Decatur County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 45.3 | 2,712 people · 36th most distressed in Kansas
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Decatur County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 45.3 — 1958th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Kansas, it ranks 36th 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. Decatur County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 67.0 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 67.0
Poverty Rate 53
Income vs. State Median 80
Child Poverty Rate 69
Community Vulnerability 56.6
Uninsured Rate 42
Disability Rate 71
Debt & Delinquency 40.6
Debt in Collections 34
Medical Debt 79
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 39
Credit Card Delinquency 10
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 41
Employment & Wages 39.0
Unemployment Rate 6
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 68
Business Formation Rate 43
Housing Cost Burden 23.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 53
Homeownership Rate 22
Rent-to-Income Ratio 31

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Decatur County
Decatur County, KS 45.3 Normal —
Norton County, KS 50.0 Elevated +4.8
Red Willow County, NE 47.3 Normal +2.0
Furnas County, NE 42.6 Normal -2.7
Rawlins County, KS 36.4 Normal -8.9
Thomas County, KS 35.6 Normal -9.7
Sheridan County, KS 29.1 Healthy -16.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Decatur County
Smith County, KS 45.3 Normal 0.0
Jewell County, KS 45.3 Normal -0.0
Parmer County, TX 45.3 Normal -0.0
Sullivan County, MO 45.2 Normal -0.1
Maries County, MO 45.2 Normal -0.1

Download Data

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Decatur County has a County Distress Index score of 45.3 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,958th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 36th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Decatur County?

    The primary driver of distress in Decatur County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 67.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Decatur County compare to neighboring counties?

    Decatur County (45.3) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Norton County, KS (50.0); Red Willow County, NE (47.3); Furnas County, NE (42.6).

  • 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 Decatur County?

    Decatur County, Kansas has a population of approximately 2,712 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.