About 19 in 20 adults aged 25 to 54 in Norton County, Kansas, have a job
In Norton County, 6.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Norton County's score
In Norton County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 57.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 10.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Norton 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.
Norton 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.
- 57.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.7% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance10.0% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,962 · 202464th percentile
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- 29.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.2% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 27.1 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 rent13.9% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th percentile
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- 15.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.9% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people18.8 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 10.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202614th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working6.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Norton 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 Norton 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
Norton County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Norton County moved most in two steps: 21.8% in 2009 to 16.9% in 2014; 16.9% in 2014 to 21.8% in 2019.
In Norton County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 21.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Norton County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Norton County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 3.9% in 2010 to 8.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Norton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 3.9% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Norton County, Kansas.
How Norton County has changed
Norton County's population fell by about a quarter to 5,335, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1969 to 1974, reaching 6,977. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Norton County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Norton County had its largest drop, from 2,487 in 2015 to 2,211 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Norton County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 2,530 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Norton County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.6% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.0% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,711 | 2024 $61,962 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Norton County's history
1867
Established February 26, 1867. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 11,701. The 2020 Census counted 5,459, 47% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
A tornado in June 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in June 2011 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A thunderstorm in June 2014 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A flash flood in September 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2005
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Norton County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Norton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Norton County, in Kansas and Nebraska, four score higher. Of the group, Norton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Furnas County gets the largest, at 32.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furnas County, NE | 33 | 13.2% | 32.3% |
| Decatur County, KS | 20 | 11.9% | 26.0% |
| Graham County, KS | 20 | 13.7% | 27.8% |
| Phillips County, KS | 17 | 11.7% | 23.6% |
| Norton County, KS | 13 | 12.6% | 21.4% |
| Sheridan County, KS | 6 | 9.5% | 22.2% |
| Harlan County, NE | 5 | 10.3% | 24.2% |
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 Norton County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Norton County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 31st 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, Norton County ranks 79th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Norton 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 Norton 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 Norton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.