Mitchell County | |
|---|---|
 Mitchell County Courthouse inBeloit (2014) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKansas | |
 Kansas's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:39°24′N98°12′W / 39.400°N 98.200°W /39.400; -98.200 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kansas |
| Founded | February 26, 1867 |
| Named after | William D. Mitchell |
| Seat | Beloit |
| Largest city | Beloit |
| Area | |
• Total | 719 sq mi (1,860 km2) |
| • Land | 702 sq mi (1,820 km2) |
| • Water | 17 sq mi (44 km2) 2.4% |
| Population | |
• Total | 5,796 |
• Estimate (2023)[2] | 5,719 |
| • Density | 8.3/sq mi (3.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | County Website |
Mitchell County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofKansas. Itscounty seat and largest city isBeloit.[3] As of the2020 census, the county population was 5,796.[1] The county was named for William Mitchell.
For manymillennia, theGreat Plains ofNorth America was inhabited bynomadicNative Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, theKingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts ofNorth America. In 1762, after theFrench and Indian War, France secretly cededNew France toSpain, per theTreaty of Fontainebleau.
In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land formodern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mileLouisiana Purchase for 2.83cents peracre.
In 1854, theKansas Territory was organized, then in 1861Kansas became the 34thU.S. state. In 1867,Mitchell County was established.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 719 square miles (1,860 km2), of which 702 square miles (1,820 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44 km2) (2.4%) is water.[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 485 | — | |
| 1880 | 14,911 | 2,974.4% | |
| 1890 | 15,037 | 0.8% | |
| 1900 | 14,647 | −2.6% | |
| 1910 | 14,089 | −3.8% | |
| 1920 | 13,886 | −1.4% | |
| 1930 | 12,774 | −8.0% | |
| 1940 | 11,339 | −11.2% | |
| 1950 | 10,320 | −9.0% | |
| 1960 | 8,866 | −14.1% | |
| 1970 | 8,010 | −9.7% | |
| 1980 | 8,117 | 1.3% | |
| 1990 | 7,203 | −11.3% | |
| 2000 | 6,932 | −3.8% | |
| 2010 | 6,373 | −8.1% | |
| 2020 | 5,796 | −9.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 5,719 | [5] | −1.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[1] | |||
As of thecensus[10] of 2010, there were 6,373 people, 2,790 households, and 1,725 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 8.8 people per square mile (3.4 people/km2). There were 3,296 housing units at an average density of 4.6 per square mile (1.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.97%White, 0.20%Black orAfrican American, 0.37%Native American, 0.29%Asian, 0.07%Pacific Islander, 0.26% fromother races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 2,790 households, out of which 24.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.29% weremarried couples living together, 6.23% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.17% were non-families. 33.08% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.44% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 19.83% from 25 to 44, 29.67% from 45 to 64, and 21.04% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.6 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.2 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,247, and the median income for a family was $54,502. Males had a median income of $30,044 versus $20,094 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $23,350. About 4.90% of families and 8.26% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.04% of those under age 18 and 12.33% of those age 65 or over.
Prior to 1940, Mitchell County was a swing county, backing the national winner in every presidential election from 1900 to 1936. Since 1940, it has become a Republican stronghold, with onlyGeorge H. W. Bush in 1992 failing to win a majority in the county due toRoss Perot's strong showing in Kansas.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 1,676 | 55.90% | 880 | 29.35% | 442 | 14.74% |
| 1892 | 1,467 | 43.51% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,905 | 56.49% |
| 1896 | 1,428 | 42.67% | 1,889 | 56.44% | 30 | 0.90% |
| 1900 | 1,764 | 49.65% | 1,702 | 47.90% | 87 | 2.45% |
| 1904 | 2,037 | 63.88% | 867 | 27.19% | 285 | 8.94% |
| 1908 | 1,765 | 50.50% | 1,570 | 44.92% | 160 | 4.58% |
| 1912 | 737 | 22.06% | 1,441 | 43.13% | 1,163 | 34.81% |
| 1916 | 2,413 | 41.42% | 3,197 | 54.88% | 215 | 3.69% |
| 1920 | 3,310 | 68.32% | 1,409 | 29.08% | 126 | 2.60% |
| 1924 | 3,161 | 59.79% | 1,470 | 27.80% | 656 | 12.41% |
| 1928 | 3,245 | 62.84% | 1,855 | 35.92% | 64 | 1.24% |
| 1932 | 2,502 | 42.70% | 3,176 | 54.21% | 181 | 3.09% |
| 1936 | 2,781 | 45.51% | 3,289 | 53.82% | 41 | 0.67% |
| 1940 | 3,681 | 63.55% | 2,060 | 35.57% | 51 | 0.88% |
| 1944 | 3,238 | 66.67% | 1,579 | 32.51% | 40 | 0.82% |
| 1948 | 2,998 | 62.16% | 1,750 | 36.28% | 75 | 1.56% |
| 1952 | 4,167 | 80.98% | 961 | 18.67% | 18 | 0.35% |
| 1956 | 3,198 | 72.16% | 1,214 | 27.39% | 20 | 0.45% |
| 1960 | 2,779 | 61.80% | 1,692 | 37.63% | 26 | 0.58% |
| 1964 | 1,951 | 50.28% | 1,898 | 48.92% | 31 | 0.80% |
| 1968 | 2,428 | 62.89% | 1,144 | 29.63% | 289 | 7.49% |
| 1972 | 2,830 | 71.59% | 1,030 | 26.06% | 93 | 2.35% |
| 1976 | 2,095 | 53.99% | 1,700 | 43.81% | 85 | 2.19% |
| 1980 | 2,821 | 71.36% | 876 | 22.16% | 256 | 6.48% |
| 1984 | 3,036 | 75.98% | 919 | 23.00% | 41 | 1.03% |
| 1988 | 2,257 | 65.19% | 1,145 | 33.07% | 60 | 1.73% |
| 1992 | 1,601 | 43.86% | 938 | 25.70% | 1,111 | 30.44% |
| 1996 | 2,435 | 68.71% | 833 | 23.50% | 276 | 7.79% |
| 2000 | 2,350 | 71.95% | 751 | 22.99% | 165 | 5.05% |
| 2004 | 2,609 | 77.90% | 693 | 20.69% | 47 | 1.40% |
| 2008 | 2,440 | 76.18% | 701 | 21.89% | 62 | 1.94% |
| 2012 | 2,327 | 78.48% | 584 | 19.70% | 54 | 1.82% |
| 2016 | 2,308 | 78.45% | 477 | 16.21% | 157 | 5.34% |
| 2020 | 2,504 | 80.75% | 558 | 17.99% | 39 | 1.26% |
| 2024 | 2,608 | 82.22% | 528 | 16.65% | 36 | 1.13% |
Following amendment to theKansas Constitution in 1986, the county remained a prohibition, or"dry", county until 1996, when voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement.[12]
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Mitchell County.[13]
‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county.
† means a community is designated aCensus-Designated Place (CDP) by theUnited States Census Bureau.
Mitchell County is divided into twentytownships. The city ofBeloit is consideredgovernmentally 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.
Places adjacent to Mitchell County, Kansas | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofMitchell County, Kansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated community | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This community also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
