Labette County, Kansas

**Labette County** (county code **LB**) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 20,184 people lived there. Its county seat is Oswego. Its biggest city is Parsons. The county was named after LaBette creek, the second-biggest creek in the county. The creek was named after French-Canadian fur trapper Pierre LaBette who had moved to the area.

## History

In the 1840s, most of the people living in Labette County were Osage people. There were also many Cherokee and Euro-Americans.  Many of the Euro-Americans were merchants with Osage or Cherokee wives.

Between 1871 and 1873, at least eleven people disappeared near an inn and general store run by the Bender family in Labette County. After the disappareance of the Benders in 1873, it was found that they had apparently murdered many travelers. Between eight and eleven bodies were found buried at the inn. Governor Thomas A. Osborn offered a reward of $2,000 for anyone who caught the Benders, but they were never found.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (1.2%) is water.

## Demographics

The **Parsons, KS Micropolitan Statistical Area** includes all of Labette County.

The 2020 Census says that Labette County had 20,184 people living there. The median age was 40. The race of the people were 79.7% non-Hispanic white, 4.2% African-American, 2.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% non-Hispanics of some other race, 8.7% non-Hispanics reporting two or more races and 4.7% Hispanic or Latino.

### Presidential elections

Labette County is mostly Republican. It has a slight Democratic lean to it like many counties in Southeast Kansas. Although Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton both won the county once each, it has become more Republican.

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|**67.0%** _5,735_|style="text-align:center;"|31.0% _2,655_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.0% _173_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2016**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.9%** _5,335_|style="text-align:center;"|27.9% _2,291_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.2% _592_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|**59.0%** _4,742_|style="text-align:center;"|38.8% _3,117_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.2% _178_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.4%** _5,001_|style="text-align:center;"|42.5% _3,839_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _191_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|**59.1%** _5,400_|style="text-align:center;"|39.6% _3,615_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.4% _124_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.4%** _4,475_|style="text-align:center;"|43.9% _3,745_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.7% _318_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|**45.7%** _4,283_|style="text-align:center;"|41.9% _3,931_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|12.4% _1,166_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|33.1% _3,368_|style="text-align:center;"|**41.2%** _4,196_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|25.7% _2,613_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.9%** _5,125_|style="text-align:center;"|45.8% _4,433_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.3% _126_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|**63.8%** _6,542_|style="text-align:center;"|35.4% _3,631_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _87_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.9%** _5,244_|style="text-align:center;"|39.8% _3,947_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.4% _730_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|45.6% _4,640_|style="text-align:center;"|**52.0%** _5,294_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.4% _243_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.8%** _6,399_|style="text-align:center;"|32.5% _3,210_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.8% _272_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|**51.2%** _5,503_|style="text-align:center;"|37.0% _3,974_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|11.8% _1,273_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|43.0% _4,761_|style="text-align:center;"|**56.1%** _6,208_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.8% _93_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|**58.5%** _7,491_|style="text-align:center;"|41.0% _5,248_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _68_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|**59.4%** _7,677_|style="text-align:center;"|40.2% _5,202_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _57_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|**62.0%** _8,624_|style="text-align:center;"|37.5% _5,219_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% _70_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|**50.1%** _6,298_|style="text-align:center;"|48.7% _6,113_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% _154_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.9%** _7,480_|style="text-align:center;"|41.8% _5,398_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _48_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.2%** _8,210_|style="text-align:center;"|45.3% _6,860_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.6% _87_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|44.9% _6,610_|style="text-align:center;"|**54.7%** _8,050_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _59_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|42.1% _5,794_|style="text-align:center;"|**55.7%** _7,667_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _294_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.2%** _9,048_|style="text-align:center;"|24.4% _2,969_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.4% _174_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.3%** _6,593_|style="text-align:center;"|24.9% _2,971_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|19.9% _2,369_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.9%** _6,596_|style="text-align:center;"|38.0% _4,328_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.0% _460_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|42.6% _5,328_|style="text-align:center;"|**51.4%** _6,421_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.0% _755_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|21.9% _1,516_|style="text-align:center;"|**37.0%** _2,568_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|41.1% _2,853_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|**49.2%** _3,367_|style="text-align:center;"|40.6% _2,783_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|10.2% _698_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**58.7%** _3,700_|style="text-align:center;"|26.0% _1,637_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|15.4% _968_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|48.8% _3,319_|style="text-align:center;"|**50.3%** _3,425_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _61_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|46.2% _3,206_|style="text-align:center;"|**52.9%** _3,669_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _64_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|47.9% _2,950_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**52.1%** _3,210_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**47.4%** _2,870_|style="text-align:center;"|16.1% _976_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|36.5% _2,211_|

### Unified school districts

- Cherokee USD 247 (Web site) is a school district of  primarily covering portions of Crawford and Cherokee counties, but also includes small portions of Labette and Neosho counties.
- Parsons USD 503 (Web site)
- Oswego USD 504 (Web site)
- Chetopa-St. Paul USD 505 (Web site)
- Labette County USD 506 (Web site)

### Cities

- Altamont
- Bartlett
- Chetopa
- Edna
- Labette
- Mound Valley
- Oswego
- Parsons

## References

- Notes

## More reading

- _History of Labette County, Kansas, and Representative Citizens_; Nelson Case; Biographical Publishing Co; 846 pages; 1901.
- _Atlas and Plat Book of Labette County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 40 pages; 1916.
- _Standard Atlas of Labette County, Kansas_; Kenyon Company; 53 pages; 1906.

## Other websites

- County
- Labette County - Directory of Public Officials
- Historical
- Labette County History and Heritage Project, Genealogy
- Maps
- Labette County Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Highway Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Railroad Maps: Current , 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Labette County
- **state**: Kansas
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **ex image**: Big Hill Lake, Labette County, Kansas.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Big Hill Lake (2015)
- **founded**: February 26, 1867
- **named for**: Pierre La Bette
- **seat wl**: Oswego
- **largest city wl**: Parsons
- **area total sq mi**: 653
- **area land sq mi**: 645
- **area water sq mi**: 7.8
- **area percentage**: 1.2%
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 20184
- **population density sq mi**: 31.3
- **area codes**: Area code 620, 620
- **district**: 2nd
- **time zone**: Central