Cowley County Demographics

A map of Cowley County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	26,447	26,227	76.9%	75.9%
Hispanic	4,184	3,971	12.2%	11.5%
Multiracial	1,832	2,109	5.3%	6.1%
Black	820	865	2.4%	2.5%
Native American/Other	596	878	1.7%	2.5%
Asian	532	499	1.5%	1.4%

Cowley County, Kansas has an estimated population of 34,411, a less than 1% change from the 34,549 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 76.9% White, 12.2% Hispanic, 5.3% Multiracial, 2.4% Black, 1.7% Native American/Other, and 1.5% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Cowley County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Cowley has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Kansas overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Cowley County, that probability was 40.5% in 2020 and 39.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Cowley County is ranked the 15th most populous county in Kansas, out of 105 counties. Cowley County was ranked the 14th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Cowley County's White Population

26,447 residents of Cowley County, or 76.9% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Cowley County is slightly higher than in Kansas overall, where 72.7% of the population is White. Cowley County ranks 83rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cowley County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Cowley County's population has increased from 75.9% to 76.9%.

Cowley County is more White than neighboring Kay County (71.2% White). Cowley County is less White than neighboring Butler County (85.7% White), Chautauqua County (80.1% White), Elk County (87.4% White), and Sumner County (86.5% White).

Cowley County's Black Population

820 residents of Cowley County, or 2.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Cowley County is slightly lower than in Kansas overall, where 5.2% of the population is Black. Cowley County ranks 22nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cowley County's Black population has declined by an estimated 5.2%. Black residents' share of Cowley County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.4%.

Cowley County is more Black than neighboring Kay County (1.8% Black), Butler County (1.9% Black), Chautauqua County (0.8% Black), Elk County (0.1% Black), and Sumner County (1.1% Black).

Cowley County's Asian Population

532 residents of Cowley County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Cowley County is comparable to the share in Kansas overall, where 2.9% of the population is Asian. Cowley County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cowley County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 6.6%. Asian residents' share of Cowley County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.5%.

Cowley County is more Asian than neighboring Kay County (0.5% Asian), Chautauqua County (0.1% Asian), Elk County (0.2% Asian), and Sumner County (0.4% Asian). Cowley County is less Asian than neighboring Butler County (1.7% Asian).

Cowley County's Hispanic Population

4,184 residents of Cowley County, or 12.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Cowley County is comparable to the share in Kansas overall, where 13.6% of the population is Hispanic. Cowley County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cowley County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 5.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Cowley County's population has increased from 11.5% to 12.2%.

Cowley County is more Hispanic than neighboring Kay County (9% Hispanic), Butler County (5.8% Hispanic), Chautauqua County (5% Hispanic), Elk County (4.5% Hispanic), and Sumner County (6.1% Hispanic).

Cowley County's Native American/Other Population

596 residents of Cowley County, or 1.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Cowley County is comparable to the share in Kansas overall, where 0.9% of the population is Native American/Other. Cowley County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cowley County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 32.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Cowley County's population has decreased from 2.5% to 1.7%.

Cowley County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Butler County (0.9% Native American/Other), Elk County (1.6% Native American/Other), and Sumner County (1.2% Native American/Other). Cowley County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Kay County (7.8% Native American/Other), and Chautauqua County (5.8% Native American/Other).

Cowley County's Multiracial Population

1,832 residents of Cowley County, or 5.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Cowley County is comparable to the share in Kansas overall, where 4.8% of the population is Multiracial. Cowley County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 105 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Cowley County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 13.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Cowley County's population has decreased from 6.1% to 5.3%.

Cowley County is more Multiracial than neighboring Butler County (4% Multiracial), and Sumner County (4.7% Multiracial). Cowley County is less Multiracial than neighboring Kay County (9.7% Multiracial), Chautauqua County (8.2% Multiracial), and Elk County (6.2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.