About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Marshall County, Kansas, have a job
In Marshall County, 13.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 45.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 22.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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.
Marshall 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.
- 45.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.7% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 43.6 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 rent21.1% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
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- 35.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.7% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,743 · 202455th percentile
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- 23.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.2% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people90.6 · 202531st percentile
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- 22.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.9% · 2020 to 202411th 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.4% in 2009 to 6.3% in 2010.
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2023 to 2024, reaching 3.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marshall County, Kansas.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population had its largest drop, from 11,005 in 1999 to 10,312 in 2004.
Marshall County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 9,950, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2009 to 2014, reaching 10,109. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County rose most sharply from its first year (3,618 in 1990) to 4,231 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 4,834 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,793 | 2024 $64,743 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Marshall County's history
1879
F4 Irving tornado on May 30, 1879 killed 18 people and injured 60, with 800 yard damage path 100 miles long. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 24,355. The 2020 Census counted 10,038, 41% of the peak. Census Bureau
1973
A tornado in September 1973 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Marshall County, in Kansas and Nebraska, two score higher. Of the group, Marshall County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawnee County, NE | 36 | 12.9% | 26.5% |
| Riley County, KS | 31 | 18.1% | 15.8% |
| Gage County, NE | 22 | 10.7% | 22.3% |
| Marshall County, KS | 22 | 11.7% | 29.3% |
| Washington County, KS | 3 | 11.1% | 26.3% |
| Pottawatomie County, KS | 1 | 6.8% | 15.2% |
| Nemaha County, KS | 0 | 8.6% | 18.0% |
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 Marshall County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Marshall County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 49th 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, Marshall County ranks 57th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.