In Hamilton County, Nebraska, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Hamilton County, 14.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hamilton County's score
In Hamilton County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 19.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 7.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hamilton 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.
Hamilton 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.
- 19.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.5% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.4 · 202533rd percentile
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- 12.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.6% · 20245th or lower percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.4% · 20245th or lower percentile
- People with a disability9.7% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,288 · 202413th percentile
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- 8.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.3% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.8% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 7.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.5% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
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- 7.4 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 rent8.7% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.3% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hamilton County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Hamilton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 17.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Hamilton County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hamilton County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (3.3% in 2009) to 4.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Hamilton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 4.8%
Low on the chart: 3.3% 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, Hamilton County, Nebraska.
How Hamilton County has changed
Hamilton County's population rose 9% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 9,456. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hamilton County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Hamilton County had its largest rise in the last span, from 3,498 in 2020 to 3,974 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Hamilton County rose by about half to 3,974, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 3,974 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hamilton County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.4% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.0% | 2024 6.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,141 | 2024 $85,288 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Hamilton County's history
1867
1867 (created) 1870 (organized). Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 13,459. The 2020 Census counted 9,429, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
A tornado in April 1978 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in October 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A thunderstorm in July 2021 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A thunderstorm in July 2021 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hamilton County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hamilton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Hamilton County, five score higher. Of the group, Hamilton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Merrick County gets the largest, at 22.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall County, NE | 38 | 15.1% | 18.6% |
| Adams County, NE | 22 | 11.0% | 20.1% |
| York County, NE | 13 | 9.1% | 21.1% |
| Merrick County, NE | 7 | 9.8% | 22.7% |
| Polk County, NE | 2 | 8.0% | 18.0% |
| Clay County, NE | 0 | 9.6% | 21.5% |
| Hamilton County, NE | 0 | 6.6% | 17.8% |
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 Hamilton County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Hamilton County's poverty rate was 6.6% in 2024, 89th 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, Hamilton County ranks 92nd of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.