How many people live in Shawnee County, KS?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 177,900 people living in Shawnee County, KS. That makes Shawnee County the third-most populous county in Kansas. It is home to 6% of people living in the state.
178K
population of Shawnee County, KS (2024)
6%
County share of the Kansas population (2024)
About 177,900 people lived in Shawnee County, KS in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Shawnee County, KS’s age demographics?
About 36,200 Shawnee County, KS residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 20.3% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 17.9% of Kansas's population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 40,100 Shawnee County residents, or 22.5% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 23.5% of Kansas’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Shawnee County, KS's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Shawnee County, KS’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 71.7% of the Shawnee County population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Shawnee County also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (3.8%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, Shawnee County’s Hispanic population accounts for 14.3%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 7.6% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Shawnee County, KS has a higher share of a non-Hispanic Black or African American population than Kansas as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Shawnee County, KS is Topeka with about 125,500 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Shawnee County, KS ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Topeka | 125,467 |
| 2. | Soldier | 15,179 |
| 3. | Mission | 10,127 |
| 4. | Tecumseh | 7,778 |
| 5. | Williamsport | 4,305 |
| 6. | Monmouth | 3,198 |
| 7. | Menoken | 1,635 |
| 8. | Silver Lake | 1,312 |
| 9. | Auburn | 1,272 |
| 10. | Rossville | 1,090 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
