COUNTY
Shawnee County
Kansas · 178,607 residents (2025 est.) · 544 sq mi
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Part of the Topeka metro area
The short version
With 178,025 people, Shawnee County is a county in Kansas. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $180,900. The foreign-born share is 4%. The average commute runs 18 minutes. Median rent is $1,000 a month. Households take in $67,104 at the median, 18% less than the US figure.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.4
US median: 38.9
Average education
32% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
178,025
+5%since 2000
from 169,871 in 2000
178,607 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
544 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024178K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(10,133)
5 to 96%(10,662)
10 to 147.1%(12,727)
15 to 196.8%(12,091)
20 to 246.1%(10,828)
25 to 3412%(21,445)
35 to 4412.6%(22,489)
45 to 5411.2%(20,014)
55 to 6412.9%(23,018)
65 to 7411.6%(20,712)
75 to 845.6%(9,911)
85 and over2.2%(3,995)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$67,104
−10%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,988 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
45.9%
+18.7 ptssince 2009
from 27.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade9.6%
Information9.3%
Other services7.7%
Finance & insurance6.7%
Public administration6.5%
Wholesale trade6.4%
Professional, scientific, technical5.2%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
Education & health services1.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.9%
Construction0.7%
Manufacturing0.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$180,900
+25%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $79,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
2.7
+13%since 2009
from 2.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
24
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic79.9%(135,752)
Black8.8%(14,917)
Hispanic / Latino7.3%(12,330)
Asian0.9%(1,575)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic71%(126,385)
Black6.6%(11,731)
Hispanic / Latino13.8%(24,637)
Asian1.3%(2,355)
Other7.3%(12,917)
58
+23%since 2009
from 48 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
32
−10%since 2020
from 35 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican11.2%(19,971)
Puerto Rican1.2%(2,058)
Central American0.4%(697)
Nicaraguan0.2%(413)
South American0.2%(404)
Spaniard0.2%(337)
Cuban0.1%(203)
Guatemalan0.1%(153)
Argentine0.1%(153)
Colombian0.1%(120)
Dominican0.1%(105)
Venezuelan0.1%(100)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(817)
Filipino0.2%(434)
Chinese0.2%(349)
Korean0.2%(327)
Japanese0.2%(288)
Vietnamese0.1%(148)
Bangladeshi0%(89)
Uzbek0%(40)
Thai0%(28)
Laotian0%(7)
Burmese0%(6)
Ancestry
German22.1%(39,289)
English18%(31,960)
Irish11.2%(19,934)
American4.6%(8,113)
Italian1.9%(3,366)
Scottish1.8%(3,253)
French1.7%(3,098)
Swedish1.7%(3,053)
Polish1%(1,850)
Dutch1%(1,701)
Norwegian0.8%(1,487)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(1,414)
+ 37 more ancestry groups with data
Welsh0.7%(1,326)
Subsaharan African0.5%(958)
Czech0.5%(813)
British0.3%(603)
Danish0.3%(579)
Swiss0.3%(509)
Russian0.3%(492)
Ukrainian0.2%(365)
French Canadian0.2%(301)
Arab0.2%(278)
Lithuanian0.1%(259)
Hungarian0.1%(238)
West Indian0.1%(215)
Canadian0.1%(181)
Portuguese0.1%(164)
Nigerian0.1%(162)
Austrian0.1%(155)
Jamaican0.1%(152)
Greek0.1%(140)
Lebanese0.1%(135)
Croatian0.1%(125)
Belgian0.1%(114)
Finnish0.1%(91)
Romanian0%(83)
Slovak0%(83)
Ghanaian0%(53)
Brazilian0%(49)
Armenian0%(32)
Haitian0%(32)
Somali0%(24)
Israeli0%(19)
Latvian0%(16)
Syrian0%(14)
Palestinian0%(10)
Iranian0%(8)
Ethiopian0%(8)
Egyptian0%(5)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
93.3%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 88.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.3%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 76.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
94.4%
+5.2 ptssince 2020
from 89.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.9%(23,575)
Married51.4%(35,681)
Widowed3.4%(2,332)
Divorced11.3%(7,879)
Women 15+
Never married27.7%(20,822)
Married47%(35,266)
Widowed9.6%(7,166)
Divorced15.7%(11,782)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
15.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 15.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
3.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 3.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
73.0%
−3.6 ptssince 2020
from 76.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
35.0%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 32.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)27.4%(2,978)
Gulf War (1990s)24.7%(2,682)
Vietnam era38.4%(4,179)
Korean War5.2%(568)
World War II0.6%(61)
Share of the 10,878 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper
Places similar to Shawnee County
Peoria County
Pop 178,553
Muskegon County
Pop 177,901
Lee County
Pop 189,881
Jackson County
Pop 159,552
Places similar to Shawnee CountyHead to head
Compare Shawnee County to nearby counties
SHAWNEE COUNTY VS
Jefferson County
Income$81,278+21%
Home value$216,900+20%
Population18,296−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHAWNEE COUNTY VS
Wabaunsee County
Income$76,908+15%
Home value$177,300−2%
Population7,018−96%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHAWNEE COUNTY VS
Jackson County
Income$75,215+12%
Home value$207,300+15%
Population13,438−92%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
SHAWNEE COUNTY VS
Douglas County
Income$69,746+4%
Home value$309,400+71%
Population120,920−32%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Shawnee County, Kansas?
Shawnee County, Kansas has about 178,025 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Shawnee County, Kansas?
The typical household in Shawnee County, Kansas earns about $67,104 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Shawnee County, Kansas expensive?
In Shawnee County, Kansas, the median home is worth about $180,900, and the typical rent is about $1,000 a month.
How educated are people in Shawnee County, Kansas?
About 32.2% of adults age 25 and over in Shawnee County, Kansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Shawnee County, Kansas?
About 12.7% of people in Shawnee County, Kansas live below the federal poverty line.
Has Shawnee County, Kansas grown since 1990?
Yes, Shawnee County, Kansas has grown since 1990. The population has added about 17,049 residents, a change of about 11 percent over that period.
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Explore from here
46 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 39.01Census Tract 31Census Tract 36.07Census Tract 26.02Census Tract 35Census Tract 37.01Census Tract 34.01Census Tract 30.02Census Tract 36.06Census Tract 36.01Census Tract 4Census Tract 39.02Census Tract 36.05Census Tract 34.02Census Tract 36.04Census Tract 13Census Tract 18Census Tract 27.01Census Tract 27.02Census Tract 2824 ZIP codes
ZIP 66614ZIP 66604ZIP 66605ZIP 66618ZIP 66607ZIP 66610ZIP 66606ZIP 66611ZIP 66617ZIP 66609ZIP 66616ZIP 66608ZIP 66619ZIP 66409ZIP 66402ZIP 66539ZIP 66542ZIP 66615ZIP 66603ZIP 66612ZIP 66533ZIP 66546ZIP 66621ZIP 66622Up the hierarchy
All counties in KansasDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024