About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Lyon County, Kansas, have a job
In Lyon County, 15.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lyon County's score
In Lyon County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 63.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 34.4. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.8%, August 2025, lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lyon 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, Lyon County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.8%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people without health insurance (11.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.9% · August 202556th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people180.3 · 202570th percentile
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- 51.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.5% · 202452nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,892 · 202473rd percentile
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- 46.9 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 rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202737th percentile
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- 46.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.0% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 34.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.1% · second quarter of 202645th 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 Lyon 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 Lyon County, 16.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lyon County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lyon County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Lyon County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lyon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.7% in 2015 to 11.4% in 2016.
The share of households in Lyon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen to 6.5%
Low on the chart: 6.4% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lyon County, Kansas.
How Lyon County has changed
Lyon County's population had its largest rise, from 34,635 in 1979 to 37,617 in 1984.
Lyon County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 37,617 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lyon County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Lyon County had its largest drop, from 17,610 in 2005 to 15,051 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Lyon County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 17,632 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lyon County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.9% | 2024 13.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,499 | 2024 $58,892 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lyon County's history
1974
F4 tornado struck Emporia on June 8, 1974, killing 6 people, injuring 200, and causing $25 million in damages. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in June 1974 did $25 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A thunderstorm in August 1985 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in June 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 35,935. The 2020 Census counted 32,179, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in May 2011 did $2.28 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tyson Foods permanently closed Emporia plant on February 14, 2025, eliminating remaining 809 jobs. Wikipedia
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Since 1965
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lyon County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lyon County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lyon County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lyon County ranks 5th of the seven; Greenwood County is highest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwood County, KS | 54 | 14.5% | 32.2% |
| Lyon County, KS | 47 | 13.5% | 24.4% |
| Coffey County, KS | 34 | 10.3% | 27.7% |
| Osage County, KS | 28 | 10.7% | 26.1% |
| Morris County, KS | 23 | 10.5% | 28.1% |
| Chase County, KS | 20 | 10.2% | 20.1% |
| Wabaunsee County, KS | 9 | 8.4% | 21.0% |
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 Lyon County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Lyon County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 19th 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, Lyon County ranks 20th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lyon 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 Lyon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.