About one in 11 people in Gray County, Kansas, has a disability
In Gray County, 8.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gray County's score
In Gray County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 24.5. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 5.0. About one in 10 people with a credit file (9.8%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gray 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, Gray County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 24.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.5% · 202410th percentile
- People with a disability8.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,176 · 202423rd percentile
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- 15.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 6.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.7% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
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- 5.6 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 rent6.9% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.9% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people34.8 · 20255th or lower 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 Gray 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 Gray County, 16.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gray County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gray County had its largest rise, from 8.1% in 2014 to 12.2% in 2019.
In Gray County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 12.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks
In Gray County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gray County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.0% in 2014 to 4.5% in 2015.
The share of households in Gray County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 2.2%
Low on the chart: 0.7% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Gray County, Kansas.
How Gray County has changed
Gray County's population had its largest rise, from 5,472 in 1994 to 5,844 in 1999.
Gray County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5,730
High on the chart: 5,951 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gray County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Gray County had its largest rise, from 1,870 in 1995 to 2,501 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Gray County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 3,041
High on the chart: 3,257 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gray County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.0% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,745 | 2024 $78,176 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Gray County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 6,211. The 2020 Census counted 5,653, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
1995
A thunderstorm in May 1995 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in May 1996 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gray County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gray County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Gray County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gray County ranks 5th of the six; Hodgeman County is highest, at 18.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford County, KS | 37 | 14.8% | 17.4% |
| Finney County, KS | 29 | 11.7% | 16.9% |
| Meade County, KS | 12 | 10.6% | 15.9% |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 11 | 9.6% | 18.7% |
| Haskell County, KS | 10 | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| 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 Gray County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Gray County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 100th 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, Gray County ranks 105th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gray 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 Gray County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.