County outline
Where Marshall County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.5% of Marshall County’s measured area and water for 0.5%. Its combined area converts to 2,344.2 square kilometers or approximately 579,261 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 900.178 | 2,331.45 | 576,113.9 |
| Water | 4.917 | 12.735 | 3,146.9 |
| Total | 905.095 | 2,344.185 | 579,260.8 |
How Marshall County compares
By original Census land area, Marshall County ranks #23 of 105 in Kansas and #854 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.234 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 Marshall County
The Census Bureau estimates that 9,852 people lived in Marshall County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,493 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #40 of 105 in Kansas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 10,031, the population has declined by 179 (−1.8%), compared with +1.3% for Kansas as a whole.
With 900.2 square miles of land, that is 11 people per square mile (4.2 per km²), placing Marshall County #2,617 nationally for density and #50 in Kansas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Kansas median is 8.1. Put another way, there are about 58 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 10,020 | 10,024 | 10,003 | 9,930 | 9,910 | 9,852 |
| Change | — | +4 | −21 | −73 | −20 | −58 |
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 Marshall County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in Marshall County. Together they are home to 6,522 people (66.2%); the other 3,330 (33.8%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Marysville city, with 3,385 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marysville cityCounty seat | 3,385 | −1.7% | 4.562 |
| Blue Rapids city | 909 | −2.2% | 1.985 |
| Frankfort city | 718 | −1.1% | 1.007 |
| Waterville city | 644 | −2.7% | 0.492 |
| Axtell city | 405 | +1.8% | 0.523 |
| Beattie city | 198 | −1.5% | 0.229 |
| Summerfield city | 122 | −3.2% | 0.345 |
| Vermillion city | 79 | +1.3% | 0.208 |
| Oketo city | 62 | −1.6% | 0.103 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Marshall County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Marshall County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Marshall County; 11 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
66403664046640666411664126642766438665086651866541665446654866945
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 Marshall County
Marshall County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents, including 2 in Nebraska. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Washington County (894.8 mi²) and the smallest is Pawnee County (431.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Marshall County forms a block of 5,245.3 mi² of land, of which it holds 17.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Marshall | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County | 894.8 | about the same | Compare |
| Gage CountyNebraska | 851.5 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Pottawatomie County | 840.7 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Nemaha County | 717.4 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Riley County | 609.7 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Pawnee CountyNebraska | 431.1 | 2.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Marshall County compared with U.S. states?
Marshall County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.1 times as much. Kansas’s county land could hold about 91 areas the size of Marshall County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 30 miles (48.3 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 Marshall County?
Marshall County has more land than 2,368 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 Marshall County at #952 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 0.5%, 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 Marshall County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #853 | Crosby County, Texas | 900.2 | Compare |
| #854 | Marshall County, Kansas | 900.2 | This county |
| #855 | Harrison County, Texas | 900.1 | 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 39.782709, -96.521243. 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: 2,331,450,559 m²; AWATER: 12,735,557 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 Marshall County?
Marshall County, Kansas has 900.2 square miles (2,331.5 km²) of land and 4.917 square miles of water, for a total area of 905.1 square miles. It ranks #854 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Marshall County the largest county in Kansas?
No. Marshall County ranks #23 of 105 in Kansas by land area. The largest is Butler County, with 1,429.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Marshall County?
Marshall County shares a land border with Nemaha County, Washington County, Gage County, Nebraska, Pottawatomie County, Riley County, and Pawnee County, Nebraska.
What is the population of Marshall County?
The Census Bureau estimates Marshall County had 9,852 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,493 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 11 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Marshall County?
The county seat of Marshall County is Marysville.
What cities and towns are in Marshall County?
Marshall County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Marysville city, Blue Rapids city, Frankfort city, Waterville city, and Axtell city; 3,330 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Marshall County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Marshall County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Marshall County?
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Marshall County, and 11 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Marshall County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.1 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Marshall County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 576,114 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 579,261 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.