The Blacknose Dace population in Kansas appears to be a remnant, but stable, population found only in areas where the last glacier extended. They prefer small, usually cool, gravelly streams of high to moderate gradient. They use pools, slower runs, and backwaters as microhabitats.
The Blacknose Dace has only been found in five localities in Pole, Manley, and Clear creeks of the Nemaha River system in northeastern Kansas.