Kearny County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 42.7 | 3,823 people · 46th most distressed in Kansas
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Kearny County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 42.7 — 2157th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where health coverage gaps and disability rates are moderately elevated. Within Kansas, it ranks 46th of 105 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Kearny County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 57.1 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 57.1
Uninsured Rate 74
Disability Rate 40
Employment & Wages 55.9
Unemployment Rate 10
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 93
Business Formation Rate 65
Housing Cost Burden 40.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 32
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 32
Homeownership Rate 56
Rent-to-Income Ratio 74
Debt & Delinquency 34.7
Debt in Collections 41
Medical Debt 43
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 39
Credit Card Delinquency 20
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 25
Income & Poverty 26.1
Poverty Rate 22
Income vs. State Median 23
Child Poverty Rate 33

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Kearny County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Kearny County
Kearny County, KS 42.7 Normal —
Finney County, KS 46.2 Normal +3.5
Wichita County, KS 36.1 Normal -6.7
Grant County, KS 35.8 Normal -7.0
Hamilton County, KS 33.8 Healthy -9.0
Stanton County, KS 33.5 Healthy -9.3
Haskell County, KS 31.6 Healthy -11.1
Scott County, KS 26.9 Healthy -15.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Kearny County
Tripp County, SD 42.8 Normal +0.0
Kingman County, KS 42.8 Normal +0.0
Caldwell County, MO 42.8 Normal +0.1
Furnas County, NE 42.6 Normal -0.1
Martin County, TX 42.6 Normal -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Kearny County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Kearny County

Find an Attorney

Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Kearny County residents at no cost.

Kansas Legal Services 1-800-723-6953

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in Kansas →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Kearny County, Kansas?

    Kearny County has a County Distress Index score of 42.7 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,157th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 46th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Kearny County?

    The primary driver of distress in Kearny County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 57.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Kearny County compare to neighboring counties?

    Kearny County (42.7) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Finney County, KS (46.2); Wichita County, KS (36.1); Grant County, KS (35.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Kearny County?

    Kearny County, Kansas has a population of approximately 3,823 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.