About one in nine people in Douglas County, Kansas, has a disability
In Douglas County, 11.2% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 71.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 22.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 3.1%, August 2025, lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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, Douglas County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st percentile
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- 38.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.6% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113.6 · 202543rd percentile
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- 33.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.3% · 202459th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability11.2% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,332 · 202432nd percentile
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- 26.1 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 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
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- 22.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · second quarter of 202620th 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 16.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Douglas County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.9% in 2017 to 6.1% in 2018.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 4.4% 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, Douglas County, Kansas.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population had its largest rise, from 89,683 in 1994 to 99,490 in 1999.
Douglas County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 121,989, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 121,989. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County rose by more than half to 50,796, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 46,079. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 14.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,402 | 2024 $73,332 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Douglas County's history
1981
A tornado in June 1981 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $6.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A thunderstorm in March 2006 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Hail in April 2006 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 118,785, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Douglas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Douglas County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Douglas County ranks 6th of the seven; Franklin County is highest, at 26.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee County, KS | 55 | 12.0% | 23.4% |
| Franklin County, KS | 40 | 8.9% | 26.1% |
| Douglas County, KS | 29 | 14.3% | 16.9% |
| Osage County, KS | 28 | 10.7% | 26.1% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 26 | 9.2% | 20.7% |
| Jefferson County, KS | 6 | 7.1% | 22.4% |
| Johnson County, KS | 5 | 6.0% | 10.4% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 14.3% in 2024, 13th 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, Douglas County ranks 41st of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.