Financial Literacy in Caldwell, KS
About 1,000 people live in Caldwell, Kansas. The population has declined 2.2% since 2020, from 1,023 to 1,000. The median age is 39.7.
23.7% of Caldwell residents 25 and older have completed a bachelor's degree or more. That runs 3.5 points above the Kansas average of 20.2%. Put the other way round: of the 785 adults 25 and over counted in the 2019–2023 ACS, roughly 599 — 76.3% — are building their financial lives without a four-year degree behind them.
The typical household here earns $40,729 a year. That is $18,959 below the Kansas median. Roughly 18.2% of residents live below the poverty line, which puts real weight on decisions about credit, rent and emergency savings. The median home is valued at $69,900, roughly 1.7× median household income.
Caldwell by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (2024) | 1,000 |
| Change since 2020 | -2.2% |
| Median household income | $40,729 |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor’s degree | 23.7% |
| Adults 25+ with a high school diploma | 97.6% |
| Median age | 39.7 |
| Poverty rate | 18.2% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.3% |
| Median home value | $69,900 |
| Land area | 1.081 sq mi |
| Population density | 925 / sq mi |
What Kansas teaches — and to whom
Kansas has committed to 1 semester of personal finance as a graduation requirement, phasing in with the class of 2027 — so today's middle schoolers will be the first cohort held to it. That covers students still in the system. It does nothing for the adults already out of it — which, in Caldwell, is most of the people reading this.
LearnLife organises this the way the decisions actually arrive: Legal literacy — leases, contracts, employment rights and what a signature actually commits you to; Money — budgeting, credit, debt and taxes — the mechanics nobody is formally taught; Emotional regulation — the self-management that decides whether the other skills ever get used.
Where to start in Caldwell
Build a buffer before anything else
With 18.2% of Caldwell living below the poverty line, the single highest-return skill here is cash-flow control: knowing what actually lands each month, what leaves automatically, and how to build even a small buffer between the two. A few hundred dollars of slack is the difference between a car repair being an inconvenience and it being a payday loan.
Treat income stability as a skill
Unemployment in Caldwell sits at 10.3%. Where work is less certain, the practical skills are the defensive ones: what unemployment insurance actually pays and how fast, how to read a severance agreement, and which bills to triage first when income stops.
Questions people ask about Caldwell
Do high school students in Caldwell, Kansas have to take a personal finance class?
Yes — Kansas has adopted a standalone requirement, phasing in with the graduating class of 2027. Students graduating before then are not covered.
How many adults in Caldwell, Kansas have a college degree?
23.7% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, based on the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey. The remaining 76.3% are managing their finances without one.
What is the median household income in Caldwell, Kansas?
$40,729, per the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.
Where can adults in Caldwell, Kansas learn personal finance?
Graduation requirements only ever reach people still in school. For adults, LearnLife covers the same ground on demand — money, legal literacy and the self-management that decides whether either gets used.
Start with whichever one is costing you money right now.
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