by Murrel Bland
After about 50 years of population decline, Wyandotte County is back on the plus side.
The 2020 decennial U.S. Census in recently released data indicated that Wyandotte County has grown by 7.5 percent in the period from 2010 to 2020. That translates from 157,505 to 169,245 persons. Wyandotte County’s population peaked in 1970 at 186,845. The largest loss was seen in the 1980 Census with a 7.8 percent decrease—a loss of 14,000.
For many years, Wyandotte County was the most populous county in Kansas. It saw large gains in its early days. In 1870, the increase was 7,406, compared with 1860. The late 1800s continued to see substantial growth. In 1900, the population was 73,227; by 1940, the population had almost doubled at 145,071.
Based on the 2020 Census, Wyandotte County ranks fourth in population among Kansas counties; it also ranks fourth among those gaining population. The top three most populous counties are Johnson, Sedgwick and Shawnee. Eighty of 105 Kansas counties lost population since 2010. The 2020 Census indicated Kansas had a population of 2,937,880.
The 2020 Census indicated those of Hispanic origin has shown a substantial increase since 2010—from 41,633 to 55,814 in Wyandotte County. A factor with this increase probably has been the international migration. Black and white population have both decreased since 2010.
In several past years, the loss in population has been the outmigration to nearby counties including Leavenworth and Johnson.
The birth and death factor has also affected Wyandotte County population; Wyandotte County has experienced about two births for every one death.
The 2020 Census indicated there are 68,475 housing units in Wyandotte County; of those, 61,835 are occupied.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.