Unemployment in Brown County, Nebraska, is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Brown County, 2.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Brown County's score
In Brown County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Brown 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, Brown County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (31.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent31.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th percentile
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- 43.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.0% · 202433rd percentile
- People with a disability15.0% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,089 · 202461st percentile
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- 26.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people70.1 · 202519th percentile
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- 22.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th 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 score29.2% · second quarter of 202611th percentile
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- 9.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.2% · 2020 to 202412th 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 Brown 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 Brown County, 27.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Brown County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Brown County had its largest drop, from 26.9% in 2009 to 16.1% in 2014.
In Brown County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 22.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Brown County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Brown County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 2.4% in 2020 to 5.3% in 2021.
The share of households in Brown County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 6.0%
Low on the chart: 2.0% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Brown County, Nebraska.
How Brown County has changed
Brown County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 4,272 in 1984 to 3,709 in 1989.
Brown County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,877
High on the chart: 4,272 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Brown County, Nebraska.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Brown County rose by about a third to 1,402, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 1,402. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Brown County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.4% | 2025 2.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.2% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,178 | 2024 $63,089 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Brown County's history
1883
Created February 19, 1883. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 6,749. The 2020 Census counted 2,903, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1979
A tornado in July 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Hail in June 1997 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in July 2025 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Brown County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Brown County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Brown County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Brown County ranks 2nd of the six; Keya Paha County is highest, at 24.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine County, NE | 22 | 14.5% | 18.5% |
| Brown County, NE | 21 | 11.3% | 22.7% |
| Keya Paha County, NE | 14 | 16.0% | 24.4% |
| Loup County, NE | 14 | 14.9% | 20.2% |
| Cherry County, NE | 9 | 10.2% | 20.9% |
| Rock County, NE | 7 | 13.1% | 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 Brown County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Brown County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 39th 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, Brown County ranks 26th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Brown 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.
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 Brown County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.