Unemployment in Dundy County, Nebraska, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Dundy County, 2.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dundy County's score
In Dundy County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 47.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dundy 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.
Dundy 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.
- 47.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.9% · 202447th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.4% · 202457th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,146 · 202467th percentile
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- 27.7 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 rent10.7% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
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- 27.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202529th 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 score35.2% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 10.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector7.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people64.1 · 202516th percentile
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- 5.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.1% · 2020 to 20246th 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 Dundy 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 Dundy County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dundy County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dundy County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Dundy County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dundy County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.6% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Dundy County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 8.0%
Low on the chart: 3.8% 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, Dundy County, Nebraska.
How Dundy County has changed
Dundy County's population had its largest drop, from 2,582 in 1994 to 2,304 in 1999.
Dundy County's population fell 45% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 2,873 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dundy County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Dundy County had its largest rise in the last span, from 549 in 2020 to 650 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Dundy County fell 5% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 549 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dundy County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 0.8% | 2025 2.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.1% | 2024 12.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,610 | 2024 $61,146 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Dundy County's history
1873
1873 (authorized) 1884 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 5,610. The 2020 Census counted 1,654, 29% of the peak. Census Bureau
1994
Hail in July 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1993
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dundy County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dundy County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Dundy County, in Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dundy County ranks 5th of the seven; Hitchcock County is highest, at 33.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hitchcock County, NE | 30 | 13.4% | 33.1% |
| Yuma County, CO | 29 | 13.4% | 21.5% |
| Cheyenne County, KS | 19 | 11.6% | 25.7% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 14 | 10.8% | 22.6% |
| Hayes County, NE | 12 | 12.9% | 14.8% |
| Dundy County, NE | 8 | 12.9% | 21.4% |
| Chase County, NE | 8 | 10.1% | 20.5% |
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 Dundy County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Dundy County's poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, 18th 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, Dundy County ranks 57th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dundy 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 Dundy County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.