Unemployment in Woodson County, Kansas, is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties
In Woodson County, 5.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Woodson County's score
In Woodson County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 79.6. Income and the safety net comes next, at 64.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Woodson 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.
Woodson County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (32.1, 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (37.3%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 64.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.9% · 202447th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.9% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability21.2% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,280 · 202475th percentile
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- 59.5 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 rent23.3% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th percentile
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- 52.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202579th 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 score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 22.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.4% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people32.1 · 20255th 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 Woodson 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 Woodson County, 25.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Woodson County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Woodson County fell most sharply after its 2009 high, from 32.4% in 2009 to 26.1% in 2014.
In Woodson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Woodson County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Woodson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 9.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Woodson County, Kansas.
How Woodson County has changed
Woodson County's population fell by about a third to 3,111, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 4,100. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Woodson County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Woodson County fell by about a fifth to 663, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1990 to 1995, reaching 742. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Woodson County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.8% | 2024 12.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,204 | 2024 $58,280 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Woodson County's history
1855
Founded 1855. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 10,022. The 2020 Census counted 3,115, 31% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
A tornado in March 1982 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Woodson County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Woodson County beside its neighbors
Woodson County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Woodson County ranks 4th of the five; Wilson County is highest, at 33.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodson County, KS | 58 | 12.9% | 30.8% |
| Allen County, KS | 57 | 14.6% | 31.8% |
| Greenwood County, KS | 54 | 14.5% | 32.2% |
| Wilson County, KS | 40 | 12.8% | 33.7% |
| Coffey County, KS | 34 | 10.3% | 27.7% |
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 Woodson County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Woodson County's poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, 27th 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, Woodson County ranks 6th of 105 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Woodson 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 Woodson 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 Woodson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.