Thomas County, Kansas | |
|---|---|
 Thomas County Courthouse inColby (2014) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofKansas | |
 Kansas's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:39°21′N101°03′W / 39.35°N 101.05°W /39.35; -101.05 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Kansas |
| Founded | October 8, 1885 |
| Named after | George Henry Thomas[1] |
| Seat | Colby |
| Largest city | Colby |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,075 sq mi (2,780 km2) |
| • Land | 1,075 sq mi (2,780 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.26 km2) 0.01% |
| Population | |
• Total | 7,930 |
| • Density | 7.4/sq mi (2.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | thomascountyks.gov |
Thomas County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofKansas. Itscounty seat isColby.[3] As of the2020 census, the county population was 7,930.[2] The county was named afterGeorge Thomas, a Union general during theCivil War.
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.Thomas County was founded on October 8, 1885. It was named forGeorge Thomas, a Union general during theCivil War and hero of the Battle of Chickamauga. The townships of the county were named after the soldiers who died at theBattle of Chickamauga.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,075 square miles (2,780 km2), of which 1,075 square miles (2,780 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.01%) is water.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 161 | — | |
| 1890 | 5,538 | 3,339.8% | |
| 1900 | 4,112 | −25.7% | |
| 1910 | 5,455 | 32.7% | |
| 1920 | 5,517 | 1.1% | |
| 1930 | 7,334 | 32.9% | |
| 1940 | 6,425 | −12.4% | |
| 1950 | 7,572 | 17.9% | |
| 1960 | 7,358 | −2.8% | |
| 1970 | 7,501 | 1.9% | |
| 1980 | 8,451 | 12.7% | |
| 1990 | 8,258 | −2.3% | |
| 2000 | 8,180 | −0.9% | |
| 2010 | 7,900 | −3.4% | |
| 2020 | 7,930 | 0.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 7,865 | [6] | −0.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[2] | |||
As of thecensus[11] of 2000, there were 8,180 people, 3,226 households, and 2,125 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 8 people per square mile (3.1 people/km2). There were 3,562 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.14%White, 0.43%Black orAfrican American, 0.33%Native American, 0.27%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.95% fromother races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.85% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 3,226 households, out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.10% weremarried couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 13.50% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,034, and the median income for a family was $45,931. Males had a median income of $33,833 versus $21,310 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,028. About 6.60% of families and 9.70% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 5.90% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.
Thomas County is strongly Republican, and has increasingly been this way over the past few election cycles. The last time a Democratic candidate has carried Thomas County was in 1964 byLyndon B. Johnson.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1888 | 751 | 55.02% | 486 | 35.60% | 128 | 9.38% |
| 1892 | 490 | 41.28% | 0 | 0.00% | 697 | 58.72% |
| 1896 | 304 | 38.00% | 490 | 61.25% | 6 | 0.75% |
| 1900 | 404 | 41.95% | 551 | 57.22% | 8 | 0.83% |
| 1904 | 548 | 56.96% | 205 | 21.31% | 209 | 21.73% |
| 1908 | 569 | 44.98% | 630 | 49.80% | 66 | 5.22% |
| 1912 | 127 | 14.16% | 432 | 48.16% | 338 | 37.68% |
| 1916 | 642 | 31.15% | 1,299 | 63.03% | 120 | 5.82% |
| 1920 | 1,046 | 54.56% | 747 | 38.97% | 124 | 6.47% |
| 1924 | 1,436 | 52.50% | 822 | 30.05% | 477 | 17.44% |
| 1928 | 1,828 | 65.97% | 899 | 32.44% | 44 | 1.59% |
| 1932 | 1,158 | 33.68% | 2,103 | 61.17% | 177 | 5.15% |
| 1936 | 1,200 | 35.42% | 2,168 | 63.99% | 20 | 0.59% |
| 1940 | 1,721 | 54.20% | 1,423 | 44.82% | 31 | 0.98% |
| 1944 | 1,631 | 59.14% | 1,097 | 39.78% | 30 | 1.09% |
| 1948 | 1,497 | 49.41% | 1,476 | 48.71% | 57 | 1.88% |
| 1952 | 2,490 | 69.46% | 1,069 | 29.82% | 26 | 0.73% |
| 1956 | 1,888 | 62.06% | 1,138 | 37.41% | 16 | 0.53% |
| 1960 | 2,081 | 61.50% | 1,285 | 37.97% | 18 | 0.53% |
| 1964 | 1,528 | 45.64% | 1,793 | 53.55% | 27 | 0.81% |
| 1968 | 1,971 | 59.82% | 1,074 | 32.59% | 250 | 7.59% |
| 1972 | 2,300 | 67.73% | 943 | 27.77% | 153 | 4.51% |
| 1976 | 2,246 | 53.94% | 1,802 | 43.28% | 116 | 2.79% |
| 1980 | 2,789 | 66.37% | 1,045 | 24.87% | 368 | 8.76% |
| 1984 | 3,107 | 76.70% | 887 | 21.90% | 57 | 1.41% |
| 1988 | 2,342 | 60.52% | 1,408 | 36.38% | 120 | 3.10% |
| 1992 | 1,849 | 47.14% | 932 | 23.76% | 1,141 | 29.09% |
| 1996 | 2,725 | 69.75% | 866 | 22.17% | 316 | 8.09% |
| 2000 | 2,822 | 74.66% | 807 | 21.35% | 151 | 3.99% |
| 2004 | 3,007 | 77.70% | 816 | 21.09% | 47 | 1.21% |
| 2008 | 2,837 | 77.24% | 787 | 21.43% | 49 | 1.33% |
| 2012 | 2,788 | 80.25% | 598 | 17.21% | 88 | 2.53% |
| 2016 | 2,908 | 81.32% | 473 | 13.23% | 195 | 5.45% |
| 2020 | 3,130 | 82.15% | 625 | 16.40% | 55 | 1.44% |
| 2024 | 3,007 | 81.85% | 597 | 16.25% | 70 | 1.91% |
Thomas 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.[13]
List of townships / incorporated cities / unincorporated communities / extinct former communities within Thomas County.[14]
‡ means a community has portions in an adjacent county. † means a community is designated aCensus-Designated Place (CDP) by theUnited States Census Bureau.
Thomas County is divided into thirteentownships. The townships were named in honor of men who were killed at theBattle of Chickamauga.[15] The city ofColby is consideredgovernmentally independent and is excluded from the census figures for the townships. Geographically, Colby is surrounded by Morgan Township. 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 Thomas County, Kansas | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofThomas County, Kansas,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Townships |
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| Footnotes | ‡This community also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
