About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Dawson County, Nebraska, have a job
In Dawson County, 15.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dawson County's score
In Dawson County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 59.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 23.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dawson 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, Dawson County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (13.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year13.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202699th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
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- 41.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score36.7% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.1% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance9.9% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,090 · 202432nd percentile
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- 24.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.1% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people66.4 · 202517th percentile
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- 23.3 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 rent14.3% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202718th 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dawson County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dawson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Dawson County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.8%; 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 Dawson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 6.2%
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 7.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dawson County, Nebraska.
How Dawson County has changed
Dawson County's population rose by about a quarter to 24,554, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1989 and 1994
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 23,259. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dawson County, Nebraska.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Dawson County rose by about half to 11,738, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 10,696. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dawson County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,245 | 2024 $73,090 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 13.2% 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 Dawson County's history
1860
January 11, 1860 (created) July 11, 1871 (organized). Wikipedia
1985
Sperry-New Holland combine plant closed in 1985, eliminating 940 jobs. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 24,365. The 2020 Census counted 24,111, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2005
A flash flood in May 2005 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in July 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Hail in June 2024 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Hail in June 2024 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Tyson Foods plant in Lexington announced closure in November 2025, laying off 3,200 employees. Wikipedia
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Since 1978
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dawson County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dawson County beside its neighbors
Dawson County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dawson County ranks 6th of the seven; Frontier County is highest, at 27.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, NE | 26 | 10.1% | 20.8% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 24 | 11.0% | 23.0% |
| Frontier County, NE | 15 | 11.3% | 27.6% |
| Custer County, NE | 10 | 11.5% | 24.2% |
| Buffalo County, NE | 6 | 8.7% | 15.5% |
| Phelps County, NE | 5 | 8.4% | 21.6% |
| Gosper County, NE | 4 | 8.9% | 25.2% |
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 Dawson County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Dawson County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 60th 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, Dawson County ranks 18th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.