Marion County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 37.9 | 11,690 people · 70th most distressed in Kansas
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Marion County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 37.9 — 2481st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Kansas, it ranks 70th of 105 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 6 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Marion County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 54.4 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 54.4
Unemployment Rate 34
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 56
Business Formation Rate 74
Community Vulnerability 38.3
Uninsured Rate 42
Disability Rate 35
Debt & Delinquency 35.7
Debt in Collections 23
Medical Debt 31
Student Loan Delinquency 46
Auto Loan Delinquency 42
Credit Card Delinquency 44
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 29
Income & Poverty 33.3
Poverty Rate 28
Income vs. State Median 51
Child Poverty Rate 21
Housing Cost Burden 27.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 27
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 14
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 73
Homeownership Rate 16
Rent-to-Income Ratio 11

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Marion County
Marion County, KS 37.9 Normal —
Saline County, KS 48.4 Normal +10.5
Chase County, KS 42.2 Normal +4.3
Morris County, KS 40.9 Normal +3.0
Harvey County, KS 40.8 Normal +2.9
Dickinson County, KS 40.3 Normal +2.4
Butler County, KS 39.5 Normal +1.6
McPherson County, KS 27.3 Healthy -10.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Marion County
Jasper County, IN 38.0 Normal +0.0
Warren County, MO 38.0 Normal +0.0
Juneau City and Borough, AK 37.9 Normal -0.0
Antrim County, MI 37.9 Normal -0.0
Marinette County, WI 37.8 Normal -0.1

Download Data

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

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Marion County has a County Distress Index score of 37.9 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,481st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 70th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Marion County?

    The primary driver of distress in Marion County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 54.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Marion County compare to neighboring counties?

    Marion County (37.9) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Saline County, KS (48.4); Chase County, KS (42.2); Morris County, KS (40.9).

  • 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 Marion County?

    Marion County, Kansas has a population of approximately 11,690 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.