About one in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Reno County, Kansas, is not working
In Reno County, 21.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 51% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Reno County's score
In Reno County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 59.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 175.6 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 68% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 51.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Reno 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.
Reno County does better than most counties on two measures: children below the poverty line (13.3%, 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.3% · August 202550th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people175.6 · 202568th percentile
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- 51.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 49.8 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 rent19.9% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.7% · fiscal year 202738th percentile
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- 48.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.9% · 202439th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,984 · 202464th percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.7% · second quarter of 202658th 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 Reno 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 Reno 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
Reno County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Reno County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Reno County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Reno County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.1% in 2018 to 9.9% in 2019.
The share of households in Reno County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 8.3%
Low on the chart: 8.1% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Reno County, Kansas.
How Reno County has changed
Reno County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1999 high, from 62,910 in 1994 to 64,920 in 1999.
Reno County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 64,920 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Reno County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Reno County had its largest rise, from 26,016 in 1990 to 28,757 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Reno County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 28,858 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Reno County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.1% | 2024 11.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,808 | 2024 $61,984 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Reno County's history
1867
Established February 26, 1867. Wikipedia
1887
Salt discovered in Reno County by Benjamin Blanchard, first salt-processing plants west of Mississippi. Wikipedia
1923
Carey Salt Company opened only salt mine in Hutchinson 1923. Wikipedia
1943
POW camps in Hutchinson held German and Italian prisoners World War II. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 64,983. The 2020 Census counted 61,898, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in March 1991 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in July 2005 did $12.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in May 2007 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Reno County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Reno County beside its neighbors
Reno County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Reno County ranks 2nd of the eight; Kingman County is highest, at 26.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reno County, KS | 51 | 11.9% | 26.1% |
| Sedgwick County, KS | 48 | 12.5% | 18.3% |
| Rice County, KS | 28 | 11.0% | 23.2% |
| Stafford County, KS | 27 | 11.6% | 26.1% |
| Pratt County, KS | 19 | 13.2% | 22.6% |
| Harvey County, KS | 19 | 8.5% | 25.2% |
| Kingman County, KS | 12 | 10.6% | 26.9% |
| McPherson County, KS | 6 | 8.3% | 20.9% |
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 Reno County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Reno County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 45th 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, Reno County ranks 16th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Reno 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.
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 Reno County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.