Unemployment in Wichita County, Kansas, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Wichita County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wichita County's score
In Wichita County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 42.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 10.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wichita 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.
Wichita 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.
- 42.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.2% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability18.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,318 · 202448th percentile
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- 32.5 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 rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th percentile
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- 32.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.9% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people96.1 · 202534th percentile
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- 30.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202538th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.8% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 10.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.7% · 2020 to 202414th 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 Wichita 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 Wichita County, 24.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wichita County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wichita County had its largest rise, from 10.3% in 2014 to 17.0% in 2019.
In Wichita County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about five times its 1969 level, reaching 18.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Wichita County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 18.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wichita County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.9% in 2016 to 4.9% in 2017.
The share of households in Wichita County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 2.6% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wichita County, Kansas.
How Wichita County has changed
Wichita County's population had its largest drop, from 3,260 in 1979 to 2,907 in 1984.
Wichita County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1974 and is down 41% since
High on the chart: 3,525 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wichita County, Kansas.
The number of jobs located in Wichita County made its largest gain on the way to its 2005 high, from 808 in 2000 to 871 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Wichita County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 871 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wichita County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.7% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,809 | 2024 $67,318 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Wichita County's history
1970
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 3,274. The 2020 Census counted 2,152, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 2005
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wichita County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wichita County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wichita County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wichita County ranks 3rd of the seven; Logan County is highest, at 22.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallace County, KS | 24 | 12.2% | 19.2% |
| Kearny County, KS | 23 | 10.6% | 16.9% |
| Hamilton County, KS | 21 | 12.9% | 12.5% |
| Wichita County, KS | 16 | 10.9% | 18.3% |
| Logan County, KS | 12 | 10.1% | 22.0% |
| Greeley County, KS | 11 | 9.9% | 11.1% |
| Scott County, KS | 10 | 7.1% | 17.6% |
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 Wichita County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Wichita County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 61st 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, Wichita County ranks 76th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wichita 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 Wichita 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 Wichita County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.