Morton County, Kansas
Above the national median for disability rate — and 11.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (San Juan County, CO — 2%).
Main Findings
Morton County, Kansas is more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. Morton sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer and its lowest is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 54th of 105 counties in Kansas on the County Distress Index — 22 · low county distress, more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties.
- 21% of residents report a disability (U.S. median 16%). Disability rate at the 86th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Labor domain score 34 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
- Default & Legal domain score 30 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
- Delinquency domain score 29 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 29-point drop to Stanton County marks where the Kansas distress corridor ends.
Morton County has a low county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.
The CDI gives this county a low county distress label. The score is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Morton County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Morton County's value shown alongside KS's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Morton | KS median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 29 · Rank 2,280 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 4% | 5% | 39th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 5% | 5% | 38th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 15% | 18% | 23% | 11th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 30 · Rank 2,411 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 19% | 18% | 23% | 36th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 78 | 101 | 126 | 24th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 17 · Rank 2,880 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 17% | 18% | 21% | 13th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 13% | 14% | 18% | 21st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 34 · Rank 2,223 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 17% | 16% | 21% | 29th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 4% | 4% | 4% | 40th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 59 · Rank 1,212 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 18% | 14% | 17% | 53rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 21% | 16% | 16% | 86th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 12% | 12% | 13% | 42nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 8% | 8% | 70th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Morton County data.
Draft wire copy 122-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
ELKHART, Kan. — Morton County is more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Morton scores 22 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 22% of U.S. counties; its score label is low county distress. Within Kansas, Morton ranks 54th of 105 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Morton sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Morton County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Morton County's distress score?
How does Morton County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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