About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Ellis County, Kansas, have a job
In Ellis County, 9.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ellis County's score
In Ellis County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 8.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ellis 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, Ellis County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.5 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 rent25.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th percentile
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- 31.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.8% · 202412th percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,113 · 202448th percentile
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- 18.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.8% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.8% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.5 · 202515th percentile
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- 8.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.8% · 2020 to 20242nd 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 Ellis 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 Ellis County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ellis County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ellis County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Ellis County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ellis County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.2% in 2011 to 6.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Ellis County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 4.2% 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, Ellis County, Kansas.
How Ellis County has changed
Ellis County's population had its largest rise, from 25,674 in 1979 to 27,871 in 1984.
Ellis County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29,007
High on the chart: 29,082 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ellis County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Ellis County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 15,433 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ellis County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,946 | 2024 $67,113 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Ellis County's history
1876
Volga Germans began settling in Ellis County. Wikipedia
1935
Dust Bowl dust storms in 1935. Wikipedia
1990
A tornado in April 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in November 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail in June 2003 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in August 2010 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 28,934, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1993
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ellis County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ellis County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Ellis County, four score higher. Of the group, Ellis County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Rooks County gets the largest, at 30.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush County, KS | 31 | 12.0% | 25.4% |
| Rooks County, KS | 24 | 11.3% | 30.1% |
| Osborne County, KS | 20 | 11.3% | 30.0% |
| Russell County, KS | 18 | 12.7% | 27.3% |
| Ellis County, KS | 11 | 12.5% | 20.3% |
| Trego County, KS | 7 | 10.4% | 27.3% |
| Ness County, KS | 4 | 11.3% | 27.4% |
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 Ellis County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Ellis County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 32nd 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, Ellis County ranks 87th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ellis 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.
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 Ellis County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.