About one in six people in Cherokee County, Kansas, lives below the poverty line
In Cherokee County, 16.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 71% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cherokee County's score
In Cherokee County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 71.6. The typical household earns $57,750 a year (2024), less than in 76% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 58.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cherokee 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.
Cherokee County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (73.5, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.3% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.5% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,750 · 202476th percentile
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- 58.5 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 rent22.4% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
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- 55.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.4% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 49.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.4% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people73.5 · 202521st 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cherokee County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cherokee County had its largest rise, from 24.5% in 2004 to 29.1% in 2009.
In Cherokee County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Cherokee County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cherokee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.8% in 2012 to 15.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Cherokee County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.1%, with its low point on the chart in 2019
Low on the chart: 10.5% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cherokee County, Kansas.
How Cherokee County has changed
Cherokee County's population had its largest drop, from 21,658 in 2009 to 20,610 in 2014.
Cherokee County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 22,678 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cherokee County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Cherokee County had its largest rise, from 5,732 in 1990 to 6,485 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Cherokee County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 6,485 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cherokee County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.7% | 2024 16.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,992 | 2024 $57,750 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cherokee County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 42,694. The 2020 Census counted 19,362, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A thunderstorm in April 1996 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $2.7 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A tornado in April 2014 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cherokee County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cherokee County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Cherokee County, in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cherokee County ranks 6th of the seven; Craig County is highest, at 37.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OK | 86 | 19.2% | 35.2% |
| Jasper County, MO | 70 | 13.5% | 27.1% |
| Craig County, OK | 68 | 17.6% | 37.4% |
| Crawford County, KS | 58 | 17.1% | 27.5% |
| Cherokee County, KS | 58 | 16.3% | 26.7% |
| Labette County, KS | 57 | 15.1% | 32.0% |
| Newton County, MO | 50 | 12.4% | 23.5% |
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 Cherokee County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Cherokee County's poverty rate was 16.3% in 2024, 3rd 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, Cherokee County ranks 8th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cherokee 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 Cherokee 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 Cherokee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.