Kansas County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 105 counties in Kansas, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 37.9. 2counties are in Serious or Crisis.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Kansas Snapshot
105 Counties Scored
37.9 Mean Score
36.5 Median Score
75.9 Wyandotte County Most Distressed
15.1 Nemaha County Least Distressed
2 Serious 14 Elevated 44 Normal 45 Healthy
Zone Distribution Kansas County Map
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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis
All 105 Kansas counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Kansas's 105 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Kansas Counties
105 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Zone | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 159 | Wyandotte County | 75.9 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 2 | 581 | Geary County | 66.4 | Serious | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 3 | 678 | Crawford County | 64.4 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 4 | 925 | Montgomery County | 60.5 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 5 | 1,014 | Franklin County | 59.1 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 6 | 1,075 | Bourbon County | 58.0 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 7 | 1,142 | Shawnee County | 57.1 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 8 | 1,205 | Neosho County | 56.0 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 9 | 1,227 | Labette County | 55.7 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 10 | 1,288 | Lyon County | 54.8 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 11 | 1,442 | Sedgwick County | 52.2 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 12 | 1,491 | Cowley County | 51.4 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 13 | 1,500 | Reno County | 51.3 | Elevated | Legal Distress |
| 14 | 1,520 | Cherokee County | 51.0 | Elevated | Structural Poverty |
| 15 | 1,526 | Linn County | 50.9 | Elevated | Economic Vitality |
| 16 | 1,578 | Riley County | 50.0 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 17 | 1,605 | Seward County | 49.5 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 18 | 1,612 | Allen County | 49.4 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 19 | 1,626 | Ford County | 49.2 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 20 | 1,647 | Saline County | 49.0 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 21 | 1,658 | Greenwood County | 48.8 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 22 | 1,711 | Elk County | 48.0 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 23 | 1,726 | Douglas County | 47.8 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 24 | 1,772 | Finney County | 47.1 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 25 | 1,832 | Dickinson County | 46.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 26 | 1,833 | Comanche County | 46.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 27 | 1,848 | Chautauqua County | 46.0 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 28 | 1,867 | Barton County | 45.6 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 29 | 1,876 | Osage County | 45.4 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 30 | 1,888 | Sumner County | 45.2 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 31 | 1,923 | Woodson County | 44.6 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 32 | 2,011 | Leavenworth County | 43.1 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 33 | 2,050 | Butler County | 42.3 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 34 | 2,065 | Doniphan County | 42.0 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 35 | 2,079 | Anderson County | 41.8 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 36 | 2,104 | Sherman County | 41.3 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 37 | 2,105 | Pawnee County | 41.3 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 38 | 2,135 | Norton County | 40.9 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 39 | 2,196 | Wilson County | 40.0 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 40 | 2,201 | Ottawa County | 39.8 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 41 | 2,230 | Ellis County | 39.4 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 42 | 2,251 | Marshall County | 39.1 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 43 | 2,260 | Atchison County | 39.0 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 44 | 2,261 | Harper County | 39.0 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 45 | 2,264 | Clay County | 38.9 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 46 | 2,292 | Thomas County | 38.3 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 47 | 2,347 | Osborne County | 37.4 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 48 | 2,355 | Lincoln County | 37.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 49 | 2,365 | Stevens County | 36.9 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 50 | 2,372 | Russell County | 36.9 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 51 | 2,388 | Grant County | 36.5 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 52 | 2,394 | Cloud County | 36.5 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 53 | 2,395 | Miami County | 36.5 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 54 | 2,407 | Jackson County | 36.3 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 55 | 2,421 | Decatur County | 35.9 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 56 | 2,444 | Rice County | 35.6 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 57 | 2,451 | Morris County | 35.5 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 58 | 2,459 | Harvey County | 35.3 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 59 | 2,462 | Chase County | 35.3 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 60 | 2,465 | Kearny County | 35.2 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 61 | 2,503 | Cheyenne County | 34.5 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 62 | 2,505 | Rooks County | 34.4 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 63 | 2,532 | Rush County | 33.8 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 64 | 2,546 | Edwards County | 33.7 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 65 | 2,568 | Smith County | 33.3 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 66 | 2,574 | Stafford County | 33.1 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 67 | 2,625 | Kingman County | 32.4 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 68 | 2,642 | Coffey County | 32.2 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 69 | 2,654 | Wallace County | 31.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 70 | 2,682 | Clark County | 31.4 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 71 | 2,696 | Marion County | 31.1 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 72 | 2,714 | Hodgeman County | 30.8 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 73 | 2,716 | Barber County | 30.8 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 74 | 2,728 | Kiowa County | 30.6 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 75 | 2,735 | Brown County | 30.5 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 76 | 2,741 | Pratt County | 30.4 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 77 | 2,745 | Graham County | 30.3 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 78 | 2,757 | Lane County | 30.0 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 79 | 2,772 | Wichita County | 29.8 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 80 | 2,783 | Scott County | 29.5 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 81 | 2,801 | Jefferson County | 29.1 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 82 | 2,805 | Morton County | 28.9 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 83 | 2,827 | Jewell County | 28.4 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 84 | 2,833 | Haskell County | 28.4 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 85 | 2,838 | Rawlins County | 28.3 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 86 | 2,848 | Stanton County | 28.0 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 87 | 2,853 | Logan County | 27.9 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 88 | 2,876 | Meade County | 27.3 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 89 | 2,887 | Johnson County | 27.1 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 90 | 2,893 | Wabaunsee County | 26.9 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 91 | 2,904 | Republic County | 26.7 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 92 | 2,920 | Ellsworth County | 26.3 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 93 | 2,939 | McPherson County | 25.7 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 94 | 2,952 | Greeley County | 25.4 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 95 | 2,974 | Trego County | 24.7 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 96 | 2,999 | Hamilton County | 23.6 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 97 | 3,003 | Sheridan County | 23.4 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 98 | 3,018 | Phillips County | 22.9 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 99 | 3,038 | Ness County | 21.6 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 100 | 3,045 | Washington County | 21.3 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 101 | 3,050 | Pottawatomie County | 21.0 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 102 | 3,051 | Mitchell County | 21.0 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 103 | 3,073 | Gove County | 19.9 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 104 | 3,131 | Gray County | 15.3 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 105 | 3,134 | Nemaha County | 15.1 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties