In Wyandotte County, Kansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Wyandotte County, 29.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. 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. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 81.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wyandotte 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.
Wyandotte County does better than most counties on one measure: people with a disability (13.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.8% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.0% · fiscal year 202795th 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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- 80.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.9% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.3% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.1% · second quarter of 202680th percentile
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- 64.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
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- 61.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.0% · 202464th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.2% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance17.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,054 · 202457th 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 Wyandotte 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 Wyandotte County, 13.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wyandotte County
Kansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wyandotte County fell most sharply after its 2009 high, from 26.3% in 2009 to 18.7% in 2014.
In Wyandotte County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Wyandotte County, Kansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wyandotte County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.1% in 2010 to 14.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Wyandotte County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 11.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wyandotte County, Kansas.
How Wyandotte County has changed
Wyandotte County's population had its largest drop, from 182,019 in 1974 to 173,056 in 1979.
Wyandotte County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, with its low point on the chart in 2004
Low on the chart: 154,874 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wyandotte County, Kansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Wyandotte County rose by about a fifth to 93,648, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2010 and 2015
High on the chart: 93,648 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wyandotte County, Kansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.3% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.0% | 2024 15.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,327 | 2024 $64,054 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Wyandotte County's history
1859
Founded January 29, 1859. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in May 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1961
A tornado in May 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1961
A tornado in May 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1970
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
2003
A tornado in May 2003 did $15.5 million in property damage and killed two people. 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
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 | 72 | 14.3% | 21.1% |
| Clay County, MO | 30 | 8.9% | 17.3% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 26 | 9.2% | 20.7% |
| Platte County, MO | 16 | 5.5% | 13.6% |
| Johnson County, KS | 5 | 6.0% | 10.4% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wyandotte 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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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
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 Wyandotte 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 Wyandotte County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.