In 2022, Social Security transfers in Doniphan County totaled $31.38 million, amounting to $4,218 per capita, or 37.1% of total government transfers, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor in the county. Medicare was the second largest contributor, totaling $24.98 million, equating to $3,358 per capita and making up 29.5% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Social Security transfers across Kansas amounted to $11.2 billion, ranking highest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $3,814 per capita, or 37.7% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $29.72 billion, accounting for 16.7% of residents’ total income, with an average of $10,119 per resident.
Medicaid was the third largest contributor in Doniphan County in 2022, accounting for $12.9 million, averaging $1,734 per capita, representing 15.3% of transfers. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $6.38 million, averaging $858 per capita and comprising 7.5% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
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).
With 20.1% of the population aged 65 and older, Doniphan County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Doniphan County, excluding government transfers was $35,752, which is noticeably below the county’s total income of $47,117, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Doniphan County saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 1.4%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
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 Doniphan County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 10.6% (or $2,066 per capita) in 1970 to 24.1% (or $11,365 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedgwick County | 1 | 16.5% | 15.9% | 6.2% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 2% | $9,873 |
| Johnson County | 2 | 8.9% | 16% | 4.1% | 2.5% | 0.9% | 0.5% | $8,040 |
| Shawnee County | 3 | 22.4% | 19.5% | 7.8% | 5.3% | 4.2% | 2.2% | $12,409 |
| Wyandotte County | 4 | 26.4% | 13.4% | 7.4% | 6% | 6.4% | 4.1% | $10,115 |
| Douglas County | 5 | 15% | 13.9% | 6.3% | 3.7% | 2% | 1.2% | $7,934 |
| Leavenworth County | 6 | 19% | 16% | 6.9% | 4.3% | 1.7% | 1.4% | $9,496 |
| Reno County | 7 | 24.9% | 20.5% | 9.6% | 6.3% | 4.4% | 2.2% | $11,868 |
| Butler County | 8 | 18.1% | 16.2% | 7.6% | 4.6% | 2.3% | 1.5% | $9,704 |
| Saline County | 9 | 19.9% | 19.5% | 7.6% | 5.2% | 3.2% | 1.9% | $11,345 |
| Riley County | 10 | 13.5% | 10.4% | 4.7% | 2.9% | 1.4% | 1.1% | $6,776 |
| Crawford County | 11 | 24.4% | 15.7% | 7.7% | 5.4% | 6.1% | 2.7% | $11,071 |
| Cowley County | 12 | 28.4% | 18.6% | 9.8% | 6.4% | 6.3% | 3% | $12,400 |
| Montgomery County | 13 | 31.2% | 20.7% | 10.5% | 7.5% | 7% | 3.2% | $13,699 |
| Harvey County | 14 | 23.5% | 20.7% | 9% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 1.8% | $11,925 |
| Lyon County | 15 | 23.2% | 16.5% | 8.1% | 6% | 4.3% | 2.1% | $10,845 |
| Miami County | 16 | 16.8% | 18.1% | 6.7% | 4.4% | 2.7% | 1.1% | $9,921 |
| McPherson County | 17 | 20% | 20.4% | 8% | 5.5% | 3.6% | 1.1% | $11,516 |
| Barton County | 18 | 23.5% | 20.8% | 7.9% | 7% | 4.5% | 2.1% | $12,983 |
| Geary County | 19 | 18.1% | 9.1% | 4.2% | 2.7% | 2% | 2.8% | $9,119 |
| Franklin County | 20 | 24.6% | 18.1% | 8.8% | 7.1% | 4% | 2% | $11,920 |
