About one in 14 people in Jefferson County, Kansas, lives below the poverty line
In Jefferson County, 7.1% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 43.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 9.7. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 15.8% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson 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.
- 43.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.0% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people152.8 · 202560th percentile
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- 24.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.2% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
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- 16.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
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- 14.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.1% · 20245th or lower percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.4% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$89,065 · 202411th percentile
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- 9.7 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 rent10.4% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.8% · fiscal year 20276th 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.1% in 2012 to 7.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 3.0%
Biggest drop: 2017 to 2018, reaching 6.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jefferson County, Kansas.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest rise, from 13,050 in 1974 to 14,952 in 1979.
Jefferson County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18,332
High on the chart: 19,042 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 3,290. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.8% | 2024 7.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,244 | 2024 $89,065 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Jefferson County's history
1984
A tornado in April 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in April 1991 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flash flood in October 2005 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Lightning in April 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 19,126. The 2020 Census counted 18,368, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Jefferson County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson County ranks 4th of the six; Atchison County is highest, at 26.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee County, KS | 55 | 12.0% | 23.4% |
| Atchison County, KS | 32 | 13.9% | 26.9% |
| Douglas County, KS | 29 | 14.3% | 16.9% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 26 | 9.2% | 20.7% |
| Jackson County, KS | 17 | 8.4% | 23.5% |
| Jefferson County, KS | 6 | 7.1% | 22.4% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 7.1% in 2024, 102nd 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, Jefferson County ranks 97th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.