Rooks County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 37.1 | 4,778 people · 74th most distressed in Kansas
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Rooks County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 37.1 — 2531st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within Kansas, it ranks 74th of 105 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Rooks County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 46.6 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 46.6
Unemployment Rate 34
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 36
Business Formation Rate 69
Debt & Delinquency 42.6
Debt in Collections 18
Medical Debt 37
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 39
Credit Card Delinquency 71
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 50
Income & Poverty 40.5
Poverty Rate 31
Income vs. State Median 60
Child Poverty Rate 31
Community Vulnerability 37.2
Uninsured Rate 18
Disability Rate 57
Housing Cost Burden 18.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 8
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 7
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 10
Homeownership Rate 51
Rent-to-Income Ratio 16

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Rooks County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Rooks County
Rooks County, KS 37.1 Normal —
Smith County, KS 45.3 Normal +8.2
Ellis County, KS 43.0 Normal +6.0
Osborne County, KS 42.0 Normal +5.0
Graham County, KS 40.7 Normal +3.6
Phillips County, KS 33.5 Healthy -3.5
Trego County, KS 27.6 Healthy -9.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Rooks County
Judith Basin County, MT 37.1 Normal 0.0
Knox County, NE 37.0 Normal -0.0
Brown County, IL 37.1 Normal +0.0
Ouray County, CO 37.0 Normal -0.1
Trimble County, KY 37.2 Normal +0.1

Download Data

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Rooks County has a County Distress Index score of 37.1 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,531st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 74th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Rooks County?

    The primary driver of distress in Rooks County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 46.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Rooks County compare to neighboring counties?

    Rooks County (37.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Smith County, KS (45.3); Ellis County, KS (43.0); Osborne County, KS (42.0).

  • 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 Rooks County?

    Rooks County, Kansas has a population of approximately 4,778 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.