Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Manhattan Township’s best subject grades are a B+ for health and the outdoors. Manhattan Township’s average trip to work is 12 minutes, against 20 minutes in Kansas’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Manhattan Township has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them KSAC Radio Towers and Persons Barn and Granary. Manhattan Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Manhattan Township beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Manhattan Township | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 8.1% |
Rocky Ford School2,444 counted in 2010 and 2,190 in 2020; an estimated 2,256 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Manhattan Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,173 in 1870, 54,100 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1857 and 5 maps from 1947 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Manhattan Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Manhattan Township.
25% of Manhattan Township adults have high blood pressure, where Kansas’ towns sit at 34% and U.S. towns at 35%. 28% of adults have obesity in Manhattan Township. Among 151 Kansas towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Manhattan Township.
| Manhattan Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 34% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 77% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 37% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.8% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Manhattan Township | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 8.1% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.8% | 11.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Manhattan Township has chilly winters and warm summers. The July high in Manhattan Township is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 31% of residents (24% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across Kansas. Manhattan Township’s median age is 36.7 years.
| Manhattan Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.7 years | 38.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 17% | 18% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9 points. Across Kansas, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Manhattan Township | KS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 21.6% | 12.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 11.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17% | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.1% | 11.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.4% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.8% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8% | 8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.2% | 25.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 21.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18.5% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 6.6% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.8% | 13.4% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,300, single groups can be off by several points
Most working residents leave Manhattan Township for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Manhattan Township has lost 1,039 jobs, to 880 in 2023. The top destinations are Manhattan (56%), Topeka (6%) and Junction City (5%).
| Manhattan Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 15% | 8% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.1% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
16 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Tuttle Creek Recreation Area, at 607 acres.
| Manhattan Township | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Washington Marlatt Memorial Park | 3.4 mi | 161 |
| 2. Northeast Community Park | 1.9 mi | 82 |
| 3. Fairmont Park | 1.3 mi | 97 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Manhattan Township. Close and well known come first.
40 mi MuseumDwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home
3 mi MuseumFlint Hills Discovery Center4 mi Zoo & aquariumSunset Zoo
15 mi MuseumU.S. Cavalry MuseumDwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home: Unknown, Public domain · Flint Hills Discovery Center: Kgwo1972, CC BY-SA 3.0 · U.S. Cavalry Museum: US Army, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Manhattan Township
About 8 of every 100 Manhattan Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kansas.
City in Kansas, United States
Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 54,100. The city was founded by settlers from the New England Emigrant Aid Company as a Free-State town in the 1850s, during the Bleeding Kansas era. Nicknamed "the Little Apple" as a play on New York City's moniker of the "Big Apple", the city is a college town with a significant student population, because it is home to Kansas State University (KSU).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Manhattan Township.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | B+ |
| Manhattan | #73 | B | C− | — | B+ | A− |
| Blue Township | #94 | C+ | C− | — | B− | B+ |
| Ashland Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ogden Township | — | — | B− | — | B+ | A− |
| Wildcat Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Zeandale Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grant Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Manhattan Township and Ogden Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Manhattan Township, Manhattan, Blue Township and Ogden Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Ashland Township, Wildcat Township, Zeandale Township and Grant Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Manhattan Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
