In Wyandotte County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Wyandotte County, 29.0% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wyandotte County's score
In Wyandotte County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 83.3. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 29.0% of the median household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 81.1.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Wyandotte County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (13.6%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Wyandotte County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 83.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.0% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 81.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.8% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people208.1 · 202576th percentile
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- 81.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.9% · Q4 202582nd percentile
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- 64.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202674th percentile
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- 61.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.2% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,054 · 202457th percentile
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- People without health insurance17.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Wyandotte County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wyandotte County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wyandotte County in 2024, pay from work was 64 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 cents. Benefit checks were 26 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Wyandotte County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 26 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Wyandotte County, Kansas: 25.8% and 64.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 25.8% of all personal income in Wyandotte County, Kansas (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Wyandotte County, 13.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Wyandotte County has changed
The number of people living in Wyandotte County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 186,986 to 169,418. The number of jobs located there grew by about 22% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.3% in 1990 to 4.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 186,986 | 2024 169,418 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 77,284 | 2024 94,304 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.0% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $23,327 | 2024 $64,054 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.6% | 2024 25.8% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Wyandotte County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 186,845. The 2020 Census counted 169,245, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
1859
Founded January 29, 1859. Wikipedia
1961
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1961
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1961
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Tornado: $15.5 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wyandotte County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Wyandotte County beside its neighbors
Wyandotte County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Kansas and Missouri. Of the group, Wyandotte County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (25.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyandotte County, KS | 89 | 15.0% | 25.8% |
| Jackson County, MO | 73 | 14.3% | 21.1% |
| Clay County, MO | 33 | 8.9% | 17.3% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 27 | 9.2% | 20.7% |
| Platte County, MO | 17 | 5.5% | 13.6% |
| Johnson County, KS | 5 | 6.0% | 10.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Wyandotte County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Wyandotte County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 7th 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, Wyandotte County ranks 1st of 105 in the state.
Wyandotte County in photographs
Places in Wyandotte County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Wyandotte County Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas.
Wyandotte County, Kansas: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Wyandotte County, Kansas?
15.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 20.2%.
Is Wyandotte County the poorest county in Kansas?
No, Wyandotte County's poverty rate was 15.0% in 2024, 7th 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, Wyandotte County ranks 1st of 105 in the state.
What is the population of Wyandotte County, Kansas?
About 169,418 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 169,245, 91% of the county's peak of 186,845 in 1970.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wyandotte County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Community Housing of Wyandotte County, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Kansas Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Wyandotte County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Wyandotte County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.