In Kingman County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Kingman County, 17.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kingman County's score
In Kingman County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 42.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 18.2. Unemployment averaged 3.1%, 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 Kingman 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.
Kingman 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.
- 42.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.6% · 202427th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.2% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,768 · 202446th percentile
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- 33.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.6% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113.2 · 202542nd percentile
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- 20.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.5% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 19.0 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 rent13.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.0% · fiscal year 202713th percentile
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- 18.2 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 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st 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 Kingman 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 Kingman County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kingman County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kingman County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Kingman County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kingman County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.7% in 2015 to 5.3% in 2016.
The share of households in Kingman County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 6.5%
Low on the chart: 4.4% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Kingman County, Kansas.
How Kingman County has changed
Kingman County's population fell by about a quarter to 6,946, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2004 to 2009, reaching 7,885. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kingman County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Kingman County had its largest rise, from 2,413 in 2015 to 2,794 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Kingman County rose 29% from 1990 to 2020, then turned down in 2025
High on the chart: 2,794 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kingman County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.0% | 2024 10.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,583 | 2024 $67,768 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Kingman County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 13,386. The 2020 Census counted 7,470, 56% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kingman County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kingman County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Kingman County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kingman County ranks 2nd of the seven; Barber County is highest, at 30.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reno County, KS | 51 | 11.9% | 26.1% |
| Harper County, KS | 49 | 13.6% | 25.0% |
| Sedgwick County, KS | 48 | 12.5% | 18.3% |
| Sumner County, KS | 34 | 10.7% | 26.5% |
| Pratt County, KS | 19 | 13.2% | 22.6% |
| Kingman County, KS | 12 | 10.6% | 26.9% |
| Barber County, KS | 7 | 10.0% | 30.3% |
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 Kingman County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Kingman County's poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, 67th 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, Kingman County ranks 85th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kingman 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 Kingman 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 Kingman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.