Financial Literacy in Hiawatha, KS
Hiawatha, Kansas is home to about 3,137 people, among the larger communities in Kansas, ranking 87th of 625 by population. The population has declined 3.4% since 2020, from 3,249 to 3,137. The median age is 41.8.
18.5% of Hiawatha residents 25 and older have completed a bachelor's degree or more. That sits 1.7 points below the Kansas average of 20.2%. Put the other way round: of the 2,238 adults 25 and over counted in the 2019–2023 ACS, roughly 1,824 — 81.5% — are building their financial lives without a four-year degree behind them.
The typical household here earns $65,058 a year. That is $5,370 above the Kansas median. About 11.3% of residents live below the poverty line. The median home is valued at $112,500, roughly 1.7× median household income.
Hiawatha by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Population (2024) | 3,137 |
| Change since 2020 | -3.4% |
| Median household income | $65,058 |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor’s degree | 18.5% |
| Adults 25+ with a high school diploma | 94.7% |
| Median age | 41.8 |
| Poverty rate | 11.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.8% |
| Median home value | $112,500 |
| Land area | 2.612 sq mi |
| Population density | 1,201 / 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 Hiawatha, is most of the people reading this.
LearnLife organises this the way the decisions actually arrive: Emotional regulation — the self-management that decides whether the other skills ever get used; Money — budgeting, credit, debt and taxes — the mechanics nobody is formally taught; Legal literacy — leases, contracts, employment rights and what a signature actually commits you to.
Where to start in Hiawatha
Treat income stability as a skill
Unemployment in Hiawatha sits at 6.8%. 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 Hiawatha
Do high school students in Hiawatha, 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 Hiawatha, Kansas have a college degree?
18.5% 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 81.5% are managing their finances without one.
What is the median household income in Hiawatha, Kansas?
$65,058, per the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.
Where can adults in Hiawatha, 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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