About one in 14 people in Miami County, Kansas, lives below the poverty line
In Miami County, 7.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Miami County's score
In Miami County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 16.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Miami 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.
Miami 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.
- 50.9 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
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- 31.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.4% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113.3 · 202542nd percentile
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- 26.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.4% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
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- 17.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.2% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
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- 16.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.2% · 20244th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.2% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,421 · 20248th 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 Miami 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 Miami County, 18.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Miami County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Miami County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by more than half since 1969, reaching 17.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Miami County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Miami County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 2.3%
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 5.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Miami County, Kansas.
How Miami County has changed
Miami County's population had its largest rise, from 25,091 in 1994 to 27,875 in 1999.
Miami County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35,737, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 32,838. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Miami County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Miami County rose by about half to 9,287, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 8,334. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Miami County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.3% | 2024 7.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,616 | 2024 $92,421 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Miami County's history
1827
Kaskaskia, Peoria, Wea, and Piankeshaw tribes forced to move to area between 1827 and 1832. Wikipedia
1855
Established August 25, 1855. Wikipedia
1868
Native American tribes exiled to Oklahoma by 1868 after Civil War pressure to move increased following Kansas admission to Union. Wikipedia
1882
Natural gas discovered in 1882; Paola became first town west of Mississippi River to use it commercially and illuminate streets with natural gas lanterns. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in May 1957 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in July 2007 did $16 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in August 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flood in October 2018 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 34,191, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Miami County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Miami County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Miami County, in Kansas and Missouri, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Miami County ranks 5th of the six; Bates County is highest, at 28.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linn County, KS | 55 | 10.7% | 27.8% |
| Bates County, MO | 46 | 11.1% | 28.7% |
| Franklin County, KS | 40 | 8.9% | 26.1% |
| Cass County, MO | 32 | 7.0% | 19.8% |
| Miami County, KS | 14 | 7.2% | 17.8% |
| Johnson County, KS | 5 | 6.0% | 10.4% |
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 Miami County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Miami County's poverty rate was 7.2% in 2024, 101st 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, Miami County ranks 77th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Miami 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 Miami County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.