County outline
Where Barton County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.4% of Barton County’s measured area and water for 0.6%. Its combined area converts to 2,332.6 square kilometers or approximately 576,406 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 895.257 | 2,318.705 | 572,964.5 |
| Water | 5.377 | 13.926 | 3,441.3 |
| Total | 900.634 | 2,332.631 | 576,405.8 |
How Barton County compares
By original Census land area, Barton County ranks #29 of 105 in Kansas and #875 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.227 times the Kansas county-equivalent median of 729.7 square miles. It accounts for 1.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Kansas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Barton County
The Census Bureau estimates that 24,790 people lived in Barton County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,672 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #24 of 105 in Kansas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 25,511, the population has declined by 721 (−2.8%), compared with +1.3% for Kansas as a whole.
With 895.3 square miles of land, that is 28 people per square mile (11 per km²), placing Barton County #2,076 nationally for density and #29 in Kansas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Kansas median is 8.1. Put another way, there are about 23 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 25,437 | 25,276 | 25,052 | 24,935 | 24,913 | 24,790 |
| Change | — | −161 | −224 | −117 | −22 | −123 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Barton County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in Barton County. Together they are home to 19,846 people (80.1%); the other 4,944 (19.9%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Great Bend city, with 14,266 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bend cityCounty seat | 14,266 | −3.2% | 10.5 |
| Hoisington city | 2,598 | −3.8% | 1.259 |
| Ellinwood city | 1,969 | −2.4% | 1.353 |
| Claflin city | 542 | −3.2% | 0.339 |
| Pawnee Rock city | 185 | −3.6% | 0.283 |
| Albert city | 123 | −3.9% | 0.235 |
| Olmitz city | 91 | −1.1% | 0.159 |
| Galatia city | 43 | −2.3% | 0.355 |
| Susank city | 29 | −3.3% | 0.099 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Barton County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Barton County is a central county of the Great Bend, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area. Barton County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 895.3 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #220 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #482 by population.
ZIP codes
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Barton County; 5 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
67450675116752567526675306754467564675656756767665
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Barton County
Barton County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Russell County (886.3 mi²) and the smallest is Ellsworth County (715.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Barton County forms a block of 5,487.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 16.3%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Barton | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell County | 886.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Stafford County | 792 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Pawnee County | 754.3 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Rice County | 726.2 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Rush County | 717.8 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Ellsworth County | 715.6 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Barton County compared with U.S. states?
Barton County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. Kansas’s county land could hold about 91 areas the size of Barton County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 29.9 miles (48.2 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Barton County?
Barton County has more land than 2,347 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Barton County at #973 nationally by total area, 98 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0.6%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.6 percentage points lower. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Barton County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #874 | Smith County, Kansas | 895.5 | Compare |
| #875 | Barton County, Kansas | 895.3 | This county |
| #876 | Washington County, Kansas | 894.8 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 38.481239, -98.767837. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,318,705,426 m²; AWATER: 13,926,861 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Barton County?
Barton County, Kansas has 895.3 square miles (2,318.7 km²) of land and 5.377 square miles of water, for a total area of 900.6 square miles. It ranks #875 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Barton County the largest county in Kansas?
No. Barton County ranks #29 of 105 in Kansas by land area. The largest is Butler County, with 1,429.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Barton County?
Barton County shares a land border with Russell County, Rush County, Stafford County, Rice County, Pawnee County, and Ellsworth County.
What is the population of Barton County?
The Census Bureau estimates Barton County had 24,790 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,672 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 28 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Barton County?
The county seat of Barton County is Great Bend.
What cities and towns are in Barton County?
Barton County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Great Bend city, Hoisington city, Ellinwood city, Claflin city, and Pawnee Rock city; 4,944 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Barton County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Great Bend, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Barton County?
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Barton County, and 5 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Barton County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Barton County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 572,964 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 576,406 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.