Unemployment in Holt County, Nebraska, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Holt 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 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Holt County's score
In Holt County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 33.0. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 7.4. About one in nine people with a credit file (10.9%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Holt 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.
Holt 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.
- 33.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,781 · 202441st percentile
-
- 15.9 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 rent11.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
-
- 8.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.6% · second quarter of 202614th percentile
-
- 7.5 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 working13.4% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
-
- 7.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.9% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people49.5 · 20259th percentile
-
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 Holt 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 Holt County, 22.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Holt County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Holt County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Holt County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Holt County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.7% in 2020 to 7.0% in 2021.
The share of households in Holt County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2017, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 2.6% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Holt County, Nebraska.
How Holt County has changed
Holt County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 13,670 in 1984 to 12,715 in 1989.
Holt County's population fell by about a fifth to 10,120, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 13,670 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Holt County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Holt County had its largest rise, from 3,750 in 1995 to 4,127 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Holt County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,344
High on the chart: 4,581 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Holt County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.5% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,717 | 2024 $69,781 |
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 Holt County's history
1862
January 9, 1862 (created) December 27, 1876 (organized). Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 17,151. The 2020 Census counted 10,127, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
1965
A tornado in May 1965 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in June 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in June 2003 did $5.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 2003
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Holt County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Holt County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Holt County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Holt County ranks 4th of the eight; Garfield County is highest, at 31.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boyd County, NE | 31 | 13.1% | 30.8% |
| Loup County, NE | 14 | 14.9% | 20.2% |
| Garfield County, NE | 8 | 11.8% | 31.1% |
| Knox County, NE | 8 | 12.1% | 25.3% |
| Antelope County, NE | 8 | 11.4% | 21.2% |
| Rock County, NE | 7 | 13.1% | 20.9% |
| Wheeler County, NE | 6 | 11.4% | 19.2% |
| Holt County, NE | 1 | 11.1% | 24.0% |
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 Holt County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Holt County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 44th 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, Holt County ranks 89th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Holt 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.
-
Legal Aid of Nebraska
Legal aid
-
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.
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 Holt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.