Unemployment in Cherry County, Nebraska, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Cherry County, 2.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cherry County's score
In Cherry County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 39.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 6.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cherry 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.
Cherry 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.
- 39.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.2% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability13.6% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,705 · 202453rd percentile
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- 32.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.2% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
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- 28.0 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 rent8.6% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 14.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.8% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people54.6 · 202511th percentile
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- 6.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.9% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Cherry 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 Cherry County, 22.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cherry County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cherry County had its largest rise, from 13.8% in 2014 to 23.0% in 2019.
In Cherry County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Cherry County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cherry County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.3% in 2015 to 8.4% in 2016.
The share of households in Cherry County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 3.4% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cherry County, Nebraska.
How Cherry County has changed
Cherry County's population had its largest drop, from 6,887 in 1984 to 6,381 in 1989.
Cherry County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5,558
High on the chart: 7,074 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cherry County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Cherry County had its largest rise, from 1,620 in 1990 to 1,904 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Cherry County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 2,342 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cherry County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.5% | 2025 2.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 10.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,109 | 2024 $65,705 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cherry County's history
1883
Created February 23, 1883. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 11,753. The 2020 Census counted 5,455, 46% of the peak. Census Bureau
1975
A tornado in July 1975 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cherry County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cherry County beside its neighbors
Of the 11 counties that border Cherry County, in Nebraska and South Dakota, 10 score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cherry County ranks 11th of the 12; Oglala Lakota County is highest, at 49.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 84 | 35.8% | 49.2% |
| Todd County, SD | 84 | 32.9% | 43.4% |
| Bennett County, SD | 53 | 29.4% | 33.2% |
| Tripp County, SD | 33 | 16.3% | 23.4% |
| Thomas County, NE | 24 | 13.4% | 23.1% |
| Blaine County, NE | 22 | 14.5% | 18.5% |
| Brown County, NE | 21 | 11.3% | 22.7% |
| Sheridan County, NE | 21 | 14.1% | 24.7% |
| Hooker County, NE | 18 | 7.8% | 33.3% |
| Keya Paha County, NE | 14 | 16.0% | 24.4% |
| Cherry County, NE | 9 | 10.2% | 20.9% |
| Grant County, NE | 7 | 11.2% | 25.6% |
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 Cherry County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Cherry County's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2024, 59th 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, Cherry County ranks 53rd of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cherry 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 Cherry 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 Cherry County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.