Unemployment in Blaine County, Nebraska, is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Blaine County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Blaine County's score
In Blaine County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 52.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 18.7. About one in eight people (13.0%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Blaine 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.
Even so, Blaine County is worse off than most counties on adults 25 to 54 not working (26.4%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a disability (19.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 52.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.9% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability19.7% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,390 · 202462nd percentile
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- 43.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 30.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202544th percentile
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- 23.8 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 rent9.6% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th percentile
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- 18.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202529th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score13.0% · second quarter of 20265th or lower 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 Blaine 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 Blaine County, 34.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Blaine County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Blaine County had its largest drop, from 21.3% in 1999 to 13.4% in 2004.
In Blaine County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 18.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Blaine County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Blaine County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to zero
Low on the chart: 0.0% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Blaine County, Nebraska.
How Blaine County has changed
Blaine County's population had its largest drop, from 670 in 1994 to 586 in 1999.
Blaine County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2019, reaching 425, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 873 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Blaine County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Blaine County had its largest drop, from 238 in 1990 to 155 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Blaine County fell by about half from 1990 to 2020, reaching 127, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 238 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Blaine County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.1% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,426 | 2024 $62,390 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Blaine County's history
1885
March 5, 1885 (created) 1886 (organized). Wikipedia
1904
Kinkaid Act of 1904 allowed homesteaders to claim 640 acres instead of 160. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 1,778. The 2020 Census counted 431, 24% of the peak. Census Bureau
1979
A tornado in July 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A tornado in August 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2001
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Blaine County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Blaine County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Blaine County, one scores higher. Of the group, Blaine County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Custer County gets the largest, at 24.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas County, NE | 24 | 13.4% | 23.1% |
| Blaine County, NE | 22 | 14.5% | 18.5% |
| Brown County, NE | 21 | 11.3% | 22.7% |
| Loup County, NE | 14 | 14.9% | 20.2% |
| Logan County, NE | 11 | 9.0% | 23.8% |
| Custer County, NE | 10 | 11.5% | 24.2% |
| Cherry County, NE | 9 | 10.2% | 20.9% |
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 Blaine County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Blaine County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 8th 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, Blaine County ranks 23rd of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Blaine 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 Blaine 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 Blaine County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.