In Ellsworth County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Ellsworth County, 17.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ellsworth County's score
In Ellsworth County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 41.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 26.8. Unemployment averaged 3.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ellsworth 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.
Ellsworth 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.
- 41.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.1% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.6 · 202556th percentile
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- 36.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.1% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.9% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance3.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,053 · 202446th percentile
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- 34.8 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 rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.0% · fiscal year 202713th percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.8% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 26.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th 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 Ellsworth 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 Ellsworth County, 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ellsworth County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Ellsworth County had its largest rise, from 14.5% in 1984 to 19.3% in 1989.
In Ellsworth County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Ellsworth County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ellsworth County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 5.9% in 2009 to 4.0% in 2010.
The share of households in Ellsworth County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 4.0% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ellsworth County, Kansas.
How Ellsworth County has changed
Ellsworth County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1979 high, from 6,497 in 1974 to 6,703 in 1979.
Ellsworth County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 6,703 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ellsworth County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Ellsworth County had its largest rise, from 2,283 in 2005 to 2,798 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Ellsworth County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 2,798 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ellsworth County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.5% | 2024 13.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,574 | 2024 $68,053 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Ellsworth County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 10,444. The 2020 Census counted 6,376, 61% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
A tornado in March 1970 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in May 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in May 2007 did $4.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ellsworth County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ellsworth County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Ellsworth County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ellsworth County ranks 2nd of the seven; Lincoln County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barton County, KS | 41 | 13.9% | 25.0% |
| Saline County, KS | 35 | 10.2% | 21.3% |
| Rice County, KS | 28 | 11.0% | 23.2% |
| Lincoln County, KS | 25 | 11.6% | 32.5% |
| Ellsworth County, KS | 21 | 13.1% | 27.3% |
| Russell County, KS | 18 | 12.7% | 27.3% |
| McPherson County, KS | 6 | 8.3% | 20.9% |
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 Ellsworth County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Ellsworth County's poverty rate was 13.1% in 2024, 24th 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, Ellsworth County ranks 59th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ellsworth 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 Ellsworth 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 Ellsworth County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.