Wakarusa is a census-designated place in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 242. It is located 11 miles south of downtown Topeka. Wakarusa is also the name of an unincorporated community in adjacent Douglas County, Kansas, 6.6 mi southwest of downtown Lawrence and the name of the township that …Wakarusa is a census-designated place in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 242. It is located 11 miles south of downtown Topeka. Wakarusa is also the name of an unincorporated community in adjacent Douglas County, Kansas, 6.6 mi southwest of downtown Lawrence and the name of the township that includes Lawrence, Kansas.