Chautauqua County, Kansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Chautauqua County, KS Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Kansas
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 93% of counties in Kansas
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 91% of counties in Kansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Chautauqua County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,370 | 2,945,842 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5.2 | 35.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.35% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.3 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,356 | 1,173,585 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Chautauqua County declined by 11.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,370 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Chautauqua County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.0% of residents. That is 8.4 points above Kansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 563 16.7% -6.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 552 16.4% -4.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 671 19.9% +1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 844 25.0% +8.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Kansas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.4% of the people living in Chautauqua County and men 51.6%.
- Women 48.4% Kansas 50.0%
- Men 51.6% Kansas 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Chautauqua County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Chautauqua County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Chautauqua County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,474 | $74,287 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.22% | 4.08% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Chautauqua County is about 24% lower than in Kansas.
Housing
| Metric | Chautauqua County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $26,923 | $104,644 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $708 | $1,060 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.0% | 67.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Chautauqua County is about 3.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $708 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Chautauqua County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 155 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Chautauqua County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.6 | 17.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.2 | 34.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 155 | 143 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,811 | $4,448 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.9% | 11.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,303 | 4,500 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 150 | 662 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Kansas:
Wichita County (7.0 min), Scott County (7.1 min), Greeley County (7.2 min).
Slowest:
Linn County (31.3 min), Miami County (30.8 min), Jefferson County (30.3 min).
The average commute time in Chautauqua County is 19 minutes, longer than the 17 minutes in Kansas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Chautauqua County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Chautauqua County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.1% | 31.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Kansas:
Johnson County (0.4), Douglas County (0.4), Riley County (0.3).
Lowest:
Seward County (0.2), Grant County (0.2), Kearny County (0.2).
Health
Chautauqua County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Chautauqua County | Kansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.4 | 78.6 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.1% | 15.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.3% | 18.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Kansas:
Johnson County (0.8), Riley County (0.8), Douglas County (0.8).
Lowest:
Wyandotte County (0.8), Woodson County (0.8), Chautauqua County (0.8).
Chautauqua County, KS Compared With Nearby Counties
Chautauqua County, KS is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 3,370 residents against a local median of 40,204. Chautauqua County, KS's median home price, at $26,923, runs 48% below the $51,634 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 18.6 min against a local median of 15.2 min, 23% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 23% above the local median it puts Chautauqua County, KS at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $153,463 on median home price, so Chautauqua County, KS sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Chautauqua County, KS has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua County, KS | 3,370 | $56,474 #5/5 | $26,923 #4/5 | 18.6 min #4/5 |
| Montgomery County, KS | 30,940 | $56,995 | $31,389 | 13.7 min |
| Osage County, OK | 45,997 | $64,347 | $71,880 | 22.6 min |
| Washington County, OK | 53,323 | $60,309 | $167,264 | 15.4 min |
| Cowley County, KS | 34,411 | $57,252 | $13,801 | 15.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Chautauqua County, Kansas.
How big is Chautauqua County, Kansas by population?
About 3,370 people live in Chautauqua County, Kansas, in 1,356 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 45.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Chautauqua County, Kansas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Chautauqua County, Kansas has 5 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 6% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Chautauqua County, Kansas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($26,923 against $56,474), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $708 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Chautauqua County, Kansas?
Unemployment in Chautauqua County, Kansas is only 3.6%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Chautauqua County, Kansas have a college degree?
16.1% of adults in Chautauqua County, Kansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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