About 19 in 20 adults aged 25 to 54 in Thomas County, Kansas, have a job
In Thomas County, 7.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Thomas County's score
In Thomas County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 48.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 7.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Thomas 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, Thomas County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 48.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.7% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 32.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.4% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,212 · 202442nd percentile
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- 25.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.5% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.3 · 202522nd percentile
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- 8.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.7% · second quarter of 202612th percentile
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- 7.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working7.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Thomas 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 Thomas County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Thomas County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Thomas County made its largest gain on the way to its 2004 high, from 13.8% in 1999 to 19.9% in 2004.
In Thomas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Thomas County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Thomas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.4% in 2010 to 3.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Thomas County getting SNAP food aid fell by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3.8%, with its low point on the chart in 2022
Low on the chart: 2.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Thomas County, Kansas.
How Thomas County has changed
Thomas County's population had its largest drop, from 8,742 in 1984 to 8,224 in 1989.
Thomas County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 8,742 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Thomas County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Thomas County rose 18% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 4,284 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Thomas County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,492 | 2024 $69,212 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Thomas County's history
1941
St. Thomas Hospital built 1941 as part of Works Progress Administration. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 8,451. The 2020 Census counted 7,930, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
Hail in July 2010 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Thomas County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Thomas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Thomas County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Thomas County ranks 6th of the seven; Sherman County is highest, at 27.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman County, KS | 27 | 12.4% | 27.0% |
| Decatur County, KS | 20 | 11.9% | 26.0% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 14 | 10.8% | 22.6% |
| Logan County, KS | 12 | 10.1% | 22.0% |
| Thomas County, KS | 9 | 9.7% | 19.5% |
| Gove County, KS | 6 | 10.3% | 15.9% |
| Sheridan County, KS | 6 | 9.5% | 22.2% |
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 Thomas County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Thomas County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 84th 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, Thomas County ranks 91st of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Thomas 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.
Download the CSV for Thomas 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 Thomas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.