| Finney County | 21 | 15.8% | 11.9% | 5% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 2.3% | $7,818 |
| Labette County | 22 | 31.1% | 20.3% | 9.2% | 6.1% | 10.4% | 2.9% | $14,887 |
| Ellis County | 23 | 17.9% | 16.5% | 6.8% | 5% | 2.6% | 1.1% | $10,038 |
| Sumner County | 24 | 24.8% | 20% | 10.1% | 5.8% | 3.8% | 2.3% | $11,291 |
| Cherokee County | 25 | 24.6% | 20.1% | 8.6% | 6% | 5.6% | 2.6% | $12,926 |
| Ford County | 26 | 15.4% | 11.7% | 5.1% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2.2% | $7,285 |
| Dickinson County | 27 | 26.9% | 20.9% | 9.4% | 7.4% | 3% | 1.9% | $12,741 |
| Pottawatomie County | 28 | 13.1% | 15.3% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 1.3% | 1.1% | $8,091 |
| Jefferson County | 29 | 21.1% | 20.4% | 8.7% | 6% | 2.1% | 1.3% | $11,274 |
| Neosho County | 30 | 28.4% | 20.4% | 9.6% | 7.3% | 6.3% | 2.7% | $12,938 |
| Osage County | 31 | 25.2% | 20.9% | 9.4% | 6.7% | 3.7% | 2% | $12,249 |
| Bourbon County | 32 | 25.2% | 19.8% | 8.6% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 2.9% | $12,523 |
| Atchison County | 33 | 25.7% | 18.2% | 8.8% | 6.7% | 4.9% | 2.4% | $11,013 |
| Allen County | 34 | 29.5% | 21.1% | 10% | 7.7% | 6.7% | 2.7% | $13,766 |
| Seward County | 35 | 16.6% | 10.9% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 2.5% | $7,848 |
| Marion County | 36 | 28.2% | 23.5% | 10.7% | 8.3% | 4.7% | 1.7% | $12,689 |
| Jackson County | 37 | 22.6% | 20% | 8.9% | 6.5% | 2.7% | 1.7% | $11,114 |
| Wilson County | 38 | 31.6% | 22.9% | 10.5% | 10% | 6.3% | 2.6% | $14,989 |
| Marshall County | 39 | 27.4% | 22.7% | 9.2% | 8% | 3.4% | 1.7% | $12,461 |
| Brown County | 40 | 28.1% | 22.1% | 10% | 7.3% | 5.7% | 2.5% | $13,266 |
| Cloud County | 41 | 30.4% | 20.9% | 10.3% | 8.7% | 5.6% | 2.4% | $13,551 |
| Linn County | 42 | 25.9% | 22.4% | 10.8% | 6.5% | 3.5% | 2.3% | $11,857 |
| Coffey County | 43 | 24.9% | 22.7% | 9.6% | 6.6% | 4.9% | 1.6% | $13,854 |
| Nemaha County | 44 | 18.7% | 20.1% | 6.9% | 5.9% | 3.1% | 1.1% | $11,015 |
| Rice County | 45 | 24.1% | 19.8% | 9% | 7.2% | 3.8% | 2% | $11,650 |
| Clay County | 46 | 26.8% | 23.8% | 9.8% | 7.7% | 3.4% | 1.7% | $12,753 |
| Pratt County | 47 | 21.2% | 21.4% | 8.5% | 5.6% | 3.4% | 1.5% | $11,268 |
| Anderson County | 48 | 27.8% | 20.7% | 9.3% | 9.3% | 4.7% | 2.1% | $13,124 |
| Russell County | 49 | 27.4% | 25.5% | 9.8% | 8.5% | 4.5% | 2.1% | $14,450 |
| Kingman County | 50 | 25.8% | 19.9% | 10.4% | 8.3% | 3.3% | 1.7% | $12,826 |
| Greenwood County | 51 | 34.5% | 26% | 12.9% | 9.1% | 6.5% | 2.7% | $14,800 |
| Doniphan County | 52 | 24.1% | 20.1% | 9% | 7.1% | 3.7% | 1.8% | $11,365 |
| Pawnee County | 53 | 30.7% | 23.8% | 10.4% | 11.5% | 4.1% | 2.1% | $13,512 |
| Thomas County | 54 | 19.2% | 18.8% | 7% | 6.4% | 2.4% | 1.2% | $10,493 |
| Mitchell County | 55 | 22.7% | 22.6% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 4.9% | 1.4% | $14,405 |
| Sherman County | 56 | 26.2% | 21.2% | 8.2% | 8.4% | 5.6% | 2% | $13,511 |
| Ellsworth County | 57 | 26.5% | 23.3% | 9.6% | 8.9% | 4% | 1.5% | $12,102 |
| Wabaunsee County | 58 | 19.4% | 21.6% | 8.3% | 4.9% | 2.3% | 1.3% | $10,824 |
| Harper County | 59 | 24.1% | 22.5% | 9% | 7.6% | 3.8% | 1.9% | $14,068 |
| Phillips County | 60 | 25% | 25.3% | 9.3% | 8.7% | 3.1% | 1.3% | $15,112 |
| Washington County | 61 | 27.8% | 23.5% | 9.9% | 8.8% | 4.5% | 1.5% | $13,079 |
| Morris County | 62 | 26.2% | 26.2% | 9.9% | 7.2% | 3.1% | 1.7% | $12,984 |
