Riley County | |
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Coordinates: 39°06′47″N 96°37′41″W / 39.1131°N 96.6281°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Kansas |
Founded | August 25, 1855 |
Named for | Bennet C. Riley |
Seat | Manhattan |
Largest city | Manhattan |
Area | |
• Total | 622 sq mi (1,610 km2) |
• Land | 610 sq mi (1,600 km2) |
• Water | 12 sq mi (30 km2) 2.0% |
Population | |
• Total | 71,959 |
• Density | 118.0/sq mi (45.6/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional district | 1st |
Website | rileycountyks |
Riley County (standard abbreviation: RL) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 71,959 people lived there.[1] The biggest city is Manhattan. Manhattan is also the county seat.[2]
Two of Kansas' biggest employers are in Riley County: Fort Riley and Kansas State University.
On May 30, 1879, the "Irving, Kansas Tornado" started in Riley County. This tornado was believed to have been an F4 on the Fujita scale. The damage path of it was 800 yards (700 m) wide and 100 miles (200 km) long. Eighteen people were killed. Sixty people were injured.[3]
The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of 622 square miles (1,610 km2). Of that, 610 square miles (1,600 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (2.0%) is water.[4]
The county is in the Flint Hills region of Kansas.
Historical population | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1860 | 1,224 | — | |
1870 | 5,105 | 317.1% | |
1880 | 10,430 | 104.3% | |
1890 | 13,183 | 26.4% | |
1900 | 13,828 | 4.9% | |
1910 | 15,783 | 14.1% | |
1920 | 20,650 | 30.8% | |
1930 | 19,882 | −3.7% | |
1940 | 20,617 | 3.7% | |
1950 | 33,405 | 62.0% | |
1960 | 41,914 | 25.5% | |
1970 | 56,788 | 35.5% | |
1980 | 63,505 | 11.8% | |
1990 | 67,139 | 5.7% | |
2000 | 62,843 | −6.4% | |
2010 | 71,115 | 13.2% | |
2020 | 71,959 | 1.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2020[1] |
Riley County is part of the Manhattan, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area. Millennials make up 53.6% of the population of Riley County. It is one of the highest rates in the United States.[9]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 46.1% 11,610 | 50.7% 12,765 | 3.2% 796 |
2016 | 46.0% 10,107 | 42.5% 9,341 | 11.5% 2,526 |
2012 | 54.5% 11,507 | 42.5% 8,977 | 2.9% 617 |
2008 | 52.4% 12,111 | 45.4% 10,495 | 2.1% 494 |
2004 | 60.6% 12,672 | 37.8% 7,908 | 1.6% 331 |
2000 | 58.5% 10,672 | 33.9% 6,188 | 7.6% 1,393 |
1996 | 56.7% 11,113 | 34.4% 6,746 | 8.9% 1,748 |
1992 | 38.5% 8,394 | 36.4% 7,933 | 25.1% 5,470 |
1988 | 55.9% 9,507 | 42.8% 7,283 | 1.3% 217 |
1984 | 64.8% 11,308 | 34.2% 5,975 | 1.0% 175 |
1980 | 52.9% 8,904 | 31.1% 5,224 | 16.0% 2,690 |
1976 | 57.5% 9,518 | 39.5% 6,540 | 3.1% 510 |
1972 | 66.2% 11,120 | 31.7% 5,333 | 2.1% 356 |
1968 | 62.2% 8,296 | 31.9% 4,258 | 5.9% 791 |
1964 | 52.7% 6,396 | 46.1% 5,597 | 1.2% 144 |
1960 | 72.0% 9,068 | 27.6% 3,482 | 0.4% 50 |
1956 | 76.8% 9,385 | 22.8% 2,784 | 0.4% 44 |
1952 | 80.3% 9,799 | 19.3% 2,352 | 0.4% 50 |
1948 | 68.0% 9,227 | 29.9% 4,052 | 2.1% 288 |
1944 | 70.4% 6,511 | 28.8% 2,659 | 0.8% 74 |
1940 | 68.6% 7,420 | 30.4% 3,293 | 1.0% 105 |
1936 | 59.1% 6,077 | 39.9% 4,104 | 1.0% 99 |
1932 | 54.7% 5,337 | 42.0% 4,101 | 3.4% 327 |
1928 | 77.9% 6,592 | 21.2% 1,791 | 0.9% 78 |
1924 | 70.0% 5,455 | 21.1% 1,646 | 8.8% 689 |
1920 | 73.6% 4,875 | 24.3% 1,610 | 2.1% 141 |
1916 | 52.3% 3,320 | 41.6% 2,637 | 6.1% 386 |
1912 | 11.1% 425 | 30.7% 1,170 | 58.2% 2,220 |
1908 | 61.7% 2,276 | 35.0% 1,289 | 3.3% 123 |
1904 | 75.3% 2,251 | 17.5% 523 | 7.3% 217 |
1900 | 61.7% 2,119 | 37.2% 1,279 | 1.1% 37 |
1896 | 55.9% 1,890 | 42.7% 1,443 | 1.5% 50 |
1892 | 51.7% 1,574 | 48.3% 1,472 | |
1888 | 62.5% 1,856 | 26.0% 772 | 11.5% 342 |
Riley County is the only county in Kansas without an elected sheriff. The county police department handles all the Sheriff’s responsibilities.[11]
Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres (407 km2) in Geary and Riley counties. It is north of the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers in Geary County. 25,000 people are in the fort during the day. It includes a census-designated place:
Municipalities and communities of Riley County, Kansas, United States | ||
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Cities |
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Unincorporated communities |
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Footnotes | †This community is designated a Census-Designated Place (CDP) by the United States Census Bureau. ‡This community also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. |
39°20′N 96°42′W / 39.333°N 96.700°W