Barber County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 38.3 | 4,071 people · 68th most distressed in Kansas
American Default Research

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Barber County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 38.3 — 2455th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where health coverage gaps and disability rates are moderately elevated. Within Kansas, it ranks 68th of 105 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Barber County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 57.0 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 57.0
Uninsured Rate 39
Disability Rate 75
Income & Poverty 46.4
Poverty Rate 35
Income vs. State Median 62
Child Poverty Rate 42
Employment & Wages 40.8
Unemployment Rate 13
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 36
Business Formation Rate 73
Debt & Delinquency 32.2
Debt in Collections 23
Medical Debt 43
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 16
Credit Card Delinquency 61
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 9
Housing Cost Burden 15.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 25
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 15
Homeownership Rate 13
Rent-to-Income Ratio 17

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Barber County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Barber County
Barber County, KS 38.3 Normal —
Woods County, OK 53.6 Elevated +15.3
Alfalfa County, OK 52.6 Elevated +14.3
Comanche County, KS 51.3 Elevated +13.0
Harper County, KS 46.1 Normal +7.8
Kingman County, KS 42.8 Normal +4.5
Kiowa County, KS 42.2 Normal +3.9
Pratt County, KS 35.2 Normal -3.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Barber County
Republic County, KS 38.3 Normal -0.0
Franklin County, NE 38.2 Normal -0.1
Keya Paha County, NE 38.4 Normal +0.1
Golden Valley County, ND 38.4 Normal +0.1
Burt County, NE 38.1 Normal -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Barber County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Barber County

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

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Kansas Legal Services 1-800-723-6953

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Barber County, Kansas?

    Barber County has a County Distress Index score of 38.3 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,455th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 68th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Barber County?

    The primary driver of distress in Barber County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 57.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Barber County compare to neighboring counties?

    Barber County (38.3) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Woods County, OK (53.6); Alfalfa County, OK (52.6); Comanche County, KS (51.3).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Barber County?

    Barber County, Kansas has a population of approximately 4,071 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.