John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among Kansas’ counties, Barber County saw the largest increase in transfer dependency over the past 10 years, surging 14.5% from 16.5% in 2012 to 31% in 2022, and up 20.3% from just 10.7% in 1970. In dollar terms, government transfers per capita in Barber County jumped from $9,735 in 2012 to $15,640 in 2022, a stark contrast to the $2,349 recorded in 1970.
Stafford County followed with the second-largest increase in transfer dependency, increasing 13.8% from 14% in 2012 to 27.8% in 2022, and an overall increase of 18% from 1970’s 9.8% transfer dependency. This trend is reflected in per capita amounts, with residents of Stafford County receiving an average of $13,257 in transfer income in 2022, up from $9,332 in 2012 and more than double the $2,349 recorded in 1970.
Additionally, Elk County had the highest percentage of income derived from government transfers, at 40.7% in 2022, making it the county with the highest overall transfer dependency. Chautauqua County and Greenwood County followed, with transfer dependency rates of 35.4% and 34.5% in 2022, respectively.
Compared to 1970, Elk County increased by 24.3%, while Chautauqua County and Greenwood County have increased by 19.9% and 19.7%, respectively, showing sustained reliance on government transfers. Residents in Elk County received an average of $16,216 in transfers per capita, with Chautauqua County and Greenwood County close behind at $14,835 and $14,800, respectively.
For comparison, the statewide average was 16.7% in 2022, showing a lower dependency than the national average of 17.6%. On a per capita level, this translates to $10,119 per resident in 2022, compared to $11,542 nationwide.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
In Kansas, reliance on government transfers was just 8.5% (or $1,968 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970. This has since increased to 16.7% (or $10,119 per capita) in 2022, reflecting a total increase of 8.2% since 1970. This shift is largely influenced by increased healthcare costs, and economic transformations that have reshaped income sources across the U.S.
In 2022, the primary government transfer programs in Kansas included:
- Social Security: $3,814 (37.7% of total transfers)
- Medicare: $2,622 (25.9% of total transfers)
- Medicaid: $1,604 (15.9% of total transfers)
- Income Maintenance Programs: $920 (9.1% of total transfers)
With 17% of the population aged 65 and older, Kansas has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. However, counties with higher poverty rates also show elevated Medicaid and income maintenance participation.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Kansas, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 8.5% (or $1,968 per capita) in 1970 to 16.7% (or $10,119 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Dependency on Transfers (%) | Change Since 2012 | Change Since 1970 | Per Capita Amount (2022) | Per Capita Change Since 2012 | Per Capita Change Since 1970 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County | 29.5% | 3.3% | 15.9% | $13,766 | $2,742 | $11,244 |
| Anderson County | 27.8% | 4.8% | 11.9% | $13,124 | $2,757 | $10,652 |
| Atchison County | 25.7% | 2.6% | 14% | $11,013 | $2,222 | $8,787 |
| Barber County | 31% | 14.5% | 20.3% | $15,640 | $5,905 | $13,291 |
| Barton County | 23.5% | 7.1% | 15.9% | $12,983 | $3,482 | $11,185 |
