Osborne County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 42.0 | 3,427 people · 49th most distressed in Kansas
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Osborne County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 42.0 — 2208th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Kansas, it ranks 49th of 105 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Osborne County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 68.3 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 68.3
Unemployment Rate 80
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 54
Business Formation Rate 71
Income & Poverty 51.6
Poverty Rate 38
Income vs. State Median 80
Child Poverty Rate 37
Debt & Delinquency 42.3
Debt in Collections 48
Medical Debt 34
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 39
Credit Card Delinquency 88
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 5
Community Vulnerability 29.2
Uninsured Rate 22
Disability Rate 36
Housing Cost Burden 18.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 10
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 8
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 7
Homeownership Rate 39
Rent-to-Income Ratio 31

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Osborne County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Osborne County
Osborne County, KS 42.0 Normal —
Russell County, KS 49.4 Normal +7.4
Smith County, KS 45.3 Normal +3.2
Jewell County, KS 45.3 Normal +3.2
Lincoln County, KS 44.2 Normal +2.2
Ellis County, KS 43.0 Normal +1.0
Mitchell County, KS 37.4 Normal -4.6
Rooks County, KS 37.1 Normal -5.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Osborne County
Dolores County, CO 42.1 Normal +0.1
Washington County, CO 42.0 Normal -0.1
McPherson County, NE 42.0 Normal -0.1
Keith County, NE 42.1 Normal +0.1
Kiowa County, KS 42.2 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Osborne County

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

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Kansas Legal Services 1-800-723-6953

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Osborne County has a County Distress Index score of 42.0 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,208th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 49th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Osborne County?

    The primary driver of distress in Osborne County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 68.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Osborne County compare to neighboring counties?

    Osborne County (42.0) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Russell County, KS (49.4); Smith County, KS (45.3); Jewell County, KS (45.3).

  • 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 Osborne County?

    Osborne County, Kansas has a population of approximately 3,427 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.