In Haskell County, Kansas, benefit checks make up only 12 cents of every dollar of income
In Haskell County, 12.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Haskell County's score
In Haskell County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 39.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 5.0. About one in 37 renters (2.7%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Haskell 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, Haskell County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (17.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 39.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance17.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,979 · 202427th percentile
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- 38.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.8% · August 202540th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202536th percentile
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- 25.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202538th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 16.8 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 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 5.0 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 rent2.7% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.2% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Haskell 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 Haskell County, 15.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Haskell County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Haskell County rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 2.4% in 1974 to 20.6% in 1979.
In Haskell County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In Haskell County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Haskell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 4.4% in 2015 to 3.5% in 2016.
The share of households in Haskell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 2.7%
Low on the chart: 2.4% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Haskell County, Kansas.
How Haskell County has changed
Haskell County's population had its largest drop in the last span, from 3,830 in 2019 to 3,591 in 2024.
Haskell County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 4,257 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Haskell County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Haskell County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 1,865 in 2015 to 1,649 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Haskell County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 1,804
High on the chart: 1,865 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Haskell County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.4% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.3% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $55,277 | 2024 $75,979 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Haskell County's history
1962
A tornado in May 1962 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
A tornado in May 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1987
A tornado in May 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 4,307. The 2020 Census counted 3,780, 88% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A thunderstorm in November 2016 did $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Haskell County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Haskell County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Haskell County, five score higher. Of the group, Haskell County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Seward County gets the largest, at 17.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seward County, KS | 40 | 13.1% | 17.9% |
| Grant County, KS | 32 | 12.4% | 16.1% |
| Stevens County, KS | 30 | 8.9% | 16.6% |
| Finney County, KS | 29 | 11.7% | 16.9% |
| Meade County, KS | 12 | 10.6% | 15.9% |
| 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 Haskell County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Haskell County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 79th 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, Haskell County ranks 89th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Haskell 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 Haskell 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 Haskell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.