In Wabaunsee County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Wabaunsee County, 16.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wabaunsee County's score
In Wabaunsee County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 43.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 7.9. About one in 14 renters (7.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wabaunsee 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, Wabaunsee County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (12.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 43.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202633rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.3% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 34.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.4% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.6% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance12.6% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$86,097 · 202413th percentile
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- 19.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.9% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85 · 202528th percentile
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- 13.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.2% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.7% · second quarter of 20267th percentile
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- 7.9 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 rent7.3% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.3% · fiscal year 20279th 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 Wabaunsee 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 Wabaunsee County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wabaunsee County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wabaunsee County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Wabaunsee County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wabaunsee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.3% in 2019 to 5.2% in 2020.
The share of households in Wabaunsee County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 4.6%, with its low point on the chart in 2014
Low on the chart: 3.6% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.
How Wabaunsee County has changed
Wabaunsee County's population rose 11% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 7,059. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Wabaunsee County had its largest rise, from 1,155 in 1995 to 1,310 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Wabaunsee County rose 29% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 1,401 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 8.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,084 | 2024 $86,097 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Wabaunsee County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 12,813. The 2020 Census counted 6,877, 54% of the peak. Census Bureau
1960
A tornado in May 1960 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in May 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A tornado in February 2012 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wabaunsee County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wabaunsee County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Wabaunsee County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wabaunsee County ranks 5th of the eight; Morris County is highest, at 28.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geary County, KS | 69 | 12.4% | 19.8% |
| Shawnee County, KS | 55 | 12.0% | 23.4% |
| Lyon County, KS | 47 | 13.5% | 24.4% |
| Riley County, KS | 31 | 18.1% | 15.8% |
| Osage County, KS | 28 | 10.7% | 26.1% |
| Morris County, KS | 23 | 10.5% | 28.1% |
| Wabaunsee County, KS | 9 | 8.4% | 21.0% |
| Pottawatomie County, KS | 1 | 6.8% | 15.2% |
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 Wabaunsee County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Wabaunsee County's poverty rate was 8.4% in 2024, 96th 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, Wabaunsee County ranks 92nd of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wabaunsee 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 Wabaunsee 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 Wabaunsee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.