Clay County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 44.8 | 8,007 people · 40th most distressed in Kansas
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Clay County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 44.8 — 2012th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Kansas, it ranks 40th 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. Clay County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 57.2 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 57.2
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 73
Business Formation Rate 79
Community Vulnerability 53.3
Uninsured Rate 36
Disability Rate 71
Housing Cost Burden 45.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 76
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 25
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 57
Homeownership Rate 56
Rent-to-Income Ratio 13
Debt & Delinquency 35.7
Debt in Collections 22
Medical Debt 32
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 33
Credit Card Delinquency 27
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 60
Income & Poverty 32.4
Poverty Rate 29
Income vs. State Median 35
Child Poverty Rate 33

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clay County
Clay County, KS 44.8 Normal —
Geary County, KS 58.3 Elevated +13.5
Riley County, KS 48.0 Normal +3.3
Cloud County, KS 43.8 Normal -1.0
Dickinson County, KS 40.3 Normal -4.4
Ottawa County, KS 35.6 Normal -9.2
Washington County, KS 28.5 Healthy -16.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clay County
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK 44.8 Normal 0.0
Archer County, TX 44.8 Normal -0.0
Arthur County, NE 44.7 Normal -0.0
Alger County, MI 44.8 Normal +0.1
Kalawao County, HI 44.8 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Clay County has a County Distress Index score of 44.8 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,012th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 40th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clay County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clay County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 57.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Clay County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clay County (44.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Geary County, KS (58.3); Riley County, KS (48.0); Cloud County, KS (43.8).

  • 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 Clay County?

    Clay County, Kansas has a population of approximately 8,007 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.