Township · Kansas

Medicine Lodge Township, Kansas

Medicine Lodge Township, township, in Barber County, Kansas. Medicine Lodge Township had 1,969 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 3.8% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 2,052 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 2,011 (±227). GEOID 2000745525.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

1,969

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 2,052 · ACS 2020-2024: 2,011 ±227

Median household income

$61,140

±$11,973 (90% margin)
Kansas: $74,275

Median home value

$126,200

±$31,620 (90% margin)
Kansas: $217,200

Median gross rent

$841

±$27 (90% margin)
Kansas: $1,060

Where is Medicine Lodge Township and what county is it in?

Medicine Lodge Township is a township in Barber County, Kansas. It covers 119.4 square miles of land, 17 residents per square mile in 2020.

One place lies inside Medicine Lodge Township: Medicine Lodge (city, 1,781 in 2020).

Medicine Lodge Township (marked with a dot) in Barber County, Kansas. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files

How many people live in Medicine Lodge Township, and is it growing?

The Census Bureau estimates that 1,969 people lived in Medicine Lodge Township on July 1, 2025, down 3.8% since 2020, while Kansas grew 1.3%. The 2020 Census counted 2,052 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 2,011 (±227).

  • July 2020→2021 −45 (1,985)
  • 2021→2022 +6 (1,991)
  • 2022→2023 −16 (1,975)
  • 2023→2024 −3 (1,972)
  • 2024→2025 −3 (1,969)
ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (counts) with the change from 2015-2019
MeasureMedicine Lodge TownshipBarber CountyKansasChange since 2015-2019
Total population2,011±2274,0692,947,197no clear change
Households921±1141,8281,174,060no clear change
Average household size2.16±0.192.202.44no clear change
Housing units1,189±1202,4801,293,635no clear change

Medicine Lodge Township's population since 2000

From 2,573 in 2000 to 1,969 in 2025: down 23.5%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Medicine Lodge Township as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

  • 2000 Census 2,573
  • 2005 (estimate) 2,405
  • 2010 Census 2,334
  • 2015 (estimate) 2,312
  • 2020 Census 2,052
  • 2025 (estimate) 1,969

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Medicine Lodge Township?

The median resident of Medicine Lodge Township is 43.8 years old; 20.6% are under 18 and 22.4% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 87.7%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 6.7%.

Age, origin, education and moves, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
MeasureMedicine Lodge TownshipBarber CountyKansasChange since 2015-2019
Median age43.8±9.142.537.4no clear change
Under 18 years20.6%±4.6 pts22.9%23.8%–
65 years and over22.4%±4.1 pts23.8%17.0%–
Male48.4%±3.4 pts51.2%50.2%–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)6.7%±3.4 pts6.3%13.6%–
White alone, not Hispanic87.7%±4.3 pts88.7%72.7%−6.1 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic0.1%±0.2 pts0.1%5.2%–
Asian alone, not Hispanic0.0%±1.5 pts0.0%2.9%–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic2.1%±1.4 pts2.3%0.4%–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic0.0%±1.5 pts0.0%0.1%–
Two or more races, not Hispanic3.3%±2.0 pts2.5%4.8%–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic0.2%±0.4 pts0.2%0.4%–
Born outside the United States0.0%±1.5 pts0.3%7.4%–
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)1.3%±1.6 pts0.9%12.1%–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)4.9%±2.5 pts6.0%6.8%–
With a disability17.4%±4.0 pts15.8%13.5%–
No health insurance coverage7.7%±3.8 pts7.2%8.8%no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)96.2%±1.9 pts95.9%92.0%–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)24.2%±6.1 pts27.3%35.6%no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)4.3%±2.1 pts5.7%13.4%–
Lived in the same house a year earlier82.8%±7.1 pts86.8%85.7%–
Moved from another state in the past year0.7%±0.9 pts2.2%3.0%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Medicine Lodge Township earn?

