About one in six people in Crawford County, Kansas, lives below the poverty line
In Crawford County, 17.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 76% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crawford County's score
In Crawford County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 70.0. About one in eight people (13.0%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 83% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 66.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crawford 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.
Crawford County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (59.3, 2025) and adults 25 to 54 not working (17.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.1% · 202476th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.0% · 202454th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance13.0% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,652 · 202481st percentile
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- 66.0 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 rent22.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th percentile
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- 63.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.9% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.7% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 42.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.8% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 36.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.4% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people59.3 · 202514th 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crawford County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Crawford County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 27.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Crawford County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.4% in 2011 to 11.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Crawford County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2023, reaching 12.3%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 12.7% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Crawford County, Kansas.
How Crawford County has changed
Crawford County's population fell most sharply on the way to its 1989 low, from 37,687 in 1984 to 35,842 in 1989.
Crawford County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 39,376 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crawford County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Crawford County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 17,084, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 17,858 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crawford County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.1% | 2024 17.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,497 | 2024 $55,652 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Crawford County's history
1877
Coal mining began at Carbon Creek. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 61,800. The 2020 Census counted 38,972, 63% of the peak. Census Bureau
1960
Coal mines at Carbon Creek closed. Wikipedia
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in March 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $7.2 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in May 2009 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crawford County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crawford County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Crawford County, in Kansas and Missouri, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crawford County ranks 6th of the eight; Vernon County is highest, at 35.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon County, KS | 72 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Jasper County, MO | 70 | 13.5% | 27.1% |
| Crawford County, KS | 58 | 17.1% | 27.5% |
| Cherokee County, KS | 58 | 16.3% | 26.7% |
| Barton County, MO | 58 | 13.7% | 30.4% |
| Labette County, KS | 57 | 15.1% | 32.0% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| 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 Crawford County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Crawford County's poverty rate was 17.1% in 2024, 2nd 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, Crawford County ranks 7th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crawford 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 Crawford 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 Crawford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.