Unemployment in Harlan County, Nebraska, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Harlan County, 2.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Harlan County's score
In Harlan County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 41.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 12.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Harlan 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.
Harlan 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.
- 41.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.2% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability15.8% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,017 · 202452nd percentile
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- 17.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower 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 score33.9% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
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- 17.2 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 rent8.2% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
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- 14.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.8% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people65.7 · 202517th percentile
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- 12.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.6% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Harlan 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 Harlan County, 28.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Harlan County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Harlan County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Harlan County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Harlan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.0% in 2014 to 9.0% in 2015.
The share of households in Harlan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 5.3%
Low on the chart: 3.7% 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, Harlan County, Nebraska.
How Harlan County has changed
Harlan County's population fell by about a third to 3,018, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 3,842. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Harlan County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Harlan County fell most sharply after its 2000 high, from 946 in 2000 to 858 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Harlan County fell 12% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 946 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Harlan County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.4% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,835 | 2024 $66,017 |
The table uses 2.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.1% 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 Harlan County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 9,578. The 2020 Census counted 3,073, 32% of the peak. Census Bureau
1952
Harlan County Dam constructed by Army Corps of Engineers, 1946-1952. Wikipedia
2014
A thunderstorm in June 2014 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Hail in June 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in June 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Harlan County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Harlan County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Harlan County, in Nebraska and Kansas, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Harlan County ranks 3rd of the six; Furnas County is highest, at 32.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furnas County, NE | 33 | 13.2% | 32.3% |
| Franklin County, NE | 17 | 12.1% | 28.7% |
| Phillips County, KS | 17 | 11.7% | 23.6% |
| Norton County, KS | 13 | 12.6% | 21.4% |
| Harlan County, NE | 5 | 10.3% | 24.2% |
| Phelps County, NE | 5 | 8.4% | 21.6% |
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 Harlan County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Harlan County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 58th 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, Harlan County ranks 73rd of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Harlan 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 Harlan 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 Harlan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.