| Republic County | 63 | 31.1% | 27.1% | 11.8% | 10.5% | 4% | 1.9% | $14,409 |
| Ottawa County | 64 | 23.4% | 21.2% | 9.7% | 6.6% | 3% | 1.7% | $11,472 |
| Rooks County | 65 | 31.6% | 23.6% | 11.6% | 11.5% | 3.7% | 1.9% | $13,618 |
| Barber County | 66 | 31% | 25.3% | 11.3% | 11.8% | 3.9% | 1.7% | $15,640 |
| Grant County | 67 | 21.8% | 14.5% | 8.1% | 5.9% | 3.8% | 2.7% | $8,865 |
| Norton County | 68 | 21% | 20.7% | 7.9% | 6.6% | 3.1% | 1.5% | $10,880 |
| Smith County | 69 | 29.3% | 29.7% | 10.8% | 11.4% | 2.9% | 1.6% | $15,906 |
| Scott County | 70 | 17.5% | 19.6% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 2.8% | 1.2% | $10,762 |
| Stafford County | 71 | 27.8% | 21.8% | 9.8% | 9.2% | 4.5% | 2% | $13,257 |
| Gray County | 72 | 13.8% | 16.2% | 5.4% | 4.3% | 2.1% | 1% | $9,080 |
| Chautauqua County | 73 | 35.4% | 25.1% | 12.5% | 9.9% | 7.1% | 3.4% | $14,835 |
| Osborne County | 74 | 28.8% | 26% | 10.3% | 10.6% | 3.6% | 1.8% | $14,190 |
| Rush County | 75 | 28.7% | 25.1% | 10.4% | 9.7% | 4.1% | 1.9% | $14,888 |
| Stevens County | 76 | 16.4% | 16.2% | 6.6% | 4.9% | 2.3% | 1.6% | $8,333 |
| Decatur County | 77 | 26.1% | 29.3% | 9.3% | 10.6% | 2.3% | 1.5% | $15,846 |
| Lincoln County | 78 | 29.9% | 26.8% | 11.6% | 10.7% | 2.5% | 2.1% | $14,140 |
| Jewell County | 79 | 30.1% | 31.5% | 11.5% | 11.7% | 2.3% | 1.9% | $14,075 |
| Meade County | 80 | 15% | 18.1% | 5.6% | 5% | 1.9% | 1.2% | $10,382 |
| Woodson County | 81 | 32.8% | 25.9% | 11.9% | 8.9% | 6.6% | 2.5% | $12,884 |
| Elk County | 82 | 40.7% | 27.2% | 15.2% | 11.7% | 6.5% | 3.1% | $16,216 |
| Ness County | 83 | 24.1% | 24.9% | 9% | 9.1% | 2.9% | 1.2% | $14,712 |
| Trego County | 84 | 25.8% | 26.6% | 10% | 9.1% | 3.6% | 1.2% | $13,829 |
| Edwards County | 85 | 23.3% | 22.4% | 8.4% | 7.9% | 3.3% | 1.6% | $13,635 |
| Graham County | 86 | 30.1% | 27.4% | 11% | 10.2% | 5.3% | 1.6% | $15,439 |
| Rawlins County | 87 | 19% | 27.8% | 6.9% | 6.7% | 3% | 1% | $14,512 |
| Cheyenne County | 88 | 25.9% | 26.6% | 9.7% | 9.9% | 2.9% | 1.4% | $14,133 |
| Logan County | 89 | 22.3% | 20.9% | 7.6% | 8.7% | 2.5% | 1.4% | $13,331 |
| Kearny County | 90 | 16.7% | 16.5% | 5.9% | 4.6% | 3.2% | 1.6% | $9,220 |
| Haskell County | 91 | 15.6% | 17.7% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 2.1% | 1.4% | $9,252 |
| Kiowa County | 92 | 31.3% | 23.2% | 11% | 11% | 4.8% | 1.9% | $13,661 |
| Gove County | 93 | 16.4% | 23.6% | 5.9% | 6% | 1.9% | 1% | $11,959 |
| Sheridan County | 94 | 23.3% | 23.6% | 7.9% | 10% | 1.7% | 1.3% | $13,186 |
| Morton County | 95 | 28.2% | 21.3% | 11% | 8.2% | 5.4% | 2.6% | $11,523 |
| Chase County | 96 | 18.4% | 24.2% | 7.3% | 4.7% | 2.8% | 1.3% | $10,904 |
| Wichita County | 97 | 22.1% | 21.2% | 7.6% | 8.3% | 3.3% | 1.6% | $12,079 |
| Hamilton County | 98 | 12.7% | 14.9% | 4% | 4.9% | 2.1% | 1.1% | $10,066 |
| Comanche County | 99 | 32.5% | 26% | 12% | 10.5% | 6.5% | 1.9% | $14,100 |
| Lane County | 100 | 21.2% | 24.5% | 7.9% | 9% | 1.5% | 1.2% | $15,053 |
| Hodgeman County | 101 | 20.1% | 21.4% | 7.1% | 8.6% | 1.5% | 1.1% | $12,505 |
| Clark County | 102 | 19.1% | 21.3% | 7.8% | 5.4% | 3.2% | 1.6% | $11,080 |
| Stanton County | 103 | 12.7% | 18.4% | 4.3% | 4.5% | 2% | 1.1% | $9,909 |
| Wallace County | 104 | 22.3% | 24.1% | 8.4% | 7.5% | 2.5% | 1.7% | $11,847 |
| Greeley County | 105 | 13.3% | 19.8% | 5.1% | 4.6% | 2% | 0.9% | $11,689 |
