Seward County, Kansas | |
|---|---|
 Seward County Courthouse inLiberal (2010) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKansas | |
 Kansas's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:37°12′N100°50′W / 37.200°N 100.833°W /37.200; -100.833 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kansas |
| Founded | March 20, 1873 |
| Named after | William H. Seward |
| Seat | Liberal |
| Largest city | Liberal |
| Area | |
• Total | 640 sq mi (1,700 km2) |
| • Land | 639 sq mi (1,660 km2) |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,964 |
• Estimate (2023) | 21,067 |
| • Density | 34.4/sq mi (13.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 620 |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | SewardCountyKS.org |
Seward County is acounty of theU.S. state ofKansas. Itscounty seat and largest city isLiberal.[1] As of the2020 census, the county population was 21,964.[2] The county was formed on March 20, 1873, and named afterWilliam Seward, a politician and Secretary of State underAbraham Lincoln andAndrew Johnson.
Formillennia, theGreat Plains ofNorth America were inhabited bynomadicNative Americans.
In 1854, theKansas Territory was organized, then in 1861Kansas became the 34thU.S. state.
In 1873,Seward County was established, although it was administered from one of several neighboring counties until the county commissioners ofFinney County organized Seward County as a municipal township of Finney County on June 10, 1885, with the temporary seat of government at Sunset City. The township was divided into two voting precincts - one headquartered at Sunset City and the other at Fargo Springs. The county was organized on June 17, 1886, with Governor John A. Martin designating Springfield the county seat and appointing men from Fargo Springs as county officers as not to favor one town over the other.[3] Rivalry between Fargo Springs and Springfield became so intense both towns sent armed bodies of men to the other to prevent their voters from reaching the polls, causing a disputed election in 1885.[3]
The county seat dispute was finally settled when the railroads bypassed both Fargo Springs and Springfield in favor of an alignment through southern Seward County, spurring the rapid growth of Liberal, which won the final election for county seat in on December 8, 1892, by 125 votes.[3]
In the 1930s, the prosperity of the area was severely affected by its location within theDust Bowl. This catastrophe intensified the economic impact of theGreat Depression in the region.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 640 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 639 square miles (1,660 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4] It borders Oklahoma to the south.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 5 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,503 | 29,960.0% | |
| 1900 | 822 | −45.3% | |
| 1910 | 4,091 | 397.7% | |
| 1920 | 6,220 | 52.0% | |
| 1930 | 8,075 | 29.8% | |
| 1940 | 6,540 | −19.0% | |
| 1950 | 9,972 | 52.5% | |
| 1960 | 15,930 | 59.7% | |
| 1970 | 15,744 | −1.2% | |
| 1980 | 17,071 | 8.4% | |
| 1990 | 18,743 | 9.8% | |
| 2000 | 22,510 | 20.1% | |
| 2010 | 22,952 | 2.0% | |
| 2020 | 21,964 | −4.3% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 21,067 | [5] | −4.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[2] | |||
The Liberal, KSMicropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Seward County.
As of thecensus[10] of 2000, there were 22,510 people, 7,419 households, and 5,504 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 35 people per square mile (14 people/km2). There were 8,027 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 65.44%White, 3.78%Black orAfrican American, 0.77%Native American, 2.86%Asian, 0.06%Pacific Islander, 23.81% fromother races, and 3.27% from two or more races. 42.14% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 7,419 households, out of which 43.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% weremarried couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.46.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 32.00% under the age of 18, 11.70% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 16.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,752, and the median income for a family was $41,134. Males had a median income of $29,765 versus $21,889 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,059. About 13.90% of families and 16.90% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
