County outline
Where Montgomery County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.8% of Montgomery County’s measured area and water for 1.2%. Its combined area converts to 1,687.3 square kilometers or approximately 416,948 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 643.594 | 1,666.901 | 411,900.2 |
| Water | 7.888 | 20.43 | 5,048.3 |
| Total | 651.482 | 1,687.331 | 416,948.5 |
How Montgomery County compares
By original Census land area, Montgomery County ranks #76 of 105 in Kansas and #1479 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.882 times the Kansas county-equivalent median of 729.7 square miles. It accounts for 0.8% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Kansas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Montgomery County
The Census Bureau estimates that 30,177 people lived in Montgomery County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,479 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #19 of 105 in Kansas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 31,489, the population has declined by 1,312 (−4.2%), compared with +1.3% for Kansas as a whole.
With 643.6 square miles of land, that is 47 people per square mile (18 per km²), placing Montgomery County #1,614 nationally for density and #15 in Kansas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Kansas median is 8.1. Put another way, there are about 14 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 31,401 | 31,190 | 30,909 | 30,721 | 30,406 | 30,177 |
| Change | — | −211 | −281 | −188 | −315 | −229 |
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 Montgomery County
9 incorporated places lie at least partly in Montgomery County. Together they are home to 21,407 people (70.9%); the other 8,770 (29.1%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Coffeyville city, with 8,460 residents in the county. The county seat, Independence city, has 8,193 residents.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffeyville city | 8,460 | −4.1% | 9.627 |
| Independence cityCounty seat | 8,193 | −4.3% | 7.786 |
| Cherryvale city | 2,093 | −4% | 2.004 |
| Caney city | 1,704 | −4.6% | 1.355 |
| Dearing city | 371 | −3.9% | 1.514 |
| Elk City city | 247 | −3.9% | 0.338 |
| Tyro city | 162 | −5.3% | 0.457 |
| Liberty city | 95 | −4% | 0.251 |
| Havana city | 82 | −1.2% | 0.157 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Montgomery County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Montgomery 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 Montgomery County; 10 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
66736667576677667301673336733567337673406734467347673516736367364
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 Montgomery County
Montgomery County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 2 in Oklahoma. It has more land than 5 of them. The largest neighbor is Labette County (645.4 mi²) and the smallest is Washington County (415.5 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Montgomery County forms a block of 4,695.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 13.7%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Montgomery | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labette County | 645.4 | about the same | Compare |
| Elk County | 644.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Chautauqua County | 638.9 | about the same | Compare |
| Neosho County | 571.5 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Wilson County | 570.4 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Nowata CountyOklahoma | 565.8 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Washington CountyOklahoma | 415.5 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Montgomery County compared with U.S. states?
Montgomery County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.6 times as much. Kansas’s county land could hold about 127 areas the size of Montgomery County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 25.4 miles (40.8 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 Montgomery County?
Montgomery County has more land than 1,743 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 Montgomery County at #1,573 nationally by total area, 94 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 1.2%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2%. The two percentages are within 0.1 percentage points of each other. 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 Montgomery County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1478 | Grant Parish, Louisiana | 643.8 | Compare |
| #1479 | Montgomery County, Kansas | 643.6 | This county |
| #1480 | Johnston County, Oklahoma | 643.1 | 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 37.189537, -95.742403. 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: 1,666,900,093 m²; AWATER: 20,430,011 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 Montgomery County?
Montgomery County, Kansas has 643.6 square miles (1,666.9 km²) of land and 7.888 square miles of water, for a total area of 651.5 square miles. It ranks #1479 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Montgomery County the largest county in Kansas?
No. Montgomery County ranks #76 of 105 in Kansas by land area. The largest is Butler County, with 1,429.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Montgomery County?
Montgomery County shares a land border with Labette County, Wilson County, Chautauqua County, Nowata County, Oklahoma, Washington County, Oklahoma, Elk County, and Neosho County.
What is the population of Montgomery County?
The Census Bureau estimates Montgomery County had 30,177 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,479 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 47 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Montgomery County?
The county seat of Montgomery County is Independence.
What cities and towns are in Montgomery County?
Montgomery County has 9 incorporated places. The most populous five are Coffeyville city, Independence city, Cherryvale city, Caney city, and Dearing city; 8,770 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Montgomery County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Montgomery County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Montgomery County?
13 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Montgomery County, and 10 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Montgomery County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.6 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Montgomery County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 411,900 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 416,948 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.