Rice County GIS Maps
Rice County, Kansas, has 9,427 residents and covers 726.2 square miles. The population declined 6.5% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents left than arrived over that decade. The FIPS code for Rice County is 20159.
Lyons is the county's largest population center. Rice County also includes 7 zip codes, 8 public school districts and 39 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
Rice County Trends
- Population
- 9,427▾
- Median Home Value
- $105,500▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 4,916▴
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
Rice County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
Rice County Population
Rice County had 9,427 residents in 2020. That was 6.5% lower than in 2010. Rice County had 1,334 fewer people in 2020 than it did in 2000, which points to a long-term population decline. The county is fairly spread out, with about 13 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Lyons, Sterling and Little River.
Population Trend in Rice County KS
Rice County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
Rice County Zip Codes
Rice County has 7 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Lyons (67554), Sterling (67579) and Little River (67457). Lyons is the largest zip by population, with about 4,150 residents or 44% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 84% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in Rice County KS
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67554 | Lyons | 4,150 | ▾ -4.2% |
| 67579 | Sterling | 2,959 | ▾ -4.4% |
| 67457 | Little River | 794 | ▾ -9.6% |
| 67524 | Chase | 547 | ▾ -13.2% |
| 67427 | Bushton | 340 | ▾ -16.7% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
Rice County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
Rice County Demographics
Rice County has a median age of 39, which makes the county a little older than Kansas overall. About 23.4% of residents are under 18, while 19.6% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 25 to 44 at about 27.2% of the population, which points to a solid working-age base. About 24.3% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 35.2%. The county is majority White by population, with Hispanic, Asian, Black and multiracial residents making up a meaningful share of the local mix.
Key Demographics for Rice County KS
Median Age
39
Under 18
23.4%
Age 65+
19.6%
Bachelor's+
24.3%
Rice County School Districts
Rice County is served by 8 public school districts with 4,916 students enrolled in 2024. The largest districts on the county map are Central Plains Unified 112, Nickerson Unified 309 and Lyons Unified 405. Those three districts account for about 60% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has grown modestly since 2017 across the districts shown on the county map.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in Rice County KS
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Plains Unified School District 112 | 1,225 | 24.9% | ▴ 14.4% |
| Nickerson Unified School District 309 | 1,011 | 20.6% | ▾ -1.9% |
| Lyons Unified School District 405 | 692 | 14.1% | ▾ -1.3% |
| Ellsworth Unified School District 327 | 629 | 12.8% | ▾ -2.6% |
| Sterling Unified School District 376 | 500 | 10.2% | ▾ -2.2% |
| Download all school district data | |||
Rice County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
Rice County Housing & Real Estate
Rice County has a median home value of $105,500 and a median gross rent of $717. About 77% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run below the Kansas median, while rents come in below the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $129,625 and homes spent about 95 days on the market.
Rice County Housing Mix
Rice County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
Rice County Housing Trends
Rice County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in Rice County, KS
Rice County has 477 business listings across 212 categories. The largest categories in Rice County business listings are Churches & Religious Organizations (33, 6.9%), Elementary School (11, 2.3%), and Convenience Stores (10, 2.1%). The full Rice County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. Rice County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in Rice County, KS
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 33 | 6.9% |
| Elementary School | 11 | 2.3% |
| Convenience Stores | 10 | 2.1% |
| Insurance Agencies | 10 | 2.1% |
| Auto Repair | 9 | 1.9% |
| Community & Nonprofits | 9 | 1.9% |
| Libraries | 9 | 1.9% |
| Public Service And Government | 7 | 1.5% |
| Shipping Center | 7 | 1.5% |
| Public And Government Association | 7 | 1.5% |
Rice County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| West Side Loft | Accommodation | Sterling |
| Royer Hunts | Active Life | Alden |
| Frederick Harvesting | Agricultural Service | Alden |
| Splitter Farms | Agriculture | Sterling |
| Lyons-Rice County Municipal Airport | Airport | Lyons |
| Longshots Bar & Grill | American Restaurants | Chase |
| Friends of Animals Rice County | Animal Shelters | Sterling |
| Studio 96/Sterling Community Center | Art Gallery | Sterling |
| Prairie Flower Crafts | Arts And Crafts | Alden |
| Little River Fall Foliage Festival | Arts And Entertainment | Little River |
| Download Rice County business listings | ||
Rice County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Rice County Basemaps
Rice County map and data packages include a set of useful basemaps to help you get started quickly. These include a custom light grey canvas, USGS topo, imagery and other reference layers that make it easier to build clear, meaningful county maps using the included GIS layers, your own data or both. Pre-rendered map tiles for the light grey basemap are included so you can use them offline or host them on your own CDN.
Get the Full Rice County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the Rice County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border Rice County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.