About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Washington County, Kansas, have a job
In Washington County, 12.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washington County's score
In Washington County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 33.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 11.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 54.5 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washington 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.
Washington County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 33.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,963 · 202452nd percentile
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- 16.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.4% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.9% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
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- 16.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.8% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
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- 12.5 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 rent7.8% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th percentile
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- 11.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.2% · August 202512th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people54.5 · 202511th 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 Washington 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 Washington County, 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washington County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washington County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Washington County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2011 low, from 3.1% in 2011 to 5.0% in 2012.
The share of households in Washington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 3.1% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Washington County, Kansas.
How Washington County has changed
Washington County's population had its largest drop, from 8,808 in 1979 to 7,875 in 1984.
Washington County's population fell 41% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 9,376 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washington County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Washington County had its largest rise, from 2,056 in 1990 to 2,198 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Washington County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 2,244 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washington County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.2% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.9% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,060 | 2024 $65,963 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Washington County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 21,963. The 2020 Census counted 5,530, 25% of the peak. Census Bureau
1973
A tornado in September 1973 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washington County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washington County beside its neighbors
All eight counties that border Washington County, in Kansas and Nebraska, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washington County ranks 6th of the nine; Cloud County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NE | 31 | 9.8% | 26.4% |
| Riley County, KS | 31 | 18.1% | 15.8% |
| Clay County, KS | 26 | 10.2% | 28.0% |
| Gage County, NE | 22 | 10.7% | 22.3% |
| Marshall County, KS | 22 | 11.7% | 29.3% |
| Cloud County, KS | 21 | 13.2% | 29.9% |
| Republic County, KS | 13 | 10.7% | 29.6% |
| Thayer County, NE | 8 | 10.8% | 26.1% |
| Washington County, KS | 3 | 11.1% | 26.3% |
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 Washington County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Washington County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 58th 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, Washington County ranks 102nd of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.