Chautauqua County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.0 | 3,347 people · 5th most distressed in Kansas
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Chautauqua County, KS registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.0 — 754th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Kansas, it ranks 5th of 105 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Chautauqua County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 82.3 — worse than roughly 82% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 82.3
Uninsured Rate 80
Disability Rate 85
Employment & Wages 78.6
Unemployment Rate 74
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 77
Business Formation Rate 84
Income & Poverty 76.8
Poverty Rate 59
Income vs. State Median 92
Child Poverty Rate 79
Debt & Delinquency 39.2
Debt in Collections 45
Medical Debt 27
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 39
Credit Card Delinquency 38
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 47
Housing Cost Burden 28.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 12
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 18
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 53
Homeownership Rate 6
Rent-to-Income Ratio 51

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Chautauqua County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County, KS 61.0 Elevated —
Elk County, KS 62.8 Elevated +1.8
Osage County, OK 60.5 Elevated -0.5
Montgomery County, KS 58.5 Elevated -2.5
Cowley County, KS 55.7 Elevated -5.3
Washington County, OK 53.2 Elevated -7.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Chautauqua County
Searcy County, AR 61.0 Elevated +0.0
Benton County, MS 61.0 Elevated -0.0
Todd County, SD 61.0 Elevated -0.0
Calhoun County, WV 60.9 Elevated -0.1
Reynolds County, MO 60.9 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Chautauqua County

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Chautauqua County has a County Distress Index score of 61.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 754th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 5th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Chautauqua County?

    The primary driver of distress in Chautauqua County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 82.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Chautauqua County compare to neighboring counties?

    Chautauqua County (61.0) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Elk County, KS (62.8); Osage County, OK (60.5); Montgomery County, KS (58.5).

  • 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 Chautauqua County?

    Chautauqua County, Kansas has a population of approximately 3,347 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.