| Counties of Kansas | |
| Territory: | State of Kansas |
| Current Number: | 105 |
| Population Range: | 1,181 (Greeley) – 622,237 (Johnson) |
| Area Range: | (Wyandotte) – (Butler) |
| Government: | County government |
| Subdivision: | cities, towns, townships, unincorporated communities, Indian reservations, census designated place |
This is a list of counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. Select from the links at right to go directly to an article, or browse the listing below for additional information. Every license plate issued by the state contains the same two-letter abbreviation for the county in which its vehicle is registered.
Kansas has 105 counties, the fifth-highest total of any state. The first counties were established while Kansas was a Territory from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when Kansas became a state. Many of the counties in the eastern part of the state are named after prominent Americans from the late 18th and early-to-mid-19th centuries, while those in the central and western part of the state are named for figures in the American Civil War. Several counties throughout the state bear names of Native American origin.
Wyandotte County and the city of Kansas City,[1] and Greeley County and the city of Tribune, operate as unified governments.[2]
The FIPS state code for Kansas is 20.
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| County | Dates | Notes | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 1855–57 | One of 36 Original Counties. | [3] | |
| Seward | 1861–67 | Formerly part of Godfrey. Dissolved into Greenwood and Howard Counties. | [4] | |
| Godfrey | 1855–61 | One of the Original 36 Counties. Name changed to Seward around 1861. | [5] | |
| Hunter | 1855–64 | One of the Original 36 Counties. Dissolved into Butler County. | [6] | |
| Irving | 1860–64 | Formed from Hunter County. Dissolved into Butler County. | [7] | |
| Otoe | 1860–64 | Formed from Unorganized Area and dissolved into Butler County. | [8] | |
| Shirley | 1860–67 | Formed from Unorganized Area and renamed Cloud County. | [9] | |
| 1860–65 | Formed from Unorganized Area and dissolved back into Unorganized Area. | [10] | ||
| Madison | 1855–61 | One of the Original 36 Counties. Dissolved into Breckenridge and Greenwood. | [11] | |
| Howard | 1867–75 | Formed from Seward and Butler Counties. Dissolved into Chautauqua and Elk Counties. | [12] | |
| 1873–83 | Formed from Unorganized Area. Dissolved into Finney County. | [13] | ||
| Buffalo | 1873–81 | Formed from Unorganized Area. Dissolved into Gray County. | [14] | |
| Foote | 1873–81 | Dissolved into Ford and Finney Counties. | [15] | |
| Kansas | 1873–83 | Formed from Unorganized Area. Dissolved into Seward County. | [16] | |
| Sequoyah | 1873–83 | Formed from Unorganized Area. Dissolved into Finney County. | [17] | |
| 1887–93 | Formed from Finney and Hodgeman Counties and merged into Finney County. | [18] | ||
| Billings | 1873–74 | Created from Norton County and returned to Norton County. | [19] | |
| Davis | 1855–89 | One of 36 Original Counties, now part of Geary County. | ||
| Breckinridge | 1855–62 | Now Lyon County. | [20] |
St. John County was established in 1871, and formed from the area to the east of range 38 in what was then part of Wallace County. In 1885, the name was changed to Logan County.[21]
Kearney County was established on March 6, 1873, and was dissolved in 1883, with the land area being split between Hamilton and Finney counties. It was reestablished with its original borders in 1887, and organized on March 27, 1888. In 1889, the name was corrected to Kearny County (without an extra "e") to match the last name of Philip Kearny.[22]