Unemployment in Butler County, Nebraska, is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Butler County, 2.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Butler County's score
In Butler County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 41.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 21.7. About one in 11 people (9.5%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Butler 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.
Butler 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.
- 41.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.7% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people189.1 · 202572nd percentile
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- 32.9 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 rent19.9% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.1% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 28.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 21.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.7% · second quarter of 202612th percentile
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- 21.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.8% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability13.7% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,401 · 202419th 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 Butler 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 Butler County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Butler County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Butler County had its largest rise, from 9.4% in 1969 to 12.0% in 1974.
In Butler County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 18.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Butler County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled 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
The share of households in Butler County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.5% in 2022 to 5.1% in 2023.
The share of households in Butler County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 3.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Butler County, Nebraska.
How Butler County has changed
Butler County's population had its largest drop, from 9,106 in 1984 to 8,737 in 1989.
Butler County's population fell 11% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 9,431 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Butler County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Butler County had its largest rise, from 1,816 in 1990 to 2,068 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Butler County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 2,644
High on the chart: 2,659 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Butler County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.1% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.5% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,811 | 2024 $80,401 |
The table uses 2.4% for 2025; the score uses 2.3% 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 Butler County's history
1856
January 26, 1856 (created) October 21, 1868 (organized). Wikipedia
1868
Created January 26, 1856 and organized October 21, 1868. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,703. The 2020 Census counted 8,369, 53% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
A tornado in April 1978 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in May 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Hail in September 2007 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Butler County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Butler County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Butler County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Butler County ranks 2nd of the eight; Dodge County is highest, at 21.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge County, NE | 27 | 13.1% | 21.9% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 17 | 11.8% | 15.6% |
| Butler County, NE | 15 | 9.5% | 18.5% |
| Platte County, NE | 15 | 8.5% | 18.1% |
| Colfax County, NE | 13 | 8.4% | 16.8% |
| Seward County, NE | 3 | 7.9% | 18.1% |
| Polk County, NE | 2 | 8.0% | 18.0% |
| Saunders County, NE | 1 | 6.0% | 17.2% |
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 Butler County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Butler County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 66th 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, Butler County ranks 39th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Butler 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 Butler 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 Butler County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.