State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Kansas: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each Kansas county, FY 2026.

17.8%
State avg 2BR burden
0
Counties over 30% (of 105)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Kansas

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom, by Census-reported median household income for each county in Kansas. Across the 105 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 17.8%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning Kansas sits 3.9 percentage points lower than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Kansas, 0 of 105 counties (0%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Linn County at 27.5%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,358 eats that share of the local median income of $59,200. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability, eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which Kansas counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Kansas and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
17.8%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
0
of 105
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Linn County $1,197 $1,358 24.3% 27.5%
2 Wyandotte County $1,197 $1,358 23.7% 26.9%
3 Kearny County $1,087 $1,426 17.6% 23.1%
4 Lane County $754 $989 17.1% 22.4%
5 Geary County $848 $1,048 17.7% 21.9%
6 Woodson County $777 $877 19.4% 21.9%
7 Crawford County $687 $901 16.4% 21.5%
8 Riley County $875 $1,068 17.6% 21.5%
9 Comanche County $668 $877 16.2% 21.3%
10 Sumner County $812 $1,065 16.1% 21.2%
11 Hamilton County $822 $1,079 15.9% 20.9%
12 Norton County $678 $877 16.2% 20.9%
13 Douglas County $1,006 $1,182 17.6% 20.6%
14 Decatur County $668 $877 15.4% 20.2%
15 Jewell County $712 $877 16.3% 20.1%
16 Graham County $668 $877 15.2% 19.9%
17 Montgomery County $668 $877 15.1% 19.8%
18 Lincoln County $668 $877 15% 19.7%
19 Edwards County $668 $877 14.9% 19.6%
20 Republic County $800 $877 17.9% 19.6%
21 Russell County $765 $877 17% 19.5%
22 Sedgwick County $849 $1,099 15.1% 19.5%
23 Chase County $712 $877 15.7% 19.3%
24 Chautauqua County $668 $877 14.7% 19.3%
25 Seward County $771 $1,000 14.9% 19.3%
26 Shawnee County $820 $1,057 14.9% 19.2%
27 Saline County $770 $1,009 14.6% 19.1%
28 Harper County $740 $877 16% 19%
29 Labette County $668 $877 14.5% 19%
30 Reno County $729 $957 14.5% 19%
31 Cheyenne County $682 $877 14.7% 18.9%
32 Ellis County $717 $941 14.4% 18.9%
33 Neosho County $691 $877 14.9% 18.9%
34 Elk County $668 $877 14.3% 18.8%
35 Leavenworth County $1,197 $1,358 16.5% 18.8%
36 Barton County $693 $877 14.7% 18.6%
37 Morris County $679 $877 14.4% 18.6%
38 Miami County $1,197 $1,358 16.3% 18.5%
39 Smith County $762 $877 16% 18.5%
40 Cloud County $676 $877 14.1% 18.4%
41 Wilson County $668 $877 14% 18.4%
42 Allen County $727 $877 15.1% 18.3%
43 Barber County $730 $877 15.2% 18.3%
44 Cherokee County $668 $877 13.8% 18.1%
45 Clay County $724 $950 13.8% 18.1%
46 Cowley County $668 $877 13.8% 18.1%
47 Greenwood County $668 $877 13.8% 18.1%
48 Mitchell County $668 $877 13.8% 18.1%
49 Osage County $820 $1,057 14% 18.1%
50 Harvey County $849 $1,099 13.9% 18%
51 Wabaunsee County $820 $1,057 14% 18%
52 Brown County $668 $877 13.6% 17.9%
53 Lyon County $668 $877 13.6% 17.8%
54 Doniphan County $832 $1,077 13.7% 17.7%
55 Osborne County $668 $877 13.5% 17.7%
56 Kingman County $668 $877 13.4% 17.6%
57 Rawlins County $726 $952 13.4% 17.6%
58 Rush County $710 $877 14.1% 17.5%
59 Stevens County $688 $903 13.3% 17.5%
60 Wallace County $758 $877 15.1% 17.5%
61 Jackson County $820 $1,057 13.5% 17.4%
62 Sherman County $710 $932 13.2% 17.4%
63 Finney County $793 $1,041 13.1% 17.2%
64 Phillips County $695 $877 13.6% 17.2%
65 Rooks County $668 $877 13% 17.1%
66 Franklin County $789 $1,020 13.1% 17%
67 Atchison County $668 $877 12.9% 16.9%
68 Washington County $701 $877 13.5% 16.9%
69 Gove County $800 $877 15.2% 16.7%
70 Hodgeman County $714 $877 13.6% 16.7%
71 Bourbon County $713 $936 12.7% 16.6%
72 Marion County $688 $877 13% 16.6%
73 Ford County $739 $969 12.6% 16.5%
74 Pawnee County $668 $877 12.6% 16.5%
75 Rice County $668 $877 12.5% 16.5%
76 Stafford County $682 $877 12.8% 16.5%
77 Butler County $849 $1,099 12.7% 16.4%
78 Jefferson County $820 $1,057 12.7% 16.4%
79 Pratt County $766 $877 14.3% 16.4%
80 Anderson County $668 $877 12.3% 16.2%
81 Clark County $752 $877 13.8% 16.1%
82 Morton County $668 $877 12.2% 16%
83 Ness County $668 $877 12.1% 15.9%
84 Ellsworth County $708 $877 12.7% 15.8%
85 Coffey County $670 $879 11.9% 15.7%
86 Dickinson County $669 $878 11.8% 15.5%
87 Scott County $668 $877 11.8% 15.5%
88 Logan County $832 $912 14% 15.3%
89 Haskell County $668 $877 11.6% 15.2%
90 Johnson County $1,197 $1,358 13.4% 15.2%
91 Sheridan County $699 $877 12% 15%
92 Stanton County $668 $877 11.4% 15%
93 Marshall County $668 $877 11.3% 14.9%
94 Wichita County $800 $877 13.5% 14.8%
95 Ottawa County $711 $933 11.1% 14.6%
96 Pottawatomie County $875 $1,068 12% 14.6%
97 Grant County $668 $877 11.1% 14.5%
98 Kiowa County $668 $877 10.9% 14.4%
99 Thomas County $688 $877 11.2% 14.3%
100 Trego County $782 $877 12.8% 14.3%
101 McPherson County $701 $920 10.8% 14.2%
102 Meade County $668 $877 10.7% 14.1%
103 Nemaha County $722 $877 11.2% 13.6%
104 Gray County $800 $877 12.3% 13.5%
105 Greeley County $668 $877 10.2% 13.4%
National burden rankings → All Kansas rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Kansas? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Kansas is 17.8% of household income. 0 of 105 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Kansas are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Linn County at 27.5% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Kansas compare to the national average? ▼
Kansas's average rent burden is 17.8% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 3.9 percentage points lower than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.