Rice County, Kansas

**Rice County** (standard abbreviation: **RC**) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 9,427 people lived there. The county seat is Lyons. Lyons is also the biggest city in Rice County. The county was named after Samuel Allen Rice, Brigadier-General, United States volunteers, killed April 30, 1864, at Jenkins Ferry, Arkansas.

## History

In 1867, **Rice County** was created.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (0.2%) is water.

### Presidential elections

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|**75.5%** _3,262_|style="text-align:center;"|22.3% _965_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _92_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2016**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.6%** _2,837_|style="text-align:center;"|18.3% _695_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.2% _272_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|**72.7%** _2,676_|style="text-align:center;"|24.8% _911_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.6% _94_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|**69.1%** _2,780_|style="text-align:center;"|28.9% _1,163_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.9% _78_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|**72.7%** _3,182_|style="text-align:center;"|25.8% _1,130_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% _64_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.2%** _2,903_|style="text-align:center;"|31.5% _1,422_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.3% _195_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|**59.3%** _2,842_|style="text-align:center;"|29.9% _1,434_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|10.7% _513_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|**40.9%** _2,158_|style="text-align:center;"|29.5% _1,555_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|29.6% _1,558_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|**53.9%** _2,503_|style="text-align:center;"|43.8% _2,033_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.4% _109_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|**68.7%** _3,598_|style="text-align:center;"|29.8% _1,559_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.6% _82_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.7%** _3,211_|style="text-align:center;"|33.2% _1,847_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.2% _510_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|44.8% _2,584_|style="text-align:center;"|**53.0%** _3,056_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.2% _125_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**66.2%** _3,843_|style="text-align:center;"|31.5% _1,825_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.3% _135_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|**56.2%** _3,141_|style="text-align:center;"|36.7% _2,049_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.1% _396_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|39.2% _2,390_|style="text-align:center;"|**60.1%** _3,665_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _43_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.8%** _4,329_|style="text-align:center;"|34.9% _2,328_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _23_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.5%** _4,638_|style="text-align:center;"|29.3% _1,926_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _17_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.5%** _5,572_|style="text-align:center;"|24.5% _1,832_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.0% _74_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|**58.2%** _4,002_|style="text-align:center;"|40.0% _2,752_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.9% _128_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|**61.1%** _4,024_|style="text-align:center;"|38.1% _2,505_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.8% _55_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|**56.5%** _4,792_|style="text-align:center;"|42.9% _3,635_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.7% _56_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|40.2% _3,318_|style="text-align:center;"|**59.5%** _4,905_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.3% _22_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|**49.3%** _3,107_|style="text-align:center;"|48.2% _3,037_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.5% _154_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**74.1%** _4,321_|style="text-align:center;"|25.1% _1,462_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _52_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**68.5%** _3,920_|style="text-align:center;"|22.8% _1,303_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.7% _497_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**69.0%** _3,651_|style="text-align:center;"|28.9% _1,532_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _112_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|42.6% _2,494_|style="text-align:center;"|**47.9%** _2,801_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.5% _557_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|20.6% _697_|style="text-align:center;"|**38.8%** _1,314_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|40.7% _1,378_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|**51.4%** _1,832_|style="text-align:center;"|39.4% _1,407_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.2% _329_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.2%** _1,994_|style="text-align:center;"|23.4% _727_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|12.5% _387_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.4%** _2,013_|style="text-align:center;"|41.3% _1,527_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.3% _159_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|48.8% _1,729_|style="text-align:center;"|**48.8%** _1,731_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.5% _87_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|46.8% _1,724_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**53.2%** _1,961_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.8%** _1,851_|style="text-align:center;"|29.2% _934_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|13.1% _418_|

### Unified school districts

- USD 328, Lorraine, serves Bushton and northwestern areas of the county
- USD 376, Sterling
- USD 401, Chase
- USD 405, Lyons
- USD 444, Little River

### Colleges and Universities

- Sterling College, a private four year Christian college, is in Sterling.

### Cities

- Alden
- Bushton
- Chase
- Frederick
- Geneseo
- Little River
- Lyons
- Raymond
- Sterling

## References

- Notes

## More reading

- County
- _Standard Atlas of Rice County, Kansas_; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 75 pages; 1919.
- _Plat Book of Rice County, Kansas_; North West Publishing Co; 44 pages; 1902.
- _Handbook of Rick County, Kansas_; C.S. Burch Publishing Co; 38 pages; 1888.
- Trails
- _The Story of the Marking of the Santa Fe Trail by the Daughters of the American Revolution in Kansas and the State of Kansas_; Almira Cordry; Crane Co; 164 pages; 1915.
- _The National Old Trails Road To Southern California, Part 1 (LA to KC)_; Automobile Club Of Southern California; 64 pages; 1916.

## Other websites

- County
- Rice County - Directory of Public Officials
- Maps
- Rice 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**: Rice County
- **state**: Kansas
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **ex image**: Rice_County_Courthouse_(Kansas).jpg
- **ex image cap**: Rice County Courthouse (2022)
- **founded**: February 26, 1867
- **named for**: Samuel Allen Rice
- **seat wl**: Lyons
- **largest city wl**: Lyons
- **area total sq mi**: 728
- **area land sq mi**: 726
- **area water sq mi**: 1.7
- **area percentage**: 0.2%
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 9,427
- **population density sq mi**: 13.0
- **district**: 1st
- **time zone**: Central