In Linn County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Linn County, 27.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Linn County's score
In Linn County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 69.8. People with a car or retail loan behind: 12.4%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 52.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Linn 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.
Linn County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.4%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (16.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.8 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.4% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score39.9% · second quarter of 202648th percentile
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- 52.3 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 income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance9.8% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,904 · 202446th percentile
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- 42.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.8% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people101.4 · 202536th 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 Linn 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 Linn County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Linn County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Linn County had its largest rise, from 21.2% in 2004 to 27.1% in 2009.
In Linn County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by more than half since 1969, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Linn County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Linn County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.3% in 2017 to 8.3% in 2018.
The share of households in Linn County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2023, reaching 7.8%, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 11.1% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Linn County, Kansas.
How Linn County has changed
Linn County's population rose by about a quarter to 9,841, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 9,442. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Linn County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Linn County had its largest rise, from 1,843 in 2010 to 2,091 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Linn County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 1,843 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Linn County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.8% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,424 | 2024 $67,904 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Linn County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,689. The 2020 Census counted 9,591, 57% of the peak. Census Bureau
2007
A flood in July 2007 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Linn County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Linn County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Linn County, in Kansas and Missouri, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Linn County ranks 4th of the six; Vernon County is highest, at 35.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon County, KS | 72 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Vernon County, MO | 57 | 14.9% | 35.2% |
| Linn County, KS | 55 | 10.7% | 27.8% |
| Bates County, MO | 46 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
| Anderson County, KS | 37 | 12.1% | 26.4% |
| Miami County, KS | 14 | 7.2% | 17.8% |
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 Linn County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Linn County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 63rd 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, Linn County ranks 12th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Linn 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 Linn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.