In Anderson County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Anderson County, 17.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Anderson County's score
In Anderson County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 65.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 11.9. About one in 14 renters (7.4%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Anderson 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.
Even so, Anderson County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (7.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.0% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.3% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 60.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.6% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,145 · 202451st percentile
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- 23.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.5% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.6 · 202523rd percentile
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- 11.9 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 rent7.4% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th 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 Anderson 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 Anderson County, 20.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Anderson County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Anderson County had its largest rise, from 22.5% in 2004 to 26.7% in 2009.
In Anderson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Anderson County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Anderson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.1% in 2010 to 12.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Anderson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 5.2%
Biggest drop: 2022 to 2023, reaching 6.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Anderson County, Kansas.
How Anderson County has changed
Anderson County's population fell 7% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 8,717 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Anderson County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Anderson County rose 36% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 2,447. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Anderson County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,702 | 2024 $66,145 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Anderson County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 13,938. The 2020 Census counted 7,836, 56% of the peak. Census Bureau
1964
A tornado in April 1964 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1981
A tornado in May 1981 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in June 2007 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Anderson County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Anderson County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Anderson County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Anderson County ranks 4th of the five; Allen County is highest, at 31.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County, KS | 57 | 14.6% | 31.8% |
| Linn County, KS | 55 | 10.7% | 27.8% |
| Franklin County, KS | 40 | 8.9% | 26.1% |
| Anderson County, KS | 37 | 12.1% | 26.4% |
| Coffey County, KS | 34 | 10.3% | 27.7% |
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 Anderson County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Anderson County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 41st 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, Anderson County ranks 26th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Anderson 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.
Download the CSV for Anderson County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Anderson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.