Pawnee County, Kansas

Pawnee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Larned. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 6,253. The county is named after the Pawnee tribe.

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Pawnee County's economy, with the county being one of the state's leading producers of winter wheat. Other agricultural products include oilseed, grain, vegetables, melons, and cotton. The county also supports beef cattle ranching and feedlots.

History

Pawnee County was established in 1867 and organized in 1872. The county derives its name from the Pawnee Indian tribe, who historically inhabited the region. Prior to its establishment as Pawnee County, the area was contained in the old Washington County, Peketon County, and later Marion County.

Ford Larned was established near the site of present-day Larned, Kansas between 1859 and 1860 to provide protection for wagon trains traversing the Santa Fe Trail. Notably, in January 1863, a wagon train was stopped by a starving band Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. After refusing the Indians' request for supplies, the wagon train was attacked and all but one of the teamsters killed. The survivor sought refuge at Ford Larned.

Against this background of increasing tension in the region, Fort Larned became a base of operations for Major General Winfield Hancock's campaign against the Plains tribes. After Hancock requested reinforcements from U.S. Seventh Cavalry, led by Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, Custer began a campaign against the Cheyenne culminating in their defeat in the Battle of the Washita River in Oklahoma.

Additionally, Fort Larned played a vital role in safeguarding railroad construction workers, distributing treaty-established annuities to the Indians, and serving as a Bureau of Indian Affairs office during the 1860s. While the fort officially closed in 1878, a detachment from Fort Dodge remained stationed there until 1883.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.05%) is water.

Adjacent counties Rush County (north) Barton County (northeast) Stafford County (east) Edwards County (south) Hodgeman County (west) Ness County (northwest)

National protected area Fort Larned National Historic Site

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Pawnee County, Kansas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)7,5426,9766,4236,0185,15493.52%92.34%88.80%86.30%82.42%Black or African American alone (NH)1892333543182462.34%3.08%4.89%4.56%3.93%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)34265236240.42%0.34%0.72%0.52%0.38%Asian alone (NH)75563932280.93%0.74%0.54%0.46%0.45%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census020xx0.00%0.03%0.00%Other race alone (NH)14833270.17%0.11%0.04%0.04%0.43%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census61103252xx0.84%1.48%4.03%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2112563014615222.62%3.39%4.16%6.61%8.35%Total8,0657,5557,2336,9736,253 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,253. The median age was 42.3 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 121.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 124.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 85.7% White, 4.0% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.0% from some other race, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.3% of the population.

59.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 40.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,455 households in the county, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,055 housing units, of which 19.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.3% were owner-occupied and 30.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 21.3%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,233 people, 2,739 households, and 1,785 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,114 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.96% White, 5.00% Black or African American, 0.95% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 1.22% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 4.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,739 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 32.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 112.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,175, and the median income for a family was $45,634. Males had a median income of $26,751 versus $20,931 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,584. About 5.40% of families and 11.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Presidential elections Pawnee County has been primarily Republican for the majority of its history. However, there have been multiple stretches where it was considered a swing county, backing the national winner in all presidential elections from 1904 to 1936 as well as 1964 to 1988. It has trended away from bellwether status since 1988 however.

Laws Following amendment to the Kansas Constitution in 1986, Pawnee County remained a prohibition, or "dry", county until 1992, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement.

Education

Unified school districts Ft. Larned USD 495 Pawnee Heights USD 496

Communities

List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Pawnee County.

Cities Burdett Garfield Larned (county seat) Rozel

Unincorporated communities Ash Valley Frizell Sanford Zook

Townships Pawnee County is divided into twenty-one townships. The city of Larned is considered governmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size.

Sources: 2000 U.S. Gazetteer from the U.S. Census Bureau. Township FIPS Populationcenter Population Populationdensity/km2 (/sq mi) Land areakm2 (sq mi) Water areakm2 (sq mi) Water % Geographic coordinates Ash Valley 02825 49 1 (1) 95 (37) 0 (0) 0.07% Browns Grove 08750 310 3 (9) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0% Conkling 15225 26 0 (1) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.07% Garfield 25775 259 3 (7) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.03% Grant 27925 234 3 (7) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0.04% Keysville 36625 55 1 (2) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0% Larned 38725 266 3 (8) 87 (34) 0 (0) 0% Lincoln 40975 28 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.12% Logan 42075 48 1 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.07% Morton 48525 56 1 (2) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0% Orange 53000 73 1 (2) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0% Pawnee 54800 82 1 (2) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.06% Pleasant Grove 56400 230 2 (6) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.22% Pleasant Ridge 56475 56 1 (2) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.02% Pleasant Valley 56600 128 1 (4) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0% River 60050 87 1 (2) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0% Santa Fe 63025 788 9 (22) 92 (36) 0 (0) 0% Saw Mill 63250 24 0 (1) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.07% Shiley 65275 28 0 (1) 94 (36) 0 (0) 0.15% Valley Center 73225 57 1 (2) 92 (35) 0 (0) 0.07% Walnut 75050 113 1 (3) 93 (36) 0 (0) 0.08%

Pawnee County, Kansas

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