Unemployment in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Cheyenne County, 2.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cheyenne County's score
In Cheyenne County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 54.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 15.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cheyenne 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.
Cheyenne 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.
- 54.6 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 rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th percentile
-
- 42.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.5% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,179 · 202460th percentile
-
- 33.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.1% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people115.3 · 202543rd percentile
-
- 19.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.6% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
-
- 15.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20269th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
-
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 Cheyenne 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 Cheyenne County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cheyenne County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Cheyenne County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Cheyenne County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cheyenne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.1% in 2019 to 13.2% in 2020.
The share of households in Cheyenne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 12.3%
Low on the chart: 3.3% 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, Cheyenne County, Nebraska.
How Cheyenne County has changed
Cheyenne County's population fell 16% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 2014 and 2019
High on the chart: 11,395 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cheyenne County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Cheyenne County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 5,849 in 2015 to 3,855 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Cheyenne County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 6,068 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cheyenne County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.7% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,517 | 2024 $63,179 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cheyenne County's history
1871
Formed in 1871. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 14,828. The 2020 Census counted 9,468, 64% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in May 1997 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Hail in June 1999 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1997
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cheyenne County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cheyenne County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Cheyenne County, in Nebraska and Colorado, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cheyenne County ranks 5th of the eight; Deuel County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedgwick County, CO | 57 | 14.6% | 35.1% |
| Logan County, CO | 42 | 17.0% | 22.7% |
| Kimball County, NE | 38 | 12.9% | 29.2% |
| Garden County, NE | 37 | 16.9% | 35.4% |
| Deuel County, NE | 21 | 11.9% | 36.0% |
| Cheyenne County, NE | 21 | 11.8% | 28.3% |
| Morrill County, NE | 19 | 13.4% | 19.9% |
| Banner County, NE | 15 | 10.8% | 17.8% |
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 Cheyenne County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Cheyenne County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 27th 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, Cheyenne County ranks 25th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cheyenne 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.
-
Legal Aid of Nebraska
Legal aid
-
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 Cheyenne 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 Cheyenne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.