The demographics of Seward County has changed form a largely non-Hispanic white population in the 20th century to a majority Hispanic population in the 21st century. In 1990, Hispanics in the county made up 19.7 percent of the population; in 2022 the Hispanic population made up 66.2 percent of the population. Seward country has a larger percentage of Hispanics in its population than any other county in Kansas.[11]
The Hispanic population increased because in 1992National Beef began operation of a large meat-packing plant in Liberal which employs 3,500 persons, most of them Hispanic. The meat packing plant is the largest employer in the county.[12]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 400 | 61.16% | 207 | 31.65% | 47 | 7.19% |
| 1892 | 156 | 57.14% | 0 | 0.00% | 117 | 42.86% |
| 1896 | 100 | 55.87% | 78 | 43.58% | 1 | 0.56% |
| 1900 | 122 | 60.40% | 77 | 38.12% | 3 | 1.49% |
| 1904 | 152 | 65.52% | 62 | 26.72% | 18 | 7.76% |
| 1908 | 427 | 48.09% | 413 | 46.51% | 48 | 5.41% |
| 1912 | 155 | 14.98% | 394 | 38.07% | 486 | 46.96% |
| 1916 | 678 | 34.52% | 1,105 | 56.26% | 181 | 9.22% |
| 1920 | 1,290 | 61.52% | 722 | 34.43% | 85 | 4.05% |
| 1924 | 1,184 | 52.00% | 676 | 29.69% | 417 | 18.31% |
| 1928 | 1,873 | 76.98% | 538 | 22.11% | 22 | 0.90% |
| 1932 | 1,297 | 43.64% | 1,576 | 53.03% | 99 | 3.33% |
| 1936 | 1,108 | 35.64% | 1,997 | 64.23% | 4 | 0.13% |
| 1940 | 1,503 | 49.65% | 1,474 | 48.70% | 50 | 1.65% |
| 1944 | 1,590 | 53.92% | 1,342 | 45.51% | 17 | 0.58% |
| 1948 | 1,829 | 52.00% | 1,614 | 45.89% | 74 | 2.10% |
| 1952 | 3,136 | 72.79% | 1,146 | 26.60% | 26 | 0.60% |
| 1956 | 2,885 | 70.95% | 1,162 | 28.58% | 19 | 0.47% |
| 1960 | 3,974 | 70.44% | 1,654 | 29.32% | 14 | 0.25% |
| 1964 | 2,910 | 53.28% | 2,520 | 46.14% | 32 | 0.59% |
| 1968 | 3,065 | 62.32% | 1,291 | 26.25% | 562 | 11.43% |
| 1972 | 3,866 | 77.27% | 989 | 19.77% | 148 | 2.96% |
| 1976 | 3,604 | 64.19% | 1,907 | 33.96% | 104 | 1.85% |
| 1980 | 4,385 | 70.83% | 1,460 | 23.58% | 346 | 5.59% |
| 1984 | 5,222 | 80.54% | 1,198 | 18.48% | 64 | 0.99% |
| 1988 | 4,089 | 70.54% | 1,655 | 28.55% | 53 | 0.91% |
| 1992 | 3,477 | 51.09% | 1,488 | 21.86% | 1,841 | 27.05% |
| 1996 | 3,812 | 68.40% | 1,309 | 23.49% | 452 | 8.11% |
| 2000 | 3,869 | 75.92% | 1,126 | 22.10% | 101 | 1.98% |
| 2004 | 4,272 | 78.54% | 1,122 | 20.63% | 45 | 0.83% |
| 2008 | 3,791 | 71.05% | 1,493 | 27.98% | 52 | 0.97% |
| 2012 | 3,617 | 69.88% | 1,490 | 28.79% | 69 | 1.33% |
| 2016 | 3,159 | 62.70% | 1,628 | 32.31% | 251 | 4.98% |
| 2020 | 3,372 | 63.69% | 1,833 | 34.62% | 89 | 1.68% |
| 2024 | 3,133 | 68.51% | 1,354 | 29.61% | 86 | 1.88% |
Seward County has voted Republican since 1940.[14] The last time Seward County voted for a Democratic candidate for president was when it favored incumbent DemocratFranklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 over Kansas governorAlf Landon.[15] In theKansas Senate it is currently represented by RepublicanGarrett Love. In theKansas House of Representatives it is represented by Republicans Bill Light and Carl Holmes.[16]
In2016,Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat to break 30% in Seward County sinceJimmy Carter in1976.Four years later, DemocratJoe Biden would receive 34.6% of the vote, the highest share for a Democrat sinceLyndon B. Johnson received 46.1% in Seward County in1964.
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.[17]
The county narrowly voted "No" on the2022 Kansas abortion referendum, an anti-abortion ballot measure, by 50.5% to 49.5%, and backedDonald Trump with 64% of the vote toJoe Biden's 35% in the2020 presidential election.[18]
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Seward County.[19]
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Seward County is divided into threetownships. The city ofLiberal 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.
| Township | FIPS | Population center | Population | Population density /km2 (/sq mi) | Land area km2 (sq mi) | Water area km2 (sq mi) | Water % | Geographic coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fargo | 23000 | 1,684 | 3 (8) | 570 (220) | 2 (1) | 0.29% | 37°9′1″N100°45′3″W / 37.15028°N 100.75083°W /37.15028; -100.75083 | |
| Liberal | 39850 | 803 | 2 (4) | 502 (194) | 0 (0) | 0.03% | 37°5′52″N100°56′58″W / 37.09778°N 100.94944°W /37.09778; -100.94944 | |
| Seward | 64075 | 357 | 1 (2) | 556 (215) | 0 (0) | 0.06% | 37°18′55″N100°50′34″W / 37.31528°N 100.84278°W /37.31528; -100.84278 |
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Places adjacent to Seward County, Kansas | |
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Municipalities and communities ofSeward County, Kansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated community | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Townships |
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| National | |
| Other | |