| Bourbon County | 25.2% | 1.4% | 10.7% | $12,523 | $2,044 | $9,639 |
| Brown County | 28.1% | 6.6% | 14.4% | $13,266 | $2,788 | $10,523 |
| Butler County | 18.1% | 2.5% | 8.8% | $9,704 | $2,002 | $7,648 |
| Chase County | 18.4% | 4.1% | 3.2% | $10,904 | $2,190 | $8,435 |
| Chautauqua County | 35.4% | 8.5% | 19.9% | $14,835 | $2,379 | $11,611 |
| Cherokee County | 24.6% | -0.9% | 10% | $12,926 | $2,501 | $10,360 |
| Cheyenne County | 25.9% | 5.1% | 17.6% | $14,133 | $2,392 | $12,238 |
| Clark County | 19.1% | 0.2% | 8.8% | $11,080 | $150 | $8,213 |
| Clay County | 26.8% | 5.9% | 14.3% | $12,753 | $2,992 | $10,271 |
| Cloud County | 30.4% | 4.4% | 17.6% | $13,551 | $3,127 | $11,089 |
| Coffey County | 24.9% | 8% | 8.6% | $13,854 | $3,363 | $11,218 |
| Comanche County | 32.5% | 8.9% | 22.7% | $14,100 | $3,281 | $11,498 |
| Cowley County | 28.4% | 4.8% | 17.2% | $12,400 | $2,529 | $10,039 |
| Crawford County | 24.4% | 1.6% | 9% | $11,071 | $1,551 | $8,233 |
| Decatur County | 26.1% | 4.8% | 7.6% | $15,846 | $4,689 | $12,797 |
| Dickinson County | 26.9% | 6.9% | 14% | $12,741 | $3,842 | $10,183 |
| Doniphan County | 24.1% | 2.5% | 13.5% | $11,365 | $2,253 | $9,299 |
| Douglas County | 15% | 1.4% | 8.5% | $7,934 | $1,870 | $6,700 |
| Edwards County | 23.3% | 8.1% | 12.8% | $13,635 | $3,740 | $10,987 |
| Elk County | 40.7% | 13.3% | 24.3% | $16,216 | $3,233 | $13,213 |
| Ellis County | 17.9% | 4.1% | 10.4% | $10,038 | $2,333 | $8,802 |
| Ellsworth County | 26.5% | 6.3% | 14.4% | $12,102 | $2,888 | $9,607 |
| Finney County | 15.8% | 2.4% | 8.7% | $7,818 | $1,652 | $6,207 |
| Ford County | 15.4% | 1.3% | 8.2% | $7,285 | $1,373 | $5,456 |
| Franklin County | 24.6% | 3.2% | 12.6% | $11,920 | $2,780 | $9,548 |
| Geary County | 18.1% | 5.9% | 13.9% | $9,119 | $2,813 | $7,728 |
| Gove County | 16.4% | 4% | 10% | $11,959 | $1,976 | $10,232 |
| Graham County | 30.1% | 10.6% | 21.7% | $15,439 | $2,990 | $13,693 |
| Grant County | 21.8% | 11.2% | 17.8% | $8,865 | $3,216 | $7,702 |
| Gray County | 13.8% | 5.8% | 8.3% | $9,080 | $2,961 | $7,313 |
| Greeley County | 13.3% | 0.7% | 9.1% | $11,689 | $1,748 | $10,081 |
| Greenwood County | 34.5% | 6.8% | 19.7% | $14,800 | $2,504 | $11,892 |
| Hamilton County | 12.7% | 1% | 5.9% | $10,066 | $2,658 | $8,406 |
| Harper County | 24.1% | 6.8% | 11.8% | $14,068 | $3,831 | $11,043 |
| Harvey County | 23.5% | 3.5% | 13.4% | $11,925 | $2,910 | $9,695 |
| Haskell County | 15.6% | 7.7% | 12.4% | $9,252 | $3,138 | $8,039 |
| Hodgeman County | 20.1% | 5.6% | 14.3% | $12,505 | $4,540 | $10,986 |
| Jackson County | 22.6% | 2.4% | 11.5% | $11,114 | $2,180 | $8,965 |
| Jefferson County | 21.1% | 2.8% | 12.1% | $11,274 | $2,957 | $9,240 |
| Jewell County | 30.1% | 10.4% | 19.2% | $14,075 | $3,601 | $11,875 |
| Johnson County | 8.9% | 0.4% | 5.4% | $8,040 | $1,931 | $6,936 |
| Kearny County | 16.7% | 4.7% | 11.5% | $9,220 | $1,893 | $7,821 |
| Kingman County | 25.8% | 6% | 14.9% | $12,826 | $3,122 | $10,706 |
| Kiowa County | 31.3% | 9.1% | 20.9% | $13,661 | $3,472 | $11,351 |
| Labette County | 31.1% | 3.7% | 17.4% | $14,887 | $2,771 | $11,976 |
| Lane County | 21.2% | 9.3% | 14.8% | $15,053 | $3,791 | $13,224 |
| Leavenworth County | 19% | 2.9% | 11.5% | $9,496 | $2,182 | $7,923 |
| Lincoln County | 29.9% | 5.7% | 17.2% | $14,140 | $3,605 | $11,530 |
| Linn County | 25.9% | 0.6% | 9% | $11,857 | $1,848 | $9,016 |
| Logan County | 22.3% | 6.2% | 13.9% | $13,331 | $3,294 | $11,368 |
| Lyon County | 23.2% | 1.1% | 11.9% | $10,845 | $2,514 | $8,872 |
