County outline
Where Finney County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.9% of Finney County’s measured area and water for 0.1%. Its combined area converts to 3,373.9 square kilometers or approximately 833,702 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,301.997 | 3,372.157 | 833,278.1 |
| Water | 0.663 | 1.717 | 424.3 |
| Total | 1,302.66 | 3,373.874 | 833,702.4 |
How Finney County compares
By original Census land area, Finney County ranks #2 of 105 in Kansas and #461 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.784 times the Kansas county-equivalent median of 729.7 square miles. It accounts for 1.6% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Kansas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Finney County
The Census Bureau estimates that 37,505 people lived in Finney County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,280 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #12 of 105 in Kansas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 38,472, the population has declined by 967 (−2.5%), compared with +1.3% for Kansas as a whole.
With 1,302 square miles of land, that is 29 people per square mile (11 per km²), placing Finney County #2,038 nationally for density and #28 in Kansas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Kansas median is 8.1. Put another way, there are about 22 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 38,307 | 38,089 | 37,649 | 37,863 | 37,794 | 37,505 |
| Change | — | −218 | −440 | +214 | −69 | −289 |
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 Finney County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Finney County. Together they are home to 29,592 people (78.9%); the other 7,913 (21.1%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Garden City city, with 27,402 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City cityCounty seat | 27,402 | −2.7% | 11.2 |
| Holcomb city | 2,190 | −2.7% | 1.237 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Finney County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Finney County is a central county of the Garden City, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area. Finney County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 1,302 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #130 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #358 by population.
ZIP codes
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Finney County; 3 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
67835678386784667851678536786867871
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 Finney County
Finney County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Ness County (1,074.7 mi²) and the smallest is Haskell County (577.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Finney County forms a block of 6,988.7 mi² of land, of which it holds 18.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Finney | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ness County | 1,074.7 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Kearny County | 870.5 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Gray County | 868.9 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Hodgeman County | 860 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Scott County | 717.6 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Lane County | 717.4 | 1.8× smaller | Compare |
| Haskell County | 577.5 | 2.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Finney County compared with U.S. states?
Finney County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.3 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.5 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). Kansas’s county land could hold about 63 areas the size of Finney County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 36.1 miles (58.1 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 Finney County?
Finney County has more land than 2,761 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 Finney County at #529 nationally by total area, 68 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 0.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.1 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 Finney County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #460 | Douglas County, Wisconsin | 1,304.3 | Compare |
| #461 | Finney County, Kansas | 1,302 | This county |
| #462 | Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota | 1,297.7 | 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 38.049808, -100.739967. 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: 3,372,157,837 m²; AWATER: 1,716,370 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 Finney County?
Finney County, Kansas has 1,302 square miles (3,372.2 km²) of land and 0.663 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,302.7 square miles. It ranks #461 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Finney County the largest county in Kansas?
No. Finney County ranks #2 of 105 in Kansas by land area. The largest is Butler County, with 1,429.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Finney County?
Finney County shares a land border with Gray County, Kearny County, Haskell County, Lane County, Scott County, Hodgeman County, and Ness County.
What is the population of Finney County?
The Census Bureau estimates Finney County had 37,505 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,280 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 29 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Finney County?
The county seat of Finney County is Garden City.
What cities and towns are in Finney County?
Finney County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Garden City city and Holcomb city; 7,913 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Finney County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Garden City, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Finney County?
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Finney County, and 3 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Finney County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Finney County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 833,278 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 833,702 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.