Sedgwick County is located in theU.S. state ofKansas. Itscounty seat isWichita,[3] the most populous city in the state. As of the2020 census, the population was 523,824,[1] making it the second-most populous county in Kansas. The county was named afterJohn Sedgwick, the highest ranking Union general killed during the American Civil War.
In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mileLouisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1848, after theMexican–American War, theTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo withSpain brought into the United States all or part of land for ten future states, including southwest Kansas. In 1854, theKansas Territory was organized, and in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state.
Sedgwick County was the setting for the murders committed by the BTK strangler from 1974 until 1991.[citation needed]Dennis Rader, an employee of the Sedgwick County city ofPark City was arrested in early 2005 after he began sending incriminating letters taunting the police in 2004. He had not been heard from since 1979.[citation needed] Ken Landwehr of theWichita Police Department led the task force which captured Rader, setting a new standard of serial crime detection in the process, which is still studied by police departments across the world. Rader is serving 10 life sentences at the El Dorado Correctional Facility inEl Dorado.[citation needed]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,009 square miles (2,610 km2), of which 998 square miles (2,580 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (1.2%) is water.[6]
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 452,869 people, 176,444 households, and 117,688 families residing in the county. The population density was 453 inhabitants per square mile (175/km2). There were 191,133 housing units at an average density of 191 per square mile (74/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 79.38%White, 9.13%Black orAfrican American, 1.11%Native American, 3.34%Asian, 0.06%Pacific Islander, 4.17% fromother races, and 2.81% from two or more races. 8.04% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 176,444 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.70% weremarried couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.20% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,485, and the median income for a family was $51,645. Males had a median income of $37,770 versus $26,153 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $20,907. About 7.00% of families and 9.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.90% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.
Sedgwick County is fairly conservative for an urban county. It has only gone Democratic in a presidential election once since 1944. Democratic strength is concentrated in Wichita, while the suburban areas are strongly Republican. However, the county often backs Democrats for the governorship - most recentlyLaura Kelly in2022. This makes it a bellwether in local Kansas elections, with the statewide winner almost always winning the county. The last Democratic Senate candidate to win the county wasBill Roy in1974, while Kansas as a whole has not been represented by a Democrat in theSenate since 1938. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Sedgwick County is represented by RepublicanRon Estes. He won the county with a 20.6% margin in 2024.
Sedgwick County was a prohibition, or"dry", county until theKansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30 percent food sales requirement. The food sales requirement was removed with voter approval in 1988.[14]
Libraries were a priority for the early settlers of Wichita. In 1873, the Wichita Library Association was granted with the “purpose of establishing and maintaining a public library and reading room and for the diffusion of knowledge and the promotion of intellectual improvement in the city of Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas."[17] Despite a plan set forth, this library and the following attempt at establishing one in 1874 never came to pass. Shortly later, another library association was formed by the same name of Wichita Library Association with a required membership fee of three dollars. Women in the community organized events to raise funds. However, this library struggled as well and stopped functioning in 1885. It wasn’t until the city hall was built that the development of a library began to take shape.
“In making their plans for housing the books, the board, then located in the Sedgwick block, petitioned and obtained permission from the city council to occupy rooms on the first floor of the city hall,"[17] and so it was this decision that proved successful in paving the way for future libraries in Wichita.
It was at this time that philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, was providing funds for libraries in many states to be built. In fact, Andrew Carnegie funded fifty-eight libraries in Kansas.[18] So, it is not surprising that in 1911, the city clerk wrote Andrew Carnegie for donations for a public library, which led to an offer of $75,000 for a building. The Wichita Carnegie Library building opened to the public on May 14, 1915, and under the administration of Mr. Julius Lucht “the library was organized into its present departmental state, with a greatly augmented budget, staff and book collection.".[17] The Wichita Carnegie Library was the main library for the city until 1967."[18]
Sedgwick County is divided into twenty-seventownships. The cities ofBel Aire andWichita are consideredgovernmentally independent and are 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. The county used to have one more township, Wichita Township, but it no longer exists.[21]
^"Map of Wet and Dry Counties". Alcoholic Beverage Control, Kansas Department of Revenue. November 2006. Archived fromthe original on October 8, 2007. RetrievedDecember 28, 2007.
Year Book; Automobile Club of Wichita; 92 pages; 1909 to 1910. Contains detailed maps of roads and railroads in City of Wichita, and Sedgwick / Harvey / Sumner / Harper / Rice / Pawnee Counties.