| McPherson County | 20% | 4% | 11.6% | $11,516 | $2,652 | $9,690 |
| Marion County | 28.2% | 4.5% | 15.9% | $12,689 | $2,676 | $10,454 |
| Marshall County | 27.4% | 7.4% | 13.4% | $12,461 | $2,700 | $9,722 |
| Meade County | 15% | 3.4% | 8.9% | $10,382 | $2,687 | $8,589 |
| Miami County | 16.8% | 0.9% | 5.1% | $9,921 | $2,129 | $7,590 |
| Mitchell County | 22.7% | 4.7% | 11.1% | $14,405 | $3,912 | $12,015 |
| Montgomery County | 31.2% | 5.7% | 16.9% | $13,699 | $2,945 | $10,819 |
| Morris County | 26.2% | 3.3% | 10.9% | $12,984 | $2,887 | $10,378 |
| Morton County | 28.2% | 12% | 22.4% | $11,523 | $3,523 | $10,168 |
| Nemaha County | 18.7% | 3.3% | 8.1% | $11,015 | $2,329 | $8,929 |
| Neosho County | 28.4% | 3.1% | 16.3% | $12,938 | $2,155 | $10,563 |
| Ness County | 24.1% | 7.2% | 15.1% | $14,712 | $3,849 | $12,610 |
| Norton County | 21% | 3.5% | 9.6% | $10,880 | $2,464 | $8,602 |
| Osage County | 25.2% | 3.1% | 13.8% | $12,249 | $2,803 | $10,131 |
| Osborne County | 28.8% | 7.9% | 15.2% | $14,190 | $3,288 | $11,291 |
| Ottawa County | 23.4% | 2.7% | 10.5% | $11,472 | $2,338 | $8,659 |
| Pawnee County | 30.7% | 11% | 21.6% | $13,512 | $3,945 | $11,134 |
| Phillips County | 25% | 7.9% | 15.4% | $15,112 | $4,527 | $13,018 |
| Pottawatomie County | 13.1% | 1.9% | 2.4% | $8,091 | $1,487 | $5,955 |
| Pratt County | 21.2% | 5.3% | 12% | $11,268 | $2,490 | $8,944 |
| Rawlins County | 19% | -0.5% | 10.3% | $14,512 | $2,553 | $12,553 |
| Reno County | 24.9% | 2.7% | 16.3% | $11,868 | $2,304 | $9,944 |
| Republic County | 31.1% | 10.3% | 20.3% | $14,409 | $3,662 | $12,153 |
| Rice County | 24.1% | 5.4% | 13.6% | $11,650 | $2,296 | $9,295 |
| Riley County | 13.5% | 3.6% | 10.2% | $6,776 | $2,152 | $5,930 |
| Rooks County | 31.6% | 10.2% | 21.2% | $13,618 | $3,438 | $11,370 |
| Rush County | 28.7% | 7.9% | 17.5% | $14,888 | $3,344 | $12,443 |
| Russell County | 27.4% | 9.7% | 17.4% | $14,450 | $3,117 | $12,269 |
| Saline County | 19.9% | 2.5% | 11.6% | $11,345 | $2,693 | $9,553 |
| Scott County | 17.5% | 4.6% | 12.9% | $10,762 | $2,052 | $9,508 |
| Sedgwick County | 16.5% | 3% | 8.3% | $9,873 | $2,081 | $7,883 |
| Seward County | 16.6% | 2.3% | 11% | $7,848 | $2,204 | $6,479 |
| Shawnee County | 22.4% | 2% | 14.4% | $12,409 | $2,504 | $10,424 |
| Sheridan County | 23.3% | 10.7% | 17.3% | $13,186 | $3,936 | $11,377 |
| Sherman County | 26.2% | 6.5% | 17.6% | $13,511 | $3,097 | $11,388 |
| Smith County | 29.3% | 6.6% | 18.4% | $15,906 | $4,417 | $13,600 |
| Stafford County | 27.8% | 13.8% | 18% | $13,257 | $3,925 | $10,677 |
| Stanton County | 12.7% | 3.3% | 9.5% | $9,909 | $2,954 | $8,754 |
| Stevens County | 16.4% | 3.7% | 11.1% | $8,333 | $1,979 | $6,804 |
| Sumner County | 24.8% | 5.4% | 12% | $11,291 | $2,600 | $8,608 |
| Thomas County | 19.2% | 5.8% | 12.3% | $10,493 | $3,025 | $8,714 |
| Trego County | 25.8% | 3.9% | 17.9% | $13,829 | $2,043 | $12,010 |
| Wabaunsee County | 19.4% | 3.7% | 7.1% | $10,824 | $2,436 | $8,414 |
| Wallace County | 22.3% | 7.4% | 16% | $11,847 | $1,318 | $10,029 |
| Washington County | 27.8% | 7.5% | 14.3% | $13,079 | $2,751 | $10,701 |
| Wichita County | 22.1% | 9.7% | 18.8% | $12,079 | $2,098 | $10,901 |
| Wilson County | 31.6% | 6.9% | 18.3% | $14,989 | $3,046 | $12,183 |
| Woodson County | 32.8% | 7.5% | 20.7% | $12,884 | $1,604 | $9,964 |
| Wyandotte County | 26.4% | 12.2% | 16.6% | $10,115 | $1,181 | $8,043 |
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