A recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau (USCB) identified 341 counties across the country, including one in Kansas, as places where people are living at higher poverty rates. The USCB study identified places where people are living in persistent poverty. These are counties where poverty rates are maintained at levels of 20% or more for the past 30 years. Among the 341 counties named in the study, Riley County was selected as the only one from Kansas as being a place where persistent poverty exists. According to the USCB study, people living in places of higher poverty experience more severe systemic problems than those living in lower-poverty areas. This can consist of limited access to medical services, healthy and affordable food, quality education and civic engagement opportunities. Julie Gibbs, director of the Riley County Health Department (RCHD), wrote in an email that USCB data points to a 17.6% poverty rate in the county, placing them in second for the highest poverty rate in the state behind Crawford County. Gibbs said this trend is nothing new and can be tied to the large Kansas State University student population living in Manhattan, some of which attend classes while living in crumbling apartments. “The university has a large number of undergrad students (15,046 in 2021) and most complete their classes in person,” Gibbs wrote. “The students account for about 20% of the 72,000 people who reside in Riley County, and many of them do not work full time or have regular, reportable income.”
Source: KSN-TV
