Unemployment in Antelope County, Nebraska, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Antelope County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Antelope County's score
In Antelope County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 36.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Antelope 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.
Antelope County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 36.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.4% · 202434th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.4% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,146 · 202442nd percentile
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- 34.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.9% · second quarter of 20268th percentile
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- 24.8 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202718th percentile
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- 14.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.1% · August 202512th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people63.5 · 202516th percentile
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- 5.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.1% · 2020 to 20246th 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 Antelope 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 Antelope County, 24.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Antelope County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Antelope County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Antelope County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Antelope County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 7.9% in 2019 to 5.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Antelope County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.6% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Antelope County, Nebraska.
How Antelope County has changed
Antelope County's population had its largest drop, from 8,549 in 1984 to 8,044 in 1989.
Antelope County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6,358
High on the chart: 9,261 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Antelope County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Antelope County had its largest rise, from 2,130 in 2015 to 2,454 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Antelope County was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 2,454 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Antelope County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 11.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,198 | 2024 $69,146 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Antelope County's history
1871
March 1, 1871 (created) June 15, 1871 (organized). Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 15,243. The 2020 Census counted 6,295, 41% of the peak. Census Bureau
1962
A tornado in May 1962 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in May 1965 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A thunderstorm in August 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in June 2010 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Antelope County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Antelope County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Antelope County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Antelope County ranks 4th of the seven; Knox County is highest, at 25.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, NE | 16 | 12.3% | 19.5% |
| Knox County, NE | 8 | 12.1% | 25.3% |
| Antelope County, NE | 8 | 11.4% | 21.2% |
| Wheeler County, NE | 6 | 11.4% | 19.2% |
| Pierce County, NE | 1 | 9.0% | 10.9% |
| Holt County, NE | 1 | 11.1% | 24.0% |
| Boone County, NE | 0 | 9.3% | 21.7% |
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 Antelope County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Antelope County's poverty rate was 11.4% in 2024, 36th highest of 93 in Nebraska (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Garden County, at 16.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Antelope County ranks 63rd of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Antelope 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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Legal Aid of Nebraska
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 Antelope 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 Antelope County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.