In Morton County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Morton County, 16.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Morton County's score
In Morton County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 59.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Morton 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.
Even so, Morton County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (21.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,340 · 202445th percentile
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- 39.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202538th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.3% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.3% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
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- 29.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.3% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.5 · 202523rd percentile
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- 16.9 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 rent12.7% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th 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 Morton 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 Morton County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Morton County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Morton County had its largest rise, from 17.1% in 2014 to 23.0% in 2019.
In Morton County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Morton County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.8%; 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 Morton County getting SNAP food aid grew to about six times its 2009 level, reaching 8.1%, the highest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2017 to 2018, reaching 1.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Morton County, Kansas.
How Morton County has changed
Morton County's population fell by about a third to 2,485, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2014 to 2019, reaching 2,679. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Morton County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Morton County had its largest drop, from 1,237 in 2010 to 1,003 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Morton County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 44% since
High on the chart: 1,330 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Morton County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.0% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,773 | 2024 $68,340 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Morton County's history
1886
Established February 20, 1886. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 4,092. The 2020 Census counted 2,701, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
1951
A tornado in June 1951 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
A tornado in May 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2005
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Morton County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Morton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Morton County, in Kansas, Colorado and Oklahoma, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Morton County ranks 2nd of the six; Baca County is highest, at 35.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baca County, CO | 52 | 18.2% | 35.6% |
| Texas County, OK | 40 | 13.5% | 12.0% |
| Cimarron County, OK | 40 | 17.2% | 20.3% |
| Stevens County, KS | 30 | 8.9% | 16.6% |
| Morton County, KS | 25 | 12.2% | 20.8% |
| Stanton County, KS | 21 | 11.1% | 14.5% |
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 Morton County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Morton County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 39th 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, Morton County ranks 51st of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Morton 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 Morton 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 Morton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.