About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Decatur County, Kansas, have a job
In Decatur County, 15.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Decatur County's score
In Decatur County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 51.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 19.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Decatur 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, Decatur County is worse off than most counties on median household income ($57,793, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.9% · 202439th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.3% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,793 · 202476th percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.8% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people110.6 · 202541st percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 202510th 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 score40.2% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
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- 23.4 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 rent1.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 19.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Decatur 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 Decatur County, 29.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Decatur County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Decatur County had its largest rise, from 20.2% in 2014 to 28.3% in 2019.
In Decatur County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Decatur County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Decatur County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.6% in 2018 to 5.1% in 2019.
The share of households in Decatur County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 3.9% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Decatur County, Kansas.
How Decatur County has changed
Decatur County's population fell by about half to 2,716, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 4,046. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Decatur County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Decatur County had its largest drop, from 1,255 in 1995 to 1,113 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Decatur County fell by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 843, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2010 to 2015, reaching 964. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Decatur County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.2% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.5% | 2024 11.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,955 | 2024 $57,793 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Decatur County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 9,234. The 2020 Census counted 2,764, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
1942
F5 tornado killed 15 people south of Oberlin. Wikipedia
1970
A tornado in June 1970 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in June 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2004
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Decatur County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Decatur County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Decatur County, in Kansas and Nebraska, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Decatur County ranks 2nd of the seven; Furnas County is highest, at 32.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furnas County, NE | 33 | 13.2% | 32.3% |
| Red Willow County, NE | 27 | 11.2% | 25.8% |
| Decatur County, KS | 20 | 11.9% | 26.0% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 14 | 10.8% | 22.6% |
| Norton County, KS | 13 | 12.6% | 21.4% |
| Thomas County, KS | 9 | 9.7% | 19.5% |
| Sheridan County, KS | 6 | 9.5% | 22.2% |
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 Decatur County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Decatur County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 45th 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, Decatur County ranks 62nd of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Decatur 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 Decatur 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 Decatur County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.