Benefit checks make up 32 cents of every dollar of income in Allen County, Kansas
In Allen County, 31.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 72% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Allen County's score
In Allen County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 67.9. People with a credit card behind: 6.8%, August 2025, higher than in 70% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 67.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Allen County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Allen County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (88.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.2% · second quarter of 202670th percentile
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- 67.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
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- 64.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- People without health insurance9.5% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,080 · 202472nd percentile
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- 47.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.3% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people88.6 · 202530th percentile
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- 24.6 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.2% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Allen County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Allen County, 21.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Allen County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Allen County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Allen County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Allen County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.3% in 2011 to 11.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Allen County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Allen County, Kansas.
How Allen County has changed
Allen County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 15,865 in 1984 to 14,644 in 1989.
Allen County's population fell 18% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 15,865 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Allen County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Allen County had its largest rise, from 5,767 in 1995 to 6,261 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Allen County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 6,261 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Allen County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,063 | 2024 $59,080 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Allen County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 27,640. The 2020 Census counted 12,526, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in July 2007 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Allen County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Allen County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Allen County, two score higher. Of the group, Allen County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (31.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon County, KS | 72 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Woodson County, KS | 58 | 12.9% | 30.8% |
| Allen County, KS | 57 | 14.6% | 31.8% |
| Neosho County, KS | 53 | 13.3% | 28.9% |
| Anderson County, KS | 37 | 12.1% | 26.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Allen County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Allen County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 10th highest of 105 in Kansas (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Riley County, at 18.1%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Allen County ranks 11th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Allen County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Kansas Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Allen County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.