County · Kansas

Barton County, Kansas

Barton County, Kansas. Barton County had 24,790 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 2.8% since 2020, while Kansas grew 1.3%. It holds 33 places (9 cities, villages and boroughs, 22 towns and townships and 2 census-designated) and 8 census tracts. GEOID 20009.

Barton County is the county of the Great Bend, KS micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

24,790

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 25,493 · ACS 2020-2024: 25,097

Median household income

$58,851

±$3,181 (90% margin)
Kansas: $74,275

Median home value

$126,400

±$11,964 (90% margin)
Kansas: $217,200

Median gross rent

$761

±$45 (90% margin)
Kansas: $1,060

How many people live in Barton County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 25,493 residents in Barton County. The Census Bureau estimates 24,790 for July 1, 2025, down 2.8% since 2020, while Kansas grew 1.3%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 25,097 over 895 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −161 (25,276)
2021→2022 −224 (25,052)
2022→2023 −117 (24,935)
2023→2024 −22 (24,913)
2024→2025 −123 (24,790)

Barton County in Kansas. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Barton County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	25,097	2,947,197	−1,356
Households	10,380±330	1,174,060	no clear change
Average household size	2.37±0.08	2.44	no clear change
Housing units	12,383±62	1,293,635	−350

Barton County's population since 2000

From 28,205 in 2000 to 24,790 in 2025: down 12.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. 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 28,205
2005 (estimate) 27,536
2010 Census 27,674
2015 (estimate) 27,164
2020 Census 25,493
2025 (estimate) 24,790

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); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Barton County?

Barton County holds 33 places: 9 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 22 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 2 census-designated places. The largest is Great Bend with 14,266 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Barton County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Great Bend	city	14,733	14,479±31	$54,139	$133,900	16.9%	100%
Hoisington	city	2,699	2,643±22	$52,277	$95,000	16.5%	100%
Ellinwood	city	2,011	2,192±294	$56,379	$109,300	14.1%	100%
Great Bend TownshipGEOID 2000928325	township	1,365	1,549±324	$102,560	$202,500	6.2%	100%
Independent TownshipGEOID 2000933975	township	655	455±147	$63,438	$107,300	20.4%	100%
South Bend TownshipGEOID 2000966525	township	566	641±316	$70,650	$115,900	12.3%	100%
ClaflinGEOID 2013425	city	562	455±147	$63,438	$107,300	20.4%	100%
Buffalo Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000909075	township	431	235±122	$52,083	not published	0.0%	100%
Comanche TownshipGEOID 2000915125	township	408	367±247	$128,393	$120,500	0.0%	100%
South Homestead TownshipGEOID 2000966725	township	338	196±119	$60,655	not published	4.6%	100%
Walnut Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000974825	township	327	304±77	$61,250	$93,300	5.3%	100%
Pawnee Rock Township	township	313	498±126	$73,333	$78,500	25.3%	100%
Lakin Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000938125	township	251	348±195	$61,750	$167,700	54.3%	100%
Liberty Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000939875	township	248	126±93	$56,500	$223,800	12.7%	100%
Cheyenne Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000913025	township	200	77±61	not published	$85,000	0.0%	100%
Pawnee Rock	city	193	258±87	$48,026	$59,600	41.1%	100%
Logan Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000941750	township	165	140±73	$111,250	$160,800	14.3%	100%
Clarence TownshipGEOID 2000913475	township	133	201±125	$66,250	$175,000	2.5%	100%
AlbertGEOID 2000825	city	132	100±27	$58,750	$70,800	9.0%	100%
Fairview Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000922400	township	110	88±80	$70,781	$37,500	2.3%	100%
North Homestead TownshipGEOID 2000951200	township	105	283±189	not published	$247,100	2.1%	100%
Beaver Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000904975	township	98	8±12	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
OlmitzGEOID 2052750	city	90	113±46	$76,250	$60,000	0.0%	100%
OdinGEOID 2052175	CDP	87	58±54	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Union Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000972025	township	77	46±23	$59,028	not published	4.5%	100%
Eureka Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000921750	township	70	183±117	$72,276	$221,600	0.0%	100%
Albion Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000900850	township	60	8±12	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Wheatland Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000977600	township	55	5±6	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
BeaverGEOID 2004950	CDP	52	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Grant Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000927475	township	50	17±13	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
GalatiaGEOID 2025050	city	45	20±16	not published	not published	10.0%	100%
SusankGEOID 2069525	city	31	31±18	$72,500	not published	6.9%	100%
Cleveland Township, Barton CountyGEOID 2000914025	township	25	8±11	not published	not published	100.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Barton County?

