Riley County, Kansas

**Riley County** (standard abbreviation: **RL**) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2020, 71,959 people lived there. The biggest city is Manhattan. Manhattan is also the county seat.

Two of Kansas' biggest employers are in Riley County: Fort Riley and Kansas State University.

## History

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  wide and  long. Eighteen people were killed. Sixty people were injured.

## Geography

The U.S. Census Bureau says that the county has a total area of . Of that,  is land and  (2.0%) is water.

The county is in the Flint Hills region of Kansas.

## People

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.

### Presidential elections

|Year|Republican|Democratic|Third Parties|||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|**2020**|style="text-align:center;"|46.1% _11,610_|style="text-align:center;"|**50.7%** _12,765_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.2% _796_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2016**|style="text-align:center;"|**46.0%** _10,107_|style="text-align:center;"|42.5% _9,341_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|11.5% _2,526_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2012**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.5%** _11,507_|style="text-align:center;"|42.5% _8,977_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.9% _617_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2008**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.4%** _12,111_|style="text-align:center;"|45.4% _10,495_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _494_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2004**|style="text-align:center;"|**60.6%** _12,672_|style="text-align:center;"|37.8% _7,908_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.6% _331_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**2000**|style="text-align:center;"|**58.5%** _10,672_|style="text-align:center;"|33.9% _6,188_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.6% _1,393_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1996**|style="text-align:center;"|**56.7%** _11,113_|style="text-align:center;"|34.4% _6,746_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.9% _1,748_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1992**|style="text-align:center;"|**38.5%** _8,394_|style="text-align:center;"|36.4% _7,933_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|25.1% _5,470_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1988**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.9%** _9,507_|style="text-align:center;"|42.8% _7,283_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.3% _217_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1984**|style="text-align:center;"|**64.8%** _11,308_|style="text-align:center;"|34.2% _5,975_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.0% _175_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1980**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.9%** _8,904_|style="text-align:center;"|31.1% _5,224_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|16.0% _2,690_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1976**|style="text-align:center;"|**57.5%** _9,518_|style="text-align:center;"|39.5% _6,540_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.1% _510_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1972**|style="text-align:center;"|**66.2%** _11,120_|style="text-align:center;"|31.7% _5,333_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _356_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1968**|style="text-align:center;"|**62.2%** _8,296_|style="text-align:center;"|31.9% _4,258_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.9% _791_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1964**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.7%** _6,396_|style="text-align:center;"|46.1% _5,597_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.2% _144_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1960**|style="text-align:center;"|**72.0%** _9,068_|style="text-align:center;"|27.6% _3,482_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _50_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1956**|style="text-align:center;"|**76.8%** _9,385_|style="text-align:center;"|22.8% _2,784_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _44_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1952**|style="text-align:center;"|**80.3%** _9,799_|style="text-align:center;"|19.3% _2,352_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.4% _50_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1948**|style="text-align:center;"|**68.0%** _9,227_|style="text-align:center;"|29.9% _4,052_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _288_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1944**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.4%** _6,511_|style="text-align:center;"|28.8% _2,659_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.8% _74_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1940**|style="text-align:center;"|**68.6%** _7,420_|style="text-align:center;"|30.4% _3,293_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.0% _105_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1936**|style="text-align:center;"|**59.1%** _6,077_|style="text-align:center;"|39.9% _4,104_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.0% _99_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1932**|style="text-align:center;"|**54.7%** _5,337_|style="text-align:center;"|42.0% _4,101_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.4% _327_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1928**|style="text-align:center;"|**77.9%** _6,592_|style="text-align:center;"|21.2% _1,791_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.9% _78_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1924**|style="text-align:center;"|**70.0%** _5,455_|style="text-align:center;"|21.1% _1,646_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|8.8% _689_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1920**|style="text-align:center;"|**73.6%** _4,875_|style="text-align:center;"|24.3% _1,610_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% _141_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1916**|style="text-align:center;"|**52.3%** _3,320_|style="text-align:center;"|41.6% _2,637_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.1% _386_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1912**|style="text-align:center;"|11.1% _425_|style="text-align:center;"|30.7% _1,170_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|**58.2%** _2,220_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1908**|style="text-align:center;"|**61.7%** _2,276_|style="text-align:center;"|35.0% _1,289_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.3% _123_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1904**|style="text-align:center;"|**75.3%** _2,251_|style="text-align:center;"|17.5% _523_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|7.3% _217_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1900**|style="text-align:center;"|**61.7%** _2,119_|style="text-align:center;"|37.2% _1,279_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.1% _37_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1896**|style="text-align:center;"|**55.9%** _1,890_|style="text-align:center;"|42.7% _1,443_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.5% _50_|
|style="text-align:center;"|**1892**|style="text-align:center;"|**51.7%** _1,574_||style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|48.3% _1,472_||
|style="text-align:center;"|**1888**|style="text-align:center;"|**62.5%** _1,856_|style="text-align:center;"|26.0% _772_|style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|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.

### Colleges and universities

- Kansas State University
- Manhattan Christian College
- Manhattan Area Technical College

### Unified school districts

- Riley County USD 378
- Manhattan-Ogden USD 383
    - Manhattan High School
- Blue Valley USD 384

### Cities

- Leonardville
- Manhattan, also partly in Pottawatomie County
- Ogden
- Randolph
- Riley

### Fort Riley

Fort Riley Military Reservation covers  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:
- Fort Riley (formerly "Fort Riley North")

## Other websites

- County
- Riley County - Directory of Public Officials
- Historical
- The Irving, KS Tornado
- Riley County Kansas AHGP
- Maps
- Riley County Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Riley County Maps: http://www.historicmapworks.com/Atlas/US/7759/Riley+County+1909/ (historical Township and place maps)
- Kansas Highway Maps: Current , Historic , KDOT
- Kansas Railroad Maps: Current , 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society

## Infobox (u.s. county)

- **county**: Riley County
- **state**: Kansas
- **type**: County (United States), County
- **ex image**: Riley (Kansas) County Courthouse 1.jpg
- **ex image cap**: Riley County Courthouse in Manhattan, Kansas, Manhattan (2005)
- **image flag**: Flag of Riley County, Kansas.svg
- **founded**: August 25, 1855
- **named for**: Bennet C. Riley
- **seat wl**: Manhattan
- **largest city wl**: Manhattan
- **area total sq mi**: 622
- **area land sq mi**: 610
- **area water sq mi**: 12
- **area percentage**: 2.0%
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 71959
- **population density sq mi**: 118.0
- **district**: 1st
- **time zone**: Central