Unemployment in Bourbon County, Kansas, is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Bourbon County, 5.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bourbon County's score
In Bourbon County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 84.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 15.2%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 66.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bourbon 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.
Bourbon County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (83.3, 2025) and adults 25 to 54 not working (19.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.4% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind15.2% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score44.6% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
-
- 66.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.8% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
-
- 64.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.7% · 202468th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.5% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,131 · 202477th percentile
-
- 59.2 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 rent20.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
-
- 40.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.2% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83.3 · 202527th percentile
-
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 Bourbon 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 Bourbon County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bourbon County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Bourbon County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Bourbon County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bourbon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.0% in 2012 to 12.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Bourbon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 7.8%
Biggest drop: 2023 to 2024, reaching 7.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bourbon County, Kansas.
How Bourbon County has changed
Bourbon County's population fell 6% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 15,754 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bourbon County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Bourbon County had its largest rise, from 5,832 in 1995 to 6,557 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Bourbon County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 6,621 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bourbon County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.4% | 2024 15.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,094 | 2024 $57,131 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Bourbon County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 24,712. The 2020 Census counted 14,360, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
A flash flood in September 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in July 2009 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail in April 2013 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1969
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bourbon County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bourbon County beside its neighbors
Bourbon County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Kansas and Missouri. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bourbon County ranks 3rd of the six; Vernon County is highest, at 35.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon County, KS | 72 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Crawford County, KS | 58 | 17.1% | 27.5% |
| Allen County, KS | 57 | 14.6% | 31.8% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| Linn County, KS | 55 | 10.7% | 27.8% |
| Neosho County, KS | 53 | 13.3% | 28.9% |
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 Bourbon County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Bourbon County's poverty rate was 15.7% in 2024, 4th 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, Bourbon County ranks 3rd of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bourbon 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.
-
Kansas Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Bourbon 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 Bourbon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.