Dexter is a city in Cowley County, Kansas, United States.

[4] Platted in 1875,[5] Dexter is named for a trotting horse belonging to Robert Bonner of New York.

[6] Early in the 20th century, Dexter became the focus of research that would confirm the existence of an abundance of naturally occurring and readily available helium.

In addition they discovered helium within an “inert residue” in the gas and, after expanding their research to other wells throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, published a paper in 1907 saying that helium could be extracted from natural gas.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.29 square miles (0.75 km2), all of it land.

[7] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[8] The 2020 United States census counted 224 people, 94 households, and 63 families in Dexter.

The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 3.6% Native American, 0.4% Pacific Islander, and 0.7% from two or more races.

23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The community is served by Dexter USD 471 public school district.