Half of Medicine Lodge Township's 921 households earn less than $61,140 a year (±$11,973), against $61,926 in Barber County and $74,275 in Kansas. In 2015-2019 it was $58,805 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 5.4% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; 2015-2019 dollars adjusted with the R-CPI-U-RS
MeasureMedicine Lodge TownshipBarber CountyKansasChange since 2015-2019
Median household income$61,140±$11,973$61,926$74,275no clear change
Mean household income$76,347±$6,890$85,733$100,417–
Per capita income$34,940±$4,010$38,500$40,978no clear change
People below the poverty line5.4%±2.9 pts11.8%11.3%−9.7 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line1.1%±2.3 pts20.1%13.1%–
Households receiving SNAP3.9%±3.2 pts2.8%6.8%–
Households with a computer97.1%±2.1 pts95.4%95.6%–
Households with a broadband subscription89.0%±5.3 pts85.4%90.7%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Medicine Lodge Township?

Owners occupy 75.0% of Medicine Lodge Township's occupied homes and renters 25.0%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $126,200 by its owner (±$31,620). The median renter pays $841 a month including utilities.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Home values are owners' own estimates.
MeasureMedicine Lodge TownshipBarber CountyKansasChange since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)$126,200±$31,620$97,000$217,200+$44,605
Median gross rent$841±$27$830$1,060+$191
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent9.1%±8.5 pts9.5%34.5%–
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage$1,583±$310$1,379$1,689–
Owner-occupied homes75.0%±6.6 pts81.0%67.2%no clear change
Renter-occupied homes25.0%±6.6 pts19.0%32.8%–
Housing units1,189±1202,4801,293,635no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate0.0%±4.1 pts0.0%0.9%–
Rental vacancy rate20.4%±14.6 pts14.3%6.2%–
Single-family detached homes88.1%±5.5 pts88.6%71.8%–
Mobile homes3.7%±4.1 pts6.3%4.0%–
Built 2020 or later0.0%±2.5 pts0.3%1.4%–
Built 2010 to 20197.2%±5.9 pts5.7%7.8%–
Built 1939 or earlier25.0%±7.8 pts29.5%15.4%–
Households with no vehicle4.5%±2.6 pts3.3%5.1%–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How do people in Medicine Lodge Township work and get to work?

87.7% of Medicine Lodge Township's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 12.6 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (workers 16 and over)
MeasureMedicine Lodge TownshipBarber CountyKansasChange since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)70.5%±5.0 pts69.4%66.1%–
Unemployment rate0.4%±0.6 pts1.2%3.9%–
Drove alone to work87.7%±5.0 pts85.6%75.4%–
Carpooled6.3%±3.6 pts7.4%8.7%–
Public transportation0.0%±2.6 pts0.0%0.4%–
Walked2.1%±2.1 pts2.7%2.3%–
Worked from home3.7%±2.6 pts3.4%11.8%–
Mean travel time to work12.6 min±2.215.1 min19.7 minno clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What census tracts are in Medicine Lodge Township?

No census tract lies mostly in Medicine Lodge Township; 2 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).

Census tracts in Medicine Lodge Township, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
TractResidents, 2020-2024Median household incomeMedian home valueShare of tract in Medicine Lodge Township
Tract 9681Barber County2,551 $71,618 $105,40040%
Tract 9682Barber County1,518 $56,336 $87,9005%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Medicine Lodge Township) · Census block assignment files

How does Medicine Lodge Township compare with other places in Kansas?

By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Medicine Lodge Township is the 4,901st-most populous of the 16,079 U.S. towns and townships that have one and the 79th-most populous of 1,256 in Kansas.

Medicine Lodge Township ranks 261st of 374 places in Kansas with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.

Medicine Lodge Township's rank in Kansas (1 = highest): by population among the state's towns and townships with a 2025 estimate; by the other measures among places of 1,000+ residents with a reliable estimate
MeasureRankOf
Population, July 2025 estimate79th1,256
Growth 2020-2025 (PEP)330th373
Residents per square mile353rd376
Median household income261st374
Per capita income211th375
Median home value254th370
Median gross rent184th333
Poverty rate232nd266
Bachelor's degree or higher224th374
Median age106th376
Owner-occupied share208th374
Travel time to work338th375

Medicine Lodge Township's figures with every place in Kansas (CSV)

Every place in Kansas, sortable · Compare Medicine Lodge Township with other places

Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How reliable are the figures for Medicine Lodge Township?

20 of the 57 figures for Medicine Lodge Township on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.

The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Medicine Lodge Township are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.