Washington County, Kansas

County Distress Index: Healthy · 28.5 | 5,504 people · 94th most distressed in Kansas
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Washington County, KS ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 28.5 — 2936th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where household incomes are relatively strong and poverty rates are low. Within Kansas, it ranks 94th of 105 counties. It scores lower than all 8 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Washington County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 39.2 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 39.2
Poverty Rate 32
Income vs. State Median 67
Child Poverty Rate 20
Employment & Wages 39.1
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 64
Business Formation Rate 35
Community Vulnerability 26.1
Uninsured Rate 20
Disability Rate 32
Debt & Delinquency 22.0
Debt in Collections 13
Medical Debt 42
Student Loan Delinquency 41
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 20
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 11
Housing Cost Burden 16.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 10
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 17
Homeownership Rate 29
Rent-to-Income Ratio 20

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Washington County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Washington County
Washington County, KS 28.5 Healthy —
Riley County, KS 48.0 Normal +19.5
Jefferson County, NE 46.4 Normal +17.9
Clay County, KS 44.8 Normal +16.3
Cloud County, KS 43.8 Normal +15.3
Gage County, NE 39.7 Normal +11.2
Republic County, KS 38.3 Normal +9.8
Marshall County, KS 34.1 Healthy +5.6
Thayer County, NE 28.5 Healthy +0.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Washington County
Bon Homme County, SD 28.5 Healthy 0.0
Murray County, MN 28.5 Healthy -0.0
Antelope County, NE 28.5 Healthy -0.0
Thayer County, NE 28.5 Healthy +0.0
Rich County, UT 28.4 Healthy -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Washington County

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Kansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

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 Washington County, Kansas?

    Washington County has a County Distress Index score of 28.5 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,936th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 94th in Kansas out of 105 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Washington County?

    The primary driver of distress in Washington County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 39.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Washington County compare to neighboring counties?

    Washington County (28.5) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Riley County, KS (48.0); Jefferson County, NE (46.4); Clay County, KS (44.8).

  • 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 Washington County?

    Washington County, Kansas has a population of approximately 5,504 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.