Unemployment in Furnas County, Nebraska, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Furnas 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 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Furnas County's score
In Furnas County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 51.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 11.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Furnas 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, Furnas County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (7.5%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.2% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability18.4% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,039 · 202464th percentile
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- 48.7 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 rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.6% · fiscal year 202737th percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.3% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people175.6 · 202568th percentile
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- 45.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202578th 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 score36.8% · second quarter of 202636th percentile
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- 11.3 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 working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th 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 Furnas 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 Furnas County, 26.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Furnas County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Furnas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 32.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Furnas County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Furnas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2010 to 9.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Furnas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 5.0% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Furnas County, Nebraska.
How Furnas County has changed
Furnas County's population had its largest drop, from 6,480 in 1984 to 5,664 in 1989.
Furnas County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 4,468, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1989 to 1994, reaching 5,646. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Furnas County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Furnas County rose most sharply from its first year (1,586 in 1990) to 1,844 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Furnas County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 2,060 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Furnas County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,829 | 2024 $62,039 |
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 Furnas County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 12,373. The 2020 Census counted 4,636, 37% of the peak. Census Bureau
1969
A tornado in June 1969 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A thunderstorm in June 2000 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A thunderstorm in June 2014 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Hail in June 2014 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Furnas County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Furnas County beside its neighbors
Furnas County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Nebraska and Kansas. Of the group, Furnas County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (32.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furnas County, NE | 33 | 13.2% | 32.3% |
| Red Willow County, NE | 27 | 11.2% | 25.8% |
| Decatur County, KS | 20 | 11.9% | 26.0% |
| Frontier County, NE | 15 | 11.3% | 27.6% |
| Norton County, KS | 13 | 12.6% | 21.4% |
| Harlan County, NE | 5 | 10.3% | 24.2% |
| 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 Furnas County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Furnas County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 14th 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, Furnas County ranks 10th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Furnas 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 Furnas 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 Furnas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.