About one in six people in Neosho County, Kansas, has a disability
In Neosho County, 18.2% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 68% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Neosho County's score
In Neosho County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 63.1. Late payments on loans come next, at 63.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Neosho 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.
Neosho County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.7%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 63.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.1% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,538 · 202465th percentile
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- 63.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.5% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202534th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.1% · second quarter of 202666th percentile
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- 49.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.4% · August 202543rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people136.2 · 202554th percentile
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- 45.2 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 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 40.5 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 rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th 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 Neosho 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 Neosho County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Neosho County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Neosho County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 23.3% in 2004 to 29.6% in 2009.
In Neosho County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Neosho County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Neosho County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.3% in 2019 to 10.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Neosho County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.4% 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, Neosho County, Kansas.
How Neosho County has changed
Neosho County's population fell 17% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 19,161 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Neosho County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Neosho County fell most sharply on the way to its 2015 low, from 7,088 in 2010 to 6,150 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Neosho County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 7,996 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Neosho County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,684 | 2024 $61,538 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Neosho County's history
1861
Established June 3, 1861. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 24,000. The 2020 Census counted 15,904, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in April 2000 did $1.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in June 2005 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in July 2007 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Neosho County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Neosho County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Neosho County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Neosho County ranks 6th of the seven; Wilson County is highest, at 33.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, KS | 72 | 14.6% | 32.9% |
| Bourbon County, KS | 72 | 15.7% | 29.6% |
| Crawford County, KS | 58 | 17.1% | 27.5% |
| Labette County, KS | 57 | 15.1% | 32.0% |
| Allen County, KS | 57 | 14.6% | 31.8% |
| 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 Neosho County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Neosho County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 20th 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, Neosho County ranks 15th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Neosho 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 Neosho 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 Neosho County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.