Rice County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 36.9 | 9,260 people · 75th most distressed in Kansas
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Rice County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 36.9 — 2545th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where debt and delinquency levels sit above the national average. Within Kansas, it ranks 75th of 105 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Rice County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 49.7 — above the national median.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 49.7
Debt in Collections 32
Medical Debt 55
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 44
Credit Card Delinquency 92
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 35
Employment & Wages 39.2
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 12
Business Formation Rate 82
Community Vulnerability 38.5
Uninsured Rate 37
Disability Rate 40
Income & Poverty 36.0
Poverty Rate 25
Income vs. State Median 48
Child Poverty Rate 35
Housing Cost Burden 20.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 50
Homeownership Rate 35
Rent-to-Income Ratio 10

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Rice County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Rice County
Rice County, KS 36.9 Normal —
Barton County, KS 52.4 Elevated +15.6
Reno County, KS 50.2 Elevated +13.3
Stafford County, KS 38.6 Normal +1.8
Ellsworth County, KS 30.2 Healthy -6.7
McPherson County, KS 27.3 Healthy -9.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Rice County
Pipestone County, MN 36.9 Normal 0.0
Custer County, CO 36.9 Normal +0.0
Hancock County, KY 36.8 Normal -0.0
Teton County, MT 36.8 Normal -0.1
Ouray County, CO 37.0 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Rice 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 Rice County, Kansas?

    Rice County has a County Distress Index score of 36.9 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,545th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 75th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Rice County?

    The primary driver of distress in Rice County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 49.7 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Rice County compare to neighboring counties?

    Rice County (36.9) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Barton County, KS (52.4); Reno County, KS (50.2); Stafford County, KS (38.6).

  • 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 Rice County?

    Rice County, Kansas has a population of approximately 9,260 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.