About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Dickinson County, Kansas, have a job
In Dickinson County, 13.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dickinson County's score
In Dickinson County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 52.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 25.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dickinson 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.
Dickinson County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 52.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.3% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people157.2 · 202562nd percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.6% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 34.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.8% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,772 · 202443rd percentile
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- 26.5 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
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- 25.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.7% · 2020 to 202410th 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 Dickinson 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 Dickinson County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dickinson County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dickinson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Dickinson County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dickinson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.4% in 2019 to 6.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Dickinson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dickinson County, Kansas.
How Dickinson County has changed
Dickinson County's population fell 7% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 21,163 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dickinson County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Dickinson County had its largest rise, from 5,970 in 1990 to 6,706 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Dickinson County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 7,276 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dickinson County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,508 | 2024 $68,772 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Dickinson County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 25,870. The 2020 Census counted 18,402, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
1973
A tornado in September 1973 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1994
A thunderstorm in July 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flash flood in June 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in June 2008 did $20.2 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dickinson County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dickinson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Dickinson County, two score higher. Of the group, Dickinson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geary County, KS | 69 | 12.4% | 19.8% |
| Saline County, KS | 35 | 10.2% | 21.3% |
| Dickinson County, KS | 29 | 8.5% | 29.5% |
| Ottawa County, KS | 28 | 8.9% | 25.6% |
| Clay County, KS | 26 | 10.2% | 28.0% |
| Morris County, KS | 23 | 10.5% | 28.1% |
| Marion County, KS | 13 | 9.3% | 28.1% |
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 Dickinson County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Dickinson County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 94th 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, Dickinson County ranks 39th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dickinson 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 Dickinson 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 Dickinson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.