Thomas County, Kansas

County in KS, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

7,885

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

35.3

years ∙ half population younger than 35.3, half older

Diversity Index

24.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

4.1%

foreign-born population

95.9%Native

4.1% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Thomas County is a county in Kansas, United States.

Location

County in KS, US

Co-ordinates

DEC39.357713° N, 101.083386° W

DMS39° 21′ 27.77″ N, 101° 05′ 00.19″ W

Population Density & area

7.33/sq mi (2.83/km²)

Total Area

1,075 sq mi (2,783 km²)

Land Area

1,075 sq mi (2,783 km²) · 99.99%

Water Area

0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0.01%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.5% male

Male 50.5%

Female 49.5%

males per 100 females

Thomas County 101.9

Kansas 100.7

United States 98

Nativity

4.1%

foreign-born population

95.9%Native

4.1% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Thomas County 4.1%

Kansas 7.4%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

35.3

years ∙ half population younger than 35.3, half older

Thomas County

35.3

Kansas

37.4

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

76.2

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Thomas County 76.2

Kansas 68.7

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	24.6%	23.8%	22%
Working age (18-64)	56.8%	59.2%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	18.6%	17%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	76.2	68.7	64.4
Child dependency ratio	43.4	40.1	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	32.8	28.6	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

86.6%

Black

0.4%

Asian

0.1%

Hispanic

8.4%

Other

4.5%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

24.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Thomas County 24.1%

Kansas 44.7%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Thomas County population

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Hispanic or Latino	8.4%	13.6%	19.3%
Mexican	7.1%	10.4%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.1%	0.6%	1.8%
Cuban	0.7%	0.2%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.5%	2.3%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	91.6%	86.4%	80.7%
One race	87.4%	81.6%	76.4%
White	86.6%	72.7%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.4%	5.2%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.4%	0.5%
Asian	0.1%	2.9%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.2%	0.4%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	4.2%	4.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

65.7% family

Family 65.7%

Non family 34.3%

% family households

Thomas County 65.7%

Kansas 63.4%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.38

persons per household

Thomas County

2.38

Kansas

2.44

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Thomas County population

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Total households	3,139	1,174,060	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.38	2.44	2.53
Family households	2,062	744,502	82,990,528
Average family size	3.02	3.05	3.14
Married couple family	1,676	576,382	60,637,388
Other families	386	168,120	22,353,140
Male householder	119	52,856	6,572,819
Female householder	267	115,264	15,780,321
Non-family households	1,077	429,558	46,236,968
One-person households	965	352,785	37,140,836
Male householder	471	167,881	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	194	49,284	5,225,110
Female householder	494	184,904	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	266	95,985	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	112	76,773	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

3,575

housing units

Thomas County 3,575

Kansas 1,293,635

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

87.8% occupied

Occupied 87.8%

Vacant 12.2%

vacancy rate

Thomas County 12.2%

Kansas 9.2%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

80.9%

Single family houses

80.9%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

12.7%

Mobile homes

6.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1967

Half of houses were built before 1967, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

18.2%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

36.4%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

40.4%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

5.1%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.1	6	5.5
1–3 rooms	7%	11.9%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	51.1%	46.3%	51.6%
7+ rooms	41.9%	41.7%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.3%	2.5%	2.9%
1 bedroom	3.8%	9.4%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	30.7%	24.9%	25%
3 bedrooms	32.8%	35.7%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	30.4%	27.5%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1967	1977	1981
Total housing units	3,575	1,293,635	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

75.2% owners

Renter-occupied 24.8%

Owner-occupied 75.2%

homeownership rate

Thomas County 75.2%

Kansas 67.2%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.54

Owner-occupied

1.89

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Thomas County 2.54

Kansas 2.59

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Total occupied units	3,139	1,174,060	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	20%	26.8%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	40.5%	38.4%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	13%	16.3%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	26.5%	18.6%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.6%	97.9%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0%	1.4%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.4%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	3.8%	5.1%	8.4%
1 vehicle	25.5%	30%	33.1%
2 vehicles	38.1%	38.2%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	32.7%	26.7%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	85.4%	70.9%	51.4%
Electricity	14%	26.9%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.6%	1.7%	2%
No fuel used	0.1%	0.3%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.4%	0.9%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.1%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$172,700

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Thomas County

$172,700

Kansas

$217,200

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

21%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

21%

Owners without a mortgage

7.3%

Renters

59.2%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Property value
Median Value	$172,700	$217,200	$332,700
Under $100,000	25.3%	20.9%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	33.5%	24.9%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	17.7%	21%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	17.8%	22.4%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	5.6%	9.3%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	1.5%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	51.1%	57.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	48.9%	42.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,274	$1,689	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$615	$641	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$752	$1,060	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

34.6%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Thomas County 34.6%

Kansas 35.6%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.7%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Thomas County 4.7%

Kansas 8.1%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

2,097

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

7.5%

K–12

64.8%

College / Undergraduate

21.2%

Graduate / Professional

6.6%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

48.3%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Thomas County

48.3%

Kansas

39.9%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	2,097	753,280	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	7.5%	6%	5.7%
K–12	64.8%	68.1%	67.6%
Kindergarten	8.3%	4.8%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	18.6%	20.1%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	19%	21.7%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	18.8%	21.6%	21.7%
College or graduate school	27.8%	25.8%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	21.2%	20.1%	21%
Graduate, professional school	6.6%	5.7%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	48.3%	39.9%	40.9%
School type
Public school	64.3%	85.2%	82%
Private school	35.7%	14.8%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

4,917

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

0.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

4.2%

HS graduate

19.7%

Some college no degree

23.3%

Associates degree

17.6%

Bachelors degree

25.9%

Graduate or professional degree

8.7%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

92.6% · 7.4%

9th-12th, no diploma

27.3% · 72.7%

HS graduate

53.9% · 46.1%

Some college no degree

54.4% · 45.6%

Associates degree

38.2% · 61.8%

Bachelors degree

53.3% · 46.7%

Graduate or professional degree

36.8% · 63.2%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Population (25+)	4,917	1,946,678	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	0.5%	3.5%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	4.2%	4.6%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	19.7%	25.4%	26%
Some college, no degree	23.3%	21.8%	19.1%
Associate's degree	17.6%	9.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.6%	35.6%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	25.9%	22.2%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	8.7%	13.4%	14.1%
High School or higher	95.3%	92%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$47,130

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$39,028

HS graduate

$45,625

Some college or associates

$45,533

Bachelors degree

$68,317

Graduate or professional degree

$80,870

Poverty Rate

3.5%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

37%

HS graduate

1.9%

Some college or associates

4.4%

Bachelors degree or higher

3.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Thomas County	Kansas	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$47,130	$50,504	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$39,028	$35,231	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$45,625	$39,282	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$45,533	$45,261	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$68,317	$63,396	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$80,870	$75,635	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	37%	22.7%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	1.9%	12.9%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	4.4%	8.5%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.5%	3.8%	4.5%

Insights for Thomas County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

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