Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety47#8,283/15,637
Economy19#12,634/15,631
Housing—
Health61#6,031/15,609
Healthcare69#4,779/15,650
Environment71#4,557/15,453
Education66#5,308/15,649
Infrastructure56#6,886/15,650
Community41#9,286/15,651
Leisure & amenities30#11,018/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Fort Riley, Kansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Riley County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Average commute time · low7.6 min
100/100Kansas 19.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Flu vaccinations · high59.0%
98/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRiley County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,466 /100k
97/100Kansas 2,534 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRiley County value
Injury deaths · low47 /100k
96/100Kansas 88 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRiley County value
Mammography screening · high57.0%
96/100Kansas 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRiley County value
Drought exposure · low1%
92/100Kansas 28%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAARiley County value

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low42.9%
1/100Kansas 62.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionRiley County value
Unemployment rate · high18.6%
1/100Kansas 3.8%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Food environment index · low5.6
2/100Kansas 7.0United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRiley County value
Job growth · low-4.3%
3/100Kansas 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataRiley County value
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Kansas 3.6United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationRiley County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Kansas 9.4United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationRiley County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
6,368 (2015-2019) → 8,606 (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
63.3% (2015-2019) → 43.1% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
35.2% (2015-2019) → 25.1% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Unemployment rateWorsening
9.0% (2015-2019) → 18.6% (2020-2024)
+9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$38,235 (2015-2019) → $54,362 (2020-2024)
+42%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
14.0% (2015-2019) → 18.2% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Fort Riley, Kansas improved on 3 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Rent / income−10 points35.2% → 25.1%
Rent burden−20 points63.3% → 43.1%
Household income+42%$38,235 → $54,362

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Fort Riley, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	7.8 min2015-2019	7.6 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.0%2015-2019	18.2%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Broadband subscriptions	93.4%2015-2019	93.1%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Child poverty rate	14.3%2015-2019	11.1%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
High school diploma or higher	99.7%2015-2019	99.3%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3142015-2019	0.3692020-2024	+0.055	Within the margin of error	14%
Median household income	$38,2352015-2019	$54,3622020-2024	+42%	Improved	77%
Poverty rate	10.7%2015-2019	10.7%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Rent as share of income	35.2%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	93%
Rent-burdened households	63.3%2015-2019	43.1%2020-2024	−20 points	Improved	94%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Fort Riley, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fort Riley, Kansas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Fort Riley, Kansas itself moved +11.1 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,606 residents (±566)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (+8.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,606 residents (±566)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

White50%4,292
Black20%1,679
Hispanic or Latino23%2,013

Education

2,665 residents (±399)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

No high school diploma0.7%†19
High school or GED30%†811
Some college31%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,864 households (±222)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k13%†235
$25k–50k30%†561
$50k–75k38%†707
$75k–100k9.7%†180
$100k–150k6.2%†116
$150k–200k1.1%†21
$200k or more2.4%†44

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (+27.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,864 households (±222)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

Own1.8%†34
Rent98%1,830

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,734 households (±230)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $7501.7%†30
$750–1,00013%†220
$1,000–1,50066%1,148

Home values

34 homes (±37)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $150k0.0%0
$150k–250k100%†34
$250k–400k0.0%0

Age of homes

1,938 homes (±220)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

2010 or later41%791
2000–200914%†262
1980–199933%†637

Size of homes

1,938 homes (±220)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

Studio0.6%†12
1 bedroom0.8%†15
2 bedrooms34%666

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

5,917 workers (±544)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone39%2,297
Carpool4.1%†244
Public transit0.0%0
Walk52%3,094
Bike0.0%0
Work from home4.4%†261
Other0.4%†21

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (+30.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

5,656 workers (±562)

Fort Riley, Kansas
Kansas share

Under 15 min87%4,925
15–29 min12%†688
30–44 min0.7%†38

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Manhattan, KS

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Riley County, the county holding most of Fort Riley's residents.

Riley County has 1,620 employer establishments, 226 for every 10,000 residents (0.91× the US rate of 248; 0.88× Kansas's), with 20,580 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,033. The Census Bureau also counts 4,174 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,620; 4,174 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 226; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 20,580
Average annual pay: $41,033; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Riley County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	170	23.8	1.14×About typical	1,722	$54,707	201
Restaurants and other eating places	125	17.5	0.95×About typical	3,365	$17,169	14
Lessors of real estate	105	14.7	1.19×About typical	568	$42,048	527
Specialty trade contractors	89	12.4	0.80×About typical	805	$56,771	203
Offices of other health practitioners	67	9.4	1.54×More than typical	337	$40,647	121
Religious organizations	59	8.2	1.49×More than typical	435	$18,607	—
Limited-service restaurants	52	7.3	0.91×About typical	1,498	$15,551	6
Offices of physicians	50	7	1.08×About typical	831	$62,457	48
Services to buildings and dwellings	50	7	1.04×About typical	388	$33,201	198
Construction of buildings	46	6.4	0.85×About typical	318	$66,157	85
Real estate agents and brokers	45	6.3	1.29×More than typical	64	$40,766	87
Clothing and accessories stores	44	6.2	1.70×More than typical	462	$18,346	25

Rank places for an industry Open Riley County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 71,530 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $3.8M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fort Riley, Kansas: $442 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $3.8M; −43% vs FY2025
Per resident: $442; US $1,994
Sole-source: 24%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$2.5M67%
Defense Logistics Agency$1M27%
Defense Health Agency$95.7K2.5%
Defense Commissary Agency$49.3K1.3%
Federal Acquisition Service$40.8K1.1%
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation$25.6K0.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs$5,5940.1%
Agricultural Research Service$3,5070.1%

Top recipients

FORT RILEY UTILITY SERVICES INC$634.1K17%
FACILITY SERVICES MANAGEMENT, INC.$589K15%
SKOOKUM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS$500.1K13%
CITY LIGHT & POWER FTR, LLC$344.5K9.1%
KANSAS DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES$282.5K7.4%

Spending by fiscal year

5.2MFY2017
3.9MFY2018
9.5MFY2019
8MFY2020
6MFY2021
6.3MFY2022
7.6MFY2023
9.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$729.1K19%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$634.1K17%
Facilities support services · 5612$492.5K13%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$324.2K8.5%
Special food services · 7223$282.5K7.4%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$232.1K

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Fort Riley, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Fort Riley, Kansas's figures are part of those of Riley County, KS and Geary County, KS ($176.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Fort Riley is mostly in Riley County.

See federal money in Riley County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Fort Riley, Kansas is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Manhattan, KS66

Other cities and towns in Riley County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2023975

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends