Life Skills and Money Education in Garfield, KS
With a population of roughly 143, Garfield, Kansas is the 450th-largest of 625 incorporated places in Kansas. It has lost residents since 2020, slipping 4.7% from 150 down to 143. With a median age of 54.5, the financial questions that matter most here lean toward retirement drawdown, insurance and estate basics.
Among adults 25 and older in Garfield, 13.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That sits 6.3 points below the Kansas average of 20.2%. Flip that figure and it describes 86.1% of the 79 adults 25 and over counted in the 2019–2023 ACS, about 68 people whose money skills came from somewhere other than a university.
Median household income is $66,250. That is $6,562 above the Kansas median. About 7.3% of residents live below the poverty line. The median home is valued at $78,300, roughly 1.2× median household income.
Garfield by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (2024) | 143 |
| Change since 2020 | -4.7% |
| Median household income | $66,250 |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor’s degree | 13.9% |
| Adults 25+ with a high school diploma | 77.2% |
| Median age | 54.5 |
| Poverty rate | 7.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.8% |
| Median home value | $78,300 |
| Land area | 0.538 sq mi |
| Population density | 266 / 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 Garfield, 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 Garfield
Shift from accumulating to drawing down
With a median age of 54.5, a large share of Garfield is closer to drawing on savings than building them. The skills that matter shift accordingly: sequencing withdrawals, understanding Medicare's enrolment windows, and getting beneficiary designations and a will actually filled in.
Understand what a shrinking tax base changes
Garfield has lost 4.7% of its population since 2020. Declining places tend to see slower home appreciation and tighter municipal budgets, which makes the buy-versus-rent calculation genuinely different here than the national advice assumes.
Questions people ask about Garfield
Do high school students in Garfield, 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 Garfield, Kansas have a college degree?
13.9% 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 86.1% are managing their finances without one.
What is the median household income in Garfield, Kansas?
$66,250, per the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.
Where can adults in Garfield, 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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