Unemployment in Franklin County, Nebraska, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Franklin County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Franklin County's score
In Franklin County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 44.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 10.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Franklin 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.
Franklin 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.
- 44.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability18.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,738 · 202458th percentile
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- 42.2 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 rent18.4% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd 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 score38.7% · second quarter of 202644th percentile
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- 23.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 10.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.0% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people35.4 · 20255th or lower 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County, 28.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Franklin County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Franklin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Franklin County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.9% in 2012 to 9.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Franklin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 6.6%
Low on the chart: 6.1% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Franklin County, Nebraska.
How Franklin County has changed
Franklin County's population had its largest drop, from 4,407 in 1984 to 4,035 in 1989.
Franklin County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1969 to 1974, reaching 4,580. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Franklin County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County had its largest rise in the last span, from 709 in 2020 to 784 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Franklin County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 853 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Franklin County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.2% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,584 | 2024 $63,738 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% 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 Franklin County's history
1867
1867 (authorized) 1871 (organized). Wikipedia
1869
General Eugene Carr's 1869 Republican River Expedition subdued the Cheyenne before settlement of Franklin County began. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 10,303. The 2020 Census counted 2,889, 28% of the peak. Census Bureau
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A thunderstorm in June 2014 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Hail in May 2023 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Franklin County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Franklin County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Franklin County, in Nebraska and Kansas, one scores higher. Of the group, Franklin County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, NE | 21 | 10.8% | 26.0% |
| Franklin County, NE | 17 | 12.1% | 28.7% |
| Smith County, KS | 17 | 10.5% | 28.6% |
| Phillips County, KS | 17 | 11.7% | 23.6% |
| Harlan County, NE | 5 | 10.3% | 24.2% |
| Kearney County, NE | 3 | 7.8% | 15.7% |
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 Franklin County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Franklin County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 24th 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, Franklin County ranks 35th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.