Kingman County, Kansas · Kingman
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With 55% of homes built before 1960 and about 31 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.8 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
55% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Kingman County, 3.74 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
24% of occupied homes in Kingman County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 70 times a year in Kingman County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 7,186 people live in Kingman County, 863 square miles in southern Kansas, in roughly 3,685 homes. The county seat is Kingman, and Norwich, Cunningham and Spivey round out the largest towns. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1956.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Kingman County ranks 30 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Kingman County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Kingman County is milder than most of Kansas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 105 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 31 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 105 Kansas counties that's 78th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -16°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 13 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to February, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 28 and the last spring freeze around Apr 10.
Rainfall is about average for Kansas. The county gets about 31.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.8 days of an inch or more (43rd of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.74 inches on May 8, 2019. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.33 inches (through October 10, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 90 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Kansas's 105 counties range widely in housing age; Kingman ranks 32nd, with 77% of its homes built before 1980.
55% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Renters occupy 34% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
About 70 nights a year in Kingman County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (31st of 105 counties). May is the wettest month. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Kingman County it's 55% utility gas, 17% electric, 22% propane and 3% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Kansas counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Kingman County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Pratt and Reno get more pipe-freeze nights than Kingman. Harper County has the oldest housing nearby, with 79% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Kingman | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 55% | 48% | 25 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 77% | 74% | 32 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9% | 11% | 69 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.5% | 5.6% | 63 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 15% | 59 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 17% | 29 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 39/yr | 78 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.8/yr | 6.8/yr | 43 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 97/yr | 68 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 70/yr | 59/yr | 31 of 105 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Kansas county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Kingman County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in May, June and September.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology