County outline
Where Republic County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.6% of Republic County’s measured area and water for 0.4%. Its combined area converts to 1,865.9 square kilometers or approximately 461,086 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 717.377 | 1,857.998 | 459,121.3 |
| Water | 3.07 | 7.951 | 1,964.8 |
| Total | 720.447 | 1,865.949 | 461,086.1 |
How Republic County compares
By original Census land area, Republic County ranks #65 of 105 in Kansas and #1258 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.983 times the Kansas county-equivalent median of 729.7 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Kansas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Republic County
The Census Bureau estimates that 4,640 people lived in Republic County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,917 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #70 of 105 in Kansas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 4,682, the population has declined by 42 (−0.9%), compared with +1.3% for Kansas as a whole.
With 717.4 square miles of land, that is 6.5 people per square mile (2.5 per km²), placing Republic County #2,784 nationally for density and #64 in Kansas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Kansas median is 8.1. Put another way, there are about 99 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 4,677 | 4,703 | 4,640 | 4,615 | 4,625 | 4,640 |
| Change | — | +26 | −63 | −25 | +10 | +15 |
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 Republic County
8 incorporated places lie at least partly in Republic County. Together they are home to 3,060 people (65.9%); the other 1,580 (34.1%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Belleville city, with 1,986 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belleville cityCounty seat | 1,986 | −0.6% | 2.056 |
| Scandia city | 340 | −1.4% | 0.471 |
| Courtland city | 291 | −1% | 0.269 |
| Cuba city | 137 | −1.4% | 0.288 |
| Munden city | 98 | 0% | 0.186 |
| Narka city | 82 | −2.4% | 0.16 |
| Republic city | 80 | −2.4% | 0.233 |
| Agenda city | 46 | −2.1% | 0.173 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Republic County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Republic 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
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Republic County; 9 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
66901669306693566938669396694066942669486695966960669616696466966683256832768943
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 Republic County
Republic County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents, including 2 in Nebraska. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is Jewell County (910 mi²) and the smallest is Thayer County (573.8 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Republic County forms a block of 4,386.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 16.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Republic | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewell County | 910 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Washington County | 894.8 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Cloud County | 715.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Nuckolls CountyNebraska | 575.2 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Thayer CountyNebraska | 573.8 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Republic County compared with U.S. states?
Republic County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.4 times as much. Kansas’s county land could hold about 114 areas the size of Republic County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 26.8 miles (43.1 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 Republic County?
Republic County has more land than 1,964 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 Republic County at #1,362 nationally by total area, 104 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 0.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.7 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 Republic County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1257 | Lane County, Kansas | 717.4 | Compare |
| #1258 | Republic County, Kansas | 717.4 | This county |
| #1259 | Red Willow County, Nebraska | 717.2 | 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 39.828906, -97.650883. 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: 1,857,998,457 m²; AWATER: 7,951,909 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 Republic County?
Republic County, Kansas has 717.4 square miles (1,858 km²) of land and 3.07 square miles of water, for a total area of 720.4 square miles. It ranks #1258 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Republic County the largest county in Kansas?
No. Republic County ranks #65 of 105 in Kansas by land area. The largest is Butler County, with 1,429.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Republic County?
Republic County shares a land border with Cloud County, Jewell County, Washington County, Thayer County, Nebraska, and Nuckolls County, Nebraska.
What is the population of Republic County?
The Census Bureau estimates Republic County had 4,640 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,917 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 6.5 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Republic County?
The county seat of Republic County is Belleville.
What cities and towns are in Republic County?
Republic County has 8 incorporated places. The most populous five are Belleville city, Scandia city, Courtland city, Cuba city, and Munden city; 1,580 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Republic County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Republic County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Republic County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Republic County, and 9 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Republic County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Republic County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 459,121 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 461,086 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.