About one in five people in Montgomery County, Kansas, has a disability
In Montgomery County, 21.0% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 72.7. Late payments on loans come next, at 63.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery 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.
Montgomery County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.1%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.9%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability21.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance10.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,413 · 202476th percentile
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- 63.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.9% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score49.6% · second quarter of 202678th percentile
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- 63.0 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 rent24.0% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
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- 61.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202668th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 58.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121 · 202547th 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montgomery County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Montgomery County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 32.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Montgomery County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.2% in 2012 to 13.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.7% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Montgomery County, Kansas.
How Montgomery County has changed
Montgomery County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1979 high, from 39,212 in 1974 to 41,863 in 1979.
Montgomery County's population fell by about a quarter to 30,459, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 41,863 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montgomery County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 15,726 in 2015 to 13,768 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 17,371 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,049 | 2024 $57,413 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Montgomery County's history
1867
Established February 26, 1867. Wikipedia
1869
Group of Oswego, Kansas men led by R. W. Wright settled Independence in August 1869 with intent to make it county seat. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 51,411. The 2020 Census counted 31,486, 61% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in July 2007 did $81.15 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flood in April 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in August 2018 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Montgomery County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Kansas and Oklahoma. For the share of income from benefit checks, Montgomery County ranks 5th of the eight; Elk County is highest, at 38.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, KS | 72 | 14.6% | 32.9% |
| Nowata County, OK | 72 | 15.3% | 33.6% |
| Chautauqua County, KS | 59 | 15.2% | 35.1% |
| Washington County, OK | 59 | 13.8% | 12.0% |
| Elk County, KS | 58 | 14.8% | 38.0% |
| Labette County, KS | 57 | 15.1% | 32.0% |
| Neosho County, KS | 53 | 13.3% | 28.9% |
| Wilson County, KS | 40 | 12.8% | 33.7% |
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 Montgomery County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 10th 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, Montgomery County ranks 2nd of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.