Ellis County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 43.0 | 28,810 people · 44th most distressed in Kansas
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Ellis County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 43.0 — 2146th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Housing Cost Burden, where a large share of households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Within Kansas, it ranks 44th of 105 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Ellis County's primary driver is Housing Cost Burden at 79.2 — worse than roughly 79% of U.S. counties.

Housing Cost Burden Primary driver 79.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 93
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 88
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 97
Homeownership Rate 89
Rent-to-Income Ratio 29
Income & Poverty 48.6
Poverty Rate 65
Income vs. State Median 64
Child Poverty Rate 17
Employment & Wages 40.1
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 41
Business Formation Rate 72
Community Vulnerability 27.4
Uninsured Rate 42
Disability Rate 13
Debt & Delinquency 19.7
Debt in Collections 11
Medical Debt 26
Student Loan Delinquency 26
Auto Loan Delinquency 27
Credit Card Delinquency 12
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 16

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Ellis County
Ellis County, KS 43.0 Normal —
Russell County, KS 49.4 Normal +6.4
Osborne County, KS 42.0 Normal -1.0
Rush County, KS 38.6 Normal -4.4
Rooks County, KS 37.1 Normal -6.0
Trego County, KS 27.6 Healthy -15.4
Ness County, KS 25.9 Healthy -17.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Ellis County
St. James Parish, LA 43.0 Normal +0.0
Green Lake County, WI 43.1 Normal +0.1
Dawson County, GA 43.0 Normal -0.1
Box Butte County, NE 42.9 Normal -0.1
Nobles County, MN 43.2 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Ellis County

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

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Legal aid organizations serving Ellis County residents at no cost.

Kansas Legal Services 1-800-723-6953

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Ellis County has a County Distress Index score of 43.0 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,146th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 44th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Ellis County?

    The primary driver of distress in Ellis County is Housing Cost Burden, where the county scores 79.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Rent-Burdened (30%+), Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+), Mortgage-Burdened (30%+).

  • How does Ellis County compare to neighboring counties?

    Ellis County (43.0) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Russell County, KS (49.4); Osborne County, KS (42.0); Rush County, KS (38.6).

  • 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 Ellis County?

    Ellis County, Kansas has a population of approximately 28,810 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.