the county’s centre. The terrain is mostly rolling prairie given over to cattle grazing and wheat and soybean farming, with pockets of oak-hickory woodland along the stream bottoms. The county is bordered by Woodson County to the north, Allen County to the northeast, Neosho County to the east, Montgomery County to the south, Elk County to the west, and Greenwood County to the northwest.
Demographics
Wilson County had 8,624 residents at the 2020 census, down from 10,332 in 2000; a 2025 estimate puts the population at roughly 8,299, continuing the county’s decades-long rural decline. Neodesha (2,275) and Fredonia (2,151) are the two largest communities and together hold more than half the county’s population. Median household income in Wilson County runs below the Kansas state figure of $70,333 (2023 ACS), reflecting the county’s agricultural and light-industrial economic base. Population density is about 15 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture (wheat, soybeans and cattle) and light manufacturing anchor the county economy. Fredonia’s largest employer is A-Lert, followed by the local school district and a regional hospital; the city’s cement plant, which supplied jobs for more than a century, closed in 2012. Neodesha’s economy traces back to the Mid-Continent oil field, first tapped there in 1892, though oil production has since declined sharply. The Wilson County Free Fair, held each summer in Fredonia, is the county’s biggest annual community event.
History
Wilson County was created by the Kansas territorial legislature in 1855, originally including the land that later became Montgomery County to the south; it was organized as a separate county government in 1865. It was named for Colonel Hiero T. Wilson, a trader and one of the first white settlers at Fort Scott. Neodesha’s Norman No. 1 well, drilled in 1892, was the first commercially successful oil well in the Mid-Continent field, launching a regional oil boom. Fredonia set the Kansas state record high temperature of 121°F on July 18, 1936.
Getting There
Kansas Highway 96 and U.S. Route 400 cross the county, connecting Fredonia and Neodesha to the wider southeast Kansas highway network.
- Independence, Kansas — 15 miles south
- Chanute, Kansas — 25 miles northeast
- Iola, Kansas — 25 miles east
- Wichita, Kansas — 110 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is Wichita Eisenhower National Airport, about 110 miles northwest of Fredonia. Wilson County has no scheduled Amtrak service; the closest station is well outside the county.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Fredonia postcode?
66736.
What is the Neodesha postcode?
66757.
What county is Fredonia, Kansas in?
Fredonia is the county seat of Wilson County, Kansas.
What is the largest city in Wilson County?
Neodesha, with 2,275 residents at the 2020 census, is slightly larger than the county seat, Fredonia.
What is Wilson County’s population?
8,624 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate of about 8,299.
How big is Wilson County, Kansas?
575 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 570 square miles are land.
Who was Wilson County named after?
Colonel Hiero T. Wilson, a trader and early settler at Fort Scott, Kansas.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kansas.