About one in nine people in Ford County, Kansas, has a disability
In Ford County, 11.7% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ford County's score
In Ford County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 81.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 17.6. Unemployment averaged 3.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ford 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, Ford County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (11.3%, August 2025) and people with a credit card behind (9.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.5 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.2% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.3% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.1% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 51.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.1% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance15.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,650 · 202441st percentile
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- 40.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people73.6 · 202521st percentile
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- 21.7 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 rent11.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 17.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.9% · 2020 to 202420th 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 Ford 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 Ford County, 11.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ford County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ford County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 17.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Ford County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ford County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply after its 2011 high, from 13.0% in 2011 to 10.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Ford County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2023, reaching 6.9%, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 13.0% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ford County, Kansas.
How Ford County has changed
Ford County's population had its largest rise, from 23,978 in 1979 to 26,855 in 1984.
Ford County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34,072
High on the chart: 35,387 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ford County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Ford County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 15,184. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ford County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,336 | 2024 $69,650 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Ford County's history
1864
Fort Dodge established as military post. Wikipedia
1993
Hail in April 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Hail in May 1998 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 34,287, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2025
Hail in July 2025 did $2,500,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in July 2025 did $5,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ford County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ford County beside its neighbors
Ford County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ford County ranks 5th of the seven; Kiowa County is highest, at 30.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford County, KS | 37 | 14.8% | 17.4% |
| Edwards County, KS | 36 | 11.8% | 21.4% |
| Clark County, KS | 20 | 12.5% | 24.7% |
| Meade County, KS | 12 | 10.6% | 15.9% |
| Kiowa County, KS | 12 | 12.0% | 30.2% |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 11 | 9.6% | 18.7% |
| Gray County, KS | 0 | 7.9% | 12.6% |
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 Ford County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Ford County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 8th 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, Ford County ranks 25th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ford 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 Ford County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.