Shawnee County, Kansas Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Shawnee County is located in Kansas with a total population of 178,025. It is the 3rd most populous county out of 105 in Kansas. The county encompasses 7 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Shawnee County is 39.4 years. This is 5% higher than the state median of 37.4 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Shawnee County is $67,104. This is 10% lower than the state median of $74,275. It is also 17% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 12.7%. This is 13% higher than the state poverty rate of 11.3%. The unemployment rate is 4.2%. This is 6% higher than the state rate of 3.9%. The median home value is $180,900. Housing costs are 17% lower than the state median of $217,200. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.7x, Shawnee County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 66.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Shawnee County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 71.0% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 13.8%. The Asian population (1.3%) is well below the state average of 2.9%.

Education

32.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Shawnee County in the top 10% of all counties in the state for educational attainment. This is 9% lower than the state rate of 35.6%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 93.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Shawnee County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Kansas and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.