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COUNTY

Riley County

Kansas · 72,598 residents (2025 est.) · 609.66 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#12Youngest by median ageof 3,14425.5#112Most educatedof 3,14448.9%
The short version

Riley County has notably lower household income than the US average, with a median household income of $61,098. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $237,100. At a median age of 25.5, residents skew younger than the country as a whole. 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, well above the US average, yet household income trails the national figure — a profile common to graduate-student tracts and academic hubs.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 25.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
49% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 46%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
71,946
+14%since 2000
from 62,843 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
118 / sq mi
+3%since 2009
from 114 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
25.5
+7%since 2000
from 23.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:72,598 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
62K65K69K73K77K1990201020202024Riley County
202472K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 54.8%(3,425)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.5%(3,214)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.5%(3,205)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 1910.1%(7,298)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2424.9%(17,893)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3416.3%(11,741)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4410.6%(7,643)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 547.1%(5,092)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 647.3%(5,232)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 746.1%(4,396)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 842.7%(1,947)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.2%(860)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$61,098
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,042 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$36,484
+123%since 2000
from $16,349 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
40.5%
+19.0 ptssince 2009
from 21.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
19.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2000
from 20.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.482
+2%since 2010
from 0.474 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade5.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade4.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration3.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Arts, entertainment, food2.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Finance & insurance2.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Professional, scientific, technical1.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$237,100
+46%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $89,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,046
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $475 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
46.1%
−1.1 ptssince 2000
from 47.2% in 2000
53.9% rent
Vacancy rate
9.9%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
17.3%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 18.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.9%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.3% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.9
−3%since 2009
from 4.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
49
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Riley County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic82.7%(51,954)
Black6.7%(4,221)
Hispanic / Latino4.6%(2,872)
Asian3.2%(2,001)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic73.6%(52,983)
Black6.4%(4,569)
Hispanic / Latino10%(7,205)
Asian4.1%(2,951)
Other5.9%(4,238)
Diversity Score
55
+38%since 2009
from 40 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
22
+21%since 2020
from 18 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican6.6%(4,755)
Puerto Rican0.8%(556)
Nicaraguan0.4%(323)
Salvadoran0.3%(217)
Panamanian0.3%(216)
Bolivian0.2%(153)
Spaniard0.2%(149)
Cuban0.2%(111)
Argentine0.2%(109)
Peruvian0.1%(104)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Guatemalan0.1%(66)
Ecuadorian0.1%(63)
Colombian0.1%(59)
Dominican0.1%(53)
Honduran0.1%(51)
Chilean0%(18)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.9%(629)
Korean0.8%(540)
Chinese0.7%(490)
Filipino0.6%(401)
Bangladeshi0.4%(268)
Vietnamese0.3%(237)
Nepalese0.2%(140)
Japanese0.1%(103)
Thai0.1%(84)
Taiwanese0.1%(58)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.2%(176)
Chamorro0%(18)
Ancestry
German26.6%(19,151)
Irish10.7%(7,711)
English10.4%(7,482)
American9.9%(7,153)
Swedish2.9%(2,073)
Scottish2.7%(1,913)
Italian2.5%(1,781)
French2%(1,443)
Polish1.5%(1,096)
Norwegian1.2%(876)
Welsh0.9%(652)
+ 36 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.8%(562)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(533)
Czech0.7%(507)
Arab0.6%(455)
Danish0.5%(389)
British0.5%(359)
Ethiopian0.5%(338)
Russian0.4%(304)
West Indian0.3%(247)
Jamaican0.3%(238)
Greek0.3%(189)
Swiss0.2%(177)
Belgian0.2%(161)
Hungarian0.2%(159)
Nigerian0.2%(147)
Ukrainian0.2%(122)
Iraqi0.2%(117)
Iranian0.1%(99)
Lebanese0.1%(83)
Lithuanian0.1%(83)
Canadian0.1%(80)
Slovak0.1%(79)
Egyptian0.1%(72)
Finnish0.1%(67)
Austrian0.1%(44)
Kenyan0.1%(41)
Jordanian0.1%(39)
Brazilian0%(35)
Serbian0%(12)
Slovene0%(8)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest English population · Largest American population · Largest Mexican population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
48.9%
+8.4 ptssince 2000
from 40.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
97.0%
+3.1 ptssince 2000
from 93.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
22.2%
+3.3 ptssince 2000
from 18.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
16.3 min
+51%since 2000
from 10.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
64.5%
−6.3 ptssince 2009
from 70.8% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 8.3% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.2%
+3.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
13.6%
+2.4 ptssince 2009
from 11.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.0%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 4.5% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2011
from 4.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
71.5%
+3.5 ptssince 2011
from 68.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
20.3%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 22.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
45.0%
−22.6 ptssince 2009
from 67.6% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
53.2%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 52.5% in 2009
Female
46.8%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 47.5% in 2009
Foreign born
6.7%
+1.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.7%
−42.0 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.3%
+6.3 ptssince 2012
from 6.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.0%
−85.1 ptssince 2013
from 92.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.9%
+7.5 ptssince 2017
from 84.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
91.3%
+1.5 ptssince 2016
from 89.8% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.2%
+1.1 ptssince 2016
from 3.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married53.5%(17,776)
Married39.7%(13,183)
Widowed1.6%(522)
Divorced5.2%(1,738)
Women 15+
Never married44.7%(12,918)
Married42.6%(12,306)
Widowed4.5%(1,292)
Divorced8.2%(2,367)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

Places similar to Riley County

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Pop 70,313
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Pop 70,775
Columbia County
Pop 74,094
Lake County
Pop 67,772
Places similar to Riley County
Head to head

Compare Riley County to nearby counties

RILEY COUNTY VS
Geary County
Income$59,317−3%
Home value$172,700−27%
Population36,338−50%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RILEY COUNTY VS
Pottawatomie County
Income$92,325+51%
Home value$245,900+4%
Population27,186−63%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RILEY COUNTY VS
Clay County
Income$66,176+8%
Home value$155,900−34%
Population7,990−89%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
RILEY COUNTY VS
Marshall County
Income$68,419+12%
Home value$127,700−46%
Population9,852−86%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Riley County, Kansas?

Riley County, Kansas has about 71,946 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Riley County, Kansas?

The typical household in Riley County, Kansas earns about $61,098 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Riley County, Kansas expensive?

In Riley County, Kansas, the median home is worth about $237,100, and the typical rent is about $1,046 a month.

How educated are people in Riley County, Kansas?

About 48.9% of adults age 25 and over in Riley County, Kansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Riley County, Kansas?

About 19.9% of people in Riley County, Kansas live below the federal poverty line.

Has Riley County, Kansas grown since 1990?

Yes, Riley County, Kansas has grown since 1990. The population has added about 4,807 residents, a change of about 7 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

17 census tracts
Census Tract 10.02Census Tract 6.02Census Tract 2.02Census Tract 3.04Census Tract 9Census Tract 13.02Census Tract 13.01Census Tract 5Census Tract 11.01Census Tract 8.01Census Tract 7Census Tract 6.01Census Tract 3.03Census Tract 11.02Census Tract 2.01Census Tract 8.02Census Tract 9800
8 ZIP codes
ZIP 66502ZIP 66503ZIP 66442ZIP 66506ZIP 66517ZIP 66531ZIP 66449ZIP 66554
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →