Bourbon County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.3 | 14,408 people · 7th most distressed in Kansas
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Bourbon County, KS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.3 — 881st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Kansas, it ranks 7th of 105 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bourbon County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 71.3 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 71.3
Poverty Rate 64
Income vs. State Median 80
Child Poverty Rate 70
Employment & Wages 64.6
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 60
Business Formation Rate 55
Debt & Delinquency 63.2
Debt in Collections 54
Medical Debt 69
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 93
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 27
Community Vulnerability 60.5
Uninsured Rate 47
Disability Rate 74
Housing Cost Burden 37.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 31
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 45
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 6
Homeownership Rate 57
Rent-to-Income Ratio 46

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Bourbon County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bourbon County
Bourbon County, KS 59.3 Elevated —
Crawford County, KS 65.2 Serious +5.8
Neosho County, KS 60.5 Elevated +1.2
Vernon County, MO 55.8 Elevated -3.6
Allen County, KS 53.9 Elevated -5.5
Linn County, KS 53.3 Elevated -6.0
Anderson County, KS 41.4 Normal -17.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bourbon County
Jasper County, TX 59.4 Elevated +0.0
Blackford County, IN 59.3 Elevated -0.0
Clatsop County, OR 59.3 Elevated -0.0
Jackson County, TX 59.4 Elevated +0.1
Asotin County, WA 59.3 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Bourbon County

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

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Legal aid organizations serving Bourbon County residents at no cost.

Kansas Legal Services 1-800-723-6953

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Bourbon County has a County Distress Index score of 59.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 881st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 7th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bourbon County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bourbon County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 71.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Bourbon County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bourbon County (59.3) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Crawford County, KS (65.2); Neosho County, KS (60.5); Vernon County, MO (55.8).

  • 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 Bourbon County?

    Bourbon County, Kansas has a population of approximately 14,408 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.