The median resident of Barton County is 38.8 years old; 24.1% are under 18 and 20.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 78.9%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 16.7%. 5.0% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Barton County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	38.8±0.5	37.4	−1.1
Under 18 years	24.1%	23.8%	–
65 years and over	20.8%±0.4 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	16.7%	13.6%	+1.9 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	78.9%±0.3 pts	72.7%	−2.6 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.4 pts	5.2%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.3 pts	2.9%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.4%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	3.2%±0.5 pts	4.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	5.0%±1.0 pts	7.4%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	9.3%±1.3 pts	12.1%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	7.9%±1.2 pts	6.8%	–
With a disability	16.9%±1.6 pts	13.5%	–
No health insurance coverage	11.2%±1.5 pts	8.8%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	90.5%±1.7 pts	92.0%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	21.7%±2.4 pts	35.6%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	6.1%±1.2 pts	13.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.2%±0.4 pts	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 Barton County earn?

Half of Barton County's 10,380 households earn less than $58,851 a year (±$3,181), against $74,275 in Kansas. In 2015-2019 it was $61,194 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 15.4% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Barton County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$58,851±$3,181	$74,275	no clear change
Mean household income	$78,743±$6,165	$100,417	–
Per capita income	$34,350±$2,589	$40,978	no clear change
People below the poverty line	15.4%±2.3 pts	11.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	21.6%±4.8 pts	13.1%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	7.0%±1.4 pts	6.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	87.3%±2.0 pts	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 Barton County?

Owners occupy 65.2% of Barton County's occupied homes and renters 34.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $126,400 by its owner (±$11,964). The median renter pays $761 a month including utilities, and 28.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Barton County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$126,400±$11,964	$217,200	no clear change
Median gross rent	$761±$45	$1,060	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	28.1%±5.5 pts	34.5%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,284±$83	$1,689	–
Owner-occupied homes	65.2%±3.0 pts	67.2%	−5.1 pts
Housing units	12,383±62	1,293,635	−350
Homeowner vacancy rate	2.1%±1.8 pts	0.9%	–
Rental vacancy rate	8.2%±4.2 pts	6.2%	–
Single-family detached homes	76.7%±2.4 pts	71.8%	–
Mobile homes	8.9%±2.1 pts	4.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.6%±0.6 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	21.4%±2.5 pts	15.4%	–

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 many new homes is Barton County building?

Builders took permits for 9 new housing units across Barton County in 2025 (9 single-family), 0.4 per 1,000 residents.

2019 9 units
2020 9 units
2021 4 units
2022 13 units
2023 17 units
2024 12 units
2025 9 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Barton County get to work?

81.0% of Barton County's workers drive alone and 8.7% work from home. The average trip to work takes 15.2 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 3.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Barton County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	62.9%±2.1 pts	66.1%	–
Unemployment rate	3.9%±1.0 pts	3.9%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	81.0%±2.5 pts	75.4%	–
Carpooled	6.9%±1.4 pts	8.7%	–
Public transportation	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.4%	–
Walked	2.3%±1.2 pts	2.3%	–
Worked from home	8.7%±1.6 pts	11.8%	+5.0 pts
Mean travel time to work	15.2 min±1.3	19.7 min	no 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 are Barton County's census tracts?

Barton County is divided into 8 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $45,545 (Tract 9714) to $79,938 (Tract 9715).

Census tracts of Barton County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 971120009971100	Ellinwood (19%)	3,716	3,594±349	$59,649	$129,000	$673	17.4%
Tract 971220009971200	Pawnee Rock (5%)	1,512	1,505±192	$62,500	$93,300	$663	10.4%
Tract 971320009971300	Hoisington (67%)	3,087	3,068±236	$60,093	$97,300	$1,044	14.5%
Tract 971420009971400	Great Bend (98%)	2,447	2,153±311	$45,545	$96,600	$861	16.3%
Tract 971520009971500	Great Bend (89%)	3,343	3,611±320	$79,938	$173,700	$763	6.4%
Tract 971620009971600	Great Bend (99%)	3,927	4,188±460	$55,109	$124,700	$730	18.3%
Tract 971720009971700	Great Bend (99%)	2,665	2,380±404	$49,049	$64,300	$836	19.1%
Tract 9718.0120009971801	Great Bend (34%)	4,796	4,598±523	$62,461	$201,900	$685	18.0%

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

How does Barton County compare with Kansas's other counties?

Barton County's rank among Kansas's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	24th of 105
Growth 2020-2025	72nd of 105
Residents per square mile	29th of 105
Median household income	83rd of 105
Median home value	51st of 105
Median gross rent	59th of 104
Poverty rate	13th of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	73rd of 105
Median age	76th of 105

Every county in Kansas

Source: PlainCities ranks 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 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 Barton County 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.