#2,231 Nebraska · 2026

Hall County, Nebraska

38.3 · low-moderate county distress 2,231st of 3,144 counties nationally · 62,197 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
26% Hall residents
vs.
23% U.S. median

Near the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 13.5× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 33 words · paste-ready

Hall County, Nebraska ranks 2,231st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Hall sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.

Key Findings
  • 2,231st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 38.3 · low-moderate county distress, 10th in Nebraska.
  • 26% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 61st percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Subprime credit share at 24% — national median 23%, ranked at the 53rd percentile. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
  • Uninsured rate at 12% — national median 8%, ranked at the 79th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Safety Net & Buffer domain score 37 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 24-point drop to Hamilton County marks where the Nebraska distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Hall County, Nebraska and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Hall and its 5 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Hall County ranks 2,231st of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Hall County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 34 words

The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.7% +1.6 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

15.1% +4.8 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

18.6% +11.0 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

24.1% -1.3 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Hall County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Hall County's value shown alongside NE's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Hall County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Hall NE median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 44 · Rank 1,766 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 5% 3% 5% 47th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 5% 4% 5% 33rd Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 24% 17% 23% 53rd Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 53 · Rank 1,409 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 26% 14% 23% 61st Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 117 116 126 45th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 41 · Rank 1,940 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 21% 19% 21% 49th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 15% 12% 18% 34th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 16 · Rank 2,606 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 2% 4% 16th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 37 · Rank 2,102 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 13% 13% 18% 25th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 13% 14% 16% 22nd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 11% 11% 14% 27th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 12% 7% 8% 79th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Default & Legal Primary driver 53
Weight 20% · Rank 1,409 of 3,144
Delinquency 44
Weight 20% · Rank 1,766 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 41
Weight 20% · Rank 1,940 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 37
Weight 20% · Rank 2,102 of 3,144
Labor 16
Weight 20% · Rank 2,606 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Hall County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 125-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Hall County ranks 2,231st among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 38.3 out of 100 gives Hall a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,230 counties rank more distressed. Within Nebraska, Hall ranks tenth of 93 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Hall sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hall County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Hall County scores 38.3 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,231st of 3,144 U.S. counties and 10th of 93 Nebraska counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Hall County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal, at a domain score of 53. Debt in collections ranks at the 61st percentile nationally.

How does Hall County compare to its neighbors?

Hall County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Adams County (35.84, low-moderate county distress). Lowest: Hamilton County (11.75, very low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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