Thomas County, Kansas

Thomas County (standard abbreviation: TH) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020 census, 7,930 people lived there. Its county seat is Colby.

Thomas County
County
Thomas County Courthouse in Colby (2014)
Location within the U.S. state of Kansas
Kansas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°21′N 101°03′W
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Founded	October 8, 1885
Named for	George Henry Thomas
Seat	Colby
Largest city	Colby
Area
• Total	1,075 sq mi (2,780 km2)
• Land	1,075 sq mi (2,780 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)  0.01%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,930
• Density	7.4/sq mi (2.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	thomascountyks.com

History

19th century

Thomas County was created on October 8, 1885. It was named after George Henry Thomas, a Union General during the American Civil War, hero of the Battle of Chickamauga. The townships of the county were named after the soldiers that died at the Battle of Chickamauga.

Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of 1,075 square miles (2,780 km²). Of that, 1,075 square miles (2,780 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.01%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 70
• U.S. Highway 24
• U.S. Highway 83
• Kansas Highway 25

People

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	161		—
1890	5,538		3,339.8%
1900	4,112		−25.7%
1910	5,455		32.7%
1920	5,517		1.1%
1930	7,334		32.9%
1940	6,425		−12.4%
1950	7,572		17.9%
1960	7,358		−2.8%
1970	7,501		1.9%
1980	8,451		12.7%
1990	8,258		−2.3%
2000	8,180		−0.9%
2010	7,900		−3.4%
2020	7,930		0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

Age pyramid

Government

Presidential elections

Thomas County is very Republican. The last time a democratic candidate has won Thomas County was in 1964 by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Presidential Elections Results

Presidential Elections Results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2020	82.2% 3,130	16.4% 625	1.4% 55
2016	81.3% 2,908	13.2% 473	5.5% 195
2012	80.3% 2,788	17.2% 598	2.5% 88
2008	77.2% 2,837	21.4% 787	1.3% 49
2004	77.7% 3,007	21.1% 816	1.2% 47
2000	74.7% 2,822	21.4% 807	4.0% 151
1996	69.8% 2,725	22.2% 866	8.1% 316
1992	47.1% 1,849	23.8% 932	29.1% 1,141
1988	60.5% 2,342	36.4% 1,408	3.1% 120
1984	76.7% 3,107	21.9% 887	1.4% 57
1980	66.4% 2,789	24.9% 1,045	8.8% 368
1976	53.9% 2,246	43.3% 1,802	2.8% 116
1972	67.7% 2,300	27.8% 943	4.5% 153
1968	59.8% 1,971	32.6% 1,074	7.6% 250
1964	45.6% 1,528	53.6% 1,793	0.8% 27
1960	61.5% 2,081	38.0% 1,285	0.5% 18
1956	62.1% 1,888	37.4% 1,138	0.5% 16
1952	69.5% 2,490	29.8% 1,069	0.7% 26
1948	49.4% 1,497	48.7% 1,476	1.9% 57
1944	59.1% 1,631	39.8% 1,097	1.1% 30
1940	54.2% 1,721	44.8% 1,423	1.0% 31
1936	35.4% 1,200	64.0% 2,168	0.6% 20
1932	33.7% 1,158	61.2% 2,103	5.2% 177
1928	66.0% 1,828	32.4% 899	1.6% 44
1924	52.5% 1,436	30.1% 822	17.4% 477
1920	54.6% 1,046	39.0% 747	6.5% 124
1916	31.2% 642	63.0% 1,299	5.8% 120
1912	14.2% 127	48.2% 432	37.7% 338
1908	45.0% 569	49.8% 630	5.2% 66
1904	57.0% 548	21.3% 205	21.7% 209
1900	42.0% 404	57.2% 551	0.8% 8
1896	38.0% 304	61.3% 490	0.8% 6
1892	41.3% 490		58.7% 697
1888	55.0% 751	35.6% 486	9.4% 128

Education

Unified school districts

• Brewster USD 314
• Colby USD 315
• Golden Plains USD 316

Communities

2005 KDOT Map of Thomas County from KDOT (map legend)

Cities

• Brewster
• Colby
• Gem
• Menlo
• Oakley (Part)
• Rexford

More readings

• Standard Atlas of Thomas County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 64 pages; 1907.

Other websites

County

• Official website
• Thomas County - Directory of Public Officials

Maps

• Thomas County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
• Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT
• Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society