About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Osborne County, Kansas, have a job
In Osborne County, 11.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Osborne County's score
In Osborne County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 57.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 17.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Osborne 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, Osborne County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (8.5%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit 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 behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202538th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.0% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
-
- 39.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.9% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,993 · 202467th percentile
-
- 26.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.6% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people29.2 · 20255th or lower percentile
-
- 20.5 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 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
-
- 17.9 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 rent5.3% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
-
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 Osborne 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 Osborne County, 26.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Osborne County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Osborne County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Osborne County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Osborne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.4% in 2018 to 8.3% in 2019.
The share of households in Osborne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2023 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.0% 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, Osborne County, Kansas.
How Osborne County has changed
Osborne County's population had its largest drop, from 5,544 in 1984 to 4,926 in 1989.
Osborne County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 3,353, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 6,048. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Osborne County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Osborne County had its largest rise, from 1,527 in 1990 to 1,668 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Osborne County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,668 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Osborne County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.6% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,005 | 2024 $60,993 |
The table uses 3.6% 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 Osborne County's history
1867
Established February 26, 1867. Wikipedia
1871
Settlers from southeastern Pennsylvania founded Osborne City in May 1871, named after Vincent B. Osborne, Union Army Civil War veteran. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 12,827. The 2020 Census counted 3,500, 27% of the peak. Census Bureau
1990
A tornado in April 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Hail in June 2005 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in June 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in May 2021 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Osborne County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Osborne County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Osborne County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Osborne County ranks 3rd of the eight; Lincoln County is highest, at 32.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewell County, KS | 28 | 12.3% | 28.6% |
| Lincoln County, KS | 25 | 11.6% | 32.5% |
| Rooks County, KS | 24 | 11.3% | 30.1% |
| Osborne County, KS | 20 | 11.3% | 30.0% |
| Russell County, KS | 18 | 12.7% | 27.3% |
| Smith County, KS | 17 | 10.5% | 28.6% |
| Ellis County, KS | 11 | 12.5% | 20.3% |
| Mitchell County, KS | 4 | 9.6% | 23.9% |
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 Osborne County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Osborne County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 55th 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, Osborne County ranks 66th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Osborne 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.
-
Kansas Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Osborne 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 Osborne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.