In McPherson County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In McPherson County, 15.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives McPherson County's score
In McPherson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 35.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 15.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.6%, August 2025, lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McPherson 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.
McPherson 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.
- 35.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.8% · fiscal year 20276th percentile
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- 24.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.3% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people79.8 · 202525th percentile
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- 17.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.4% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,212 · 202423rd percentile
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- 16.2 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 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.9% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 15.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.6% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.4% · second quarter of 202614th 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 McPherson 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 McPherson County, 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McPherson County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McPherson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In McPherson County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McPherson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 4.2% in 2022 to 2.4% in 2023.
The share of households in McPherson County getting SNAP food aid fell by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 2.7%, with its low point on the chart in 2023
Low on the chart: 2.4% 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, McPherson County, Kansas.
How McPherson County has changed
McPherson County's population rose by about a quarter to 30,334, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 28,478. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McPherson County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in McPherson County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 16,416. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McPherson County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.4% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,023 | 2024 $78,212 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in McPherson County's history
1950
A tornado in June 1950 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in June 1992 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 30,223, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McPherson County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
McPherson County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border McPherson County score higher than it does. Of the group, McPherson County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Marion County gets the largest, at 28.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reno County, KS | 51 | 11.9% | 26.1% |
| Saline County, KS | 35 | 10.2% | 21.3% |
| Rice County, KS | 28 | 11.0% | 23.2% |
| Ellsworth County, KS | 21 | 13.1% | 27.3% |
| Harvey County, KS | 19 | 8.5% | 25.2% |
| Marion County, KS | 13 | 9.3% | 28.1% |
| McPherson County, KS | 6 | 8.3% | 20.9% |
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 McPherson County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, McPherson County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 98th 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, McPherson County ranks 96th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McPherson 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 McPherson 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 McPherson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.