Ness County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Healthy · 25.9 | 2,618 people · 101st most distressed in Kansas
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Ness County, KS ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 25.9 — 3018th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where health coverage and disability rates are better than the national average. Within Kansas, it ranks 101st of 105 counties. It scores lower than all 8 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Ness County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 44.9 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 44.9
Uninsured Rate 60
Disability Rate 30
Income & Poverty 29.3
Poverty Rate 22
Income vs. State Median 40
Child Poverty Rate 25
Debt & Delinquency 28.4
Debt in Collections 19
Medical Debt 48
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 39
Credit Card Delinquency 19
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 5
Employment & Wages 17.6
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 17
Business Formation Rate 28
Housing Cost Burden 9.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 6
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 22
Rent-to-Income Ratio 7

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Ness County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Ness County
Ness County, KS 25.9 Healthy —
Finney County, KS 46.2 Normal +20.4
Pawnee County, KS 45.6 Normal +19.7
Ellis County, KS 43.0 Normal +17.2
Lane County, KS 40.2 Normal +14.4
Rush County, KS 38.6 Normal +12.8
Hodgeman County, KS 34.8 Healthy +8.9
Trego County, KS 27.6 Healthy +1.8
Gove County, KS 27.4 Healthy +1.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Ness County
Stevens County, MN 25.9 Healthy 0.0
Dickey County, ND 25.8 Healthy -0.1
Douglas County, SD 25.8 Healthy -0.1
Clark County, SD 26.0 Healthy +0.1
Kearney County, NE 25.7 Healthy -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Ness County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Ness County

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

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Legal aid organizations serving Ness County residents at no cost.

Kansas Legal Services 1-800-723-6953

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Ness County, Kansas?

    Ness County has a County Distress Index score of 25.9 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,018th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 101st in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Ness County?

    The primary driver of distress in Ness County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 44.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Ness County compare to neighboring counties?

    Ness County (25.9) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Finney County, KS (46.2); Pawnee County, KS (45.6); Ellis County, KS (43.0).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Ness County?

    Ness County, Kansas has a population of approximately 2,618 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.