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The story
History
In 1867, Hodgeman County was established and named for Amos Hodgman, member of the 7th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry. The letter E was later added to the namesake's name. The county was not formally organized until 1879.
The Homestead Act of 1862 drew many settlers to the region beginning in the spring of 1877, with only a small amount of wheat sown that year due to hail damage. Crop yields improved in 1878. The county initially had several competing towns vying to become the county seat, including Buckner (present-day Jetmore), which eventually won out. While many small towns, such as Kidderville and Milroy, had sprung up in the early years of the county, only Jetmore and Hanston survived as permanent settlements.
By the late 1870s, Hodgeman County had a population of approximately 1,500 people.
In 1882, 24 families of Russian Jews affiliated with the Am Olam agricultural collective movement founded a colony in Hodgeman County named Beersheba, which included sod homes and a sod synagogue.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,723, and the median age was 45.5 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.1 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.9% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.6% of the population.
There were 724 households in the county, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 18.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 842 housing units, of which 14.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.2% were owner-occupied and 23.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, 2,085 people, 796 households, and 581 families were residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (0.77 people/km2). The 945 housing units had an average density of 1 per square mile (0.39/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.31% White, 0.91% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.48% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.69% of the population.
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Of the 796 households, 34.7% had children under 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were not families. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the age distribution was 29.0% under 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,994 and for a family was $39,358. Males had a median income of $27,568 versus $21,534 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,599. About 10.70% of families and 11.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under 18 and 7.7% of those 65 or over.
From Wikipedia’s article on Hodgeman County, Kansas, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5