Smith County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Normal · 45.3 | 3,590 people · 37th most distressed in Kansas
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Smith County, KS falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 45.3 — 1959th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where health coverage gaps and disability rates are moderately elevated. Within Kansas, it ranks 37th of 105 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Smith County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 58.3 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 58.3
Uninsured Rate 50
Disability Rate 66
Employment & Wages 54.1
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 51
Business Formation Rate 92
Income & Poverty 50.3
Poverty Rate 37
Income vs. State Median 76
Child Poverty Rate 38
Debt & Delinquency 35.5
Debt in Collections 5
Medical Debt 23
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 39
Credit Card Delinquency 63
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 42
Housing Cost Burden 28.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 31
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 13
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 62
Homeownership Rate 7
Rent-to-Income Ratio 28

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Smith County
Smith County, KS 45.3 Normal —
Jewell County, KS 45.3 Normal -0.0
Osborne County, KS 42.0 Normal -3.2
Franklin County, NE 38.2 Normal -7.0
Rooks County, KS 37.1 Normal -8.2
Webster County, NE 36.4 Normal -8.9
Phillips County, KS 33.5 Healthy -11.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Smith County
Decatur County, KS 45.3 Normal 0.0
Jewell County, KS 45.3 Normal -0.0
Parmer County, TX 45.3 Normal -0.0
Sullivan County, MO 45.2 Normal -0.1
Maries County, MO 45.2 Normal -0.1

Download Data

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

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 785-234-5696

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Smith County has a County Distress Index score of 45.3 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,959th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 37th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Smith County?

    The primary driver of distress in Smith County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 58.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Smith County compare to neighboring counties?

    Smith County (45.3) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Jewell County, KS (45.3); Osborne County, KS (42.0); Franklin County, NE (38.2).

  • 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 Smith County?

    Smith County, Kansas has a population of approximately 3,590 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.