Unemployment in Comanche County, Kansas, is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties
In Comanche County, 3.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 67% of U.S. counties.
What drives Comanche County's score
In Comanche County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 59.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 17.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Comanche 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.
Even so, Comanche County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (21.7%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($58,128, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.9% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability21.7% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,128 · 202475th percentile
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- 50.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.9% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people181.3 · 202570th percentile
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- 47.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202538th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score44.7% · second quarter of 202665th percentile
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- 23.6 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 rent7.3% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
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- 17.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202615th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th 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 Comanche 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 Comanche County, 29.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Comanche County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Comanche County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 30.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Comanche County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Comanche County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 2.0% in 2009 to 5.9% in 2010.
The share of households in Comanche County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2019, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 1.3% 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, Comanche County, Kansas.
How Comanche County has changed
Comanche County's population fell most sharply on the way to its 2019 low, from 1,943 in 2014 to 1,689 in 2019.
Comanche County's population fell 38% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 2,751 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Comanche County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Comanche County had its largest drop, from 692 in 2015 to 602 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Comanche County fell 10% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 602 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Comanche County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.4% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.5% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,064 | 2024 $58,128 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Comanche County's history
1873
First American settlers arrived in Comanche County. Wikipedia
1884
Homesteaders arrived and replaced open range cattle ranching through fencing. Wikipedia
1891
Drought from 1891-1897 caused economic hardship and population decline. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 5,302. The 2020 Census counted 1,689, 32% of the peak. Census Bureau
1930
Dust Bowl in 1930s and rural flight reduced county fortunes. Wikipedia
1996
Hail in July 1996 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Comanche County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Comanche County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Comanche County, in Kansas and Oklahoma, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Comanche County ranks 3rd of the six; Barber County is highest, at 30.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woods County, OK | 34 | 14.9% | 24.1% |
| Comanche County, KS | 32 | 11.8% | 30.1% |
| Harper County, OK | 26 | 11.2% | 20.5% |
| Clark County, KS | 20 | 12.5% | 24.7% |
| Kiowa County, KS | 12 | 12.0% | 30.2% |
| Barber County, KS | 7 | 10.0% | 30.3% |
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 Comanche County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Comanche County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 47th 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, Comanche County ranks 34th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Comanche 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 Comanche 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 Comanche County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.