About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Johnson County, Nebraska, have a job
In Johnson County, 12.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Johnson County's score
In Johnson County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 70.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 19.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Johnson 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, Johnson County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (10.7%, August 2025) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (250.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.4% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.7% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.7% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 61.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.7% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people250.1 · 202585th percentile
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- 49.4 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 rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
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- 43.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.7% · 202454th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.9% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability18.0% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,442 · 202447th percentile
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- 19.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202630th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.9% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Johnson County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Johnson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 24.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Johnson County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 8.4% in 2011 to 10.4% in 2012; 8.4% in 2022 to 10.4% in 2023.
The share of households in Johnson County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2017, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 6.9% 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, Johnson County, Nebraska.
How Johnson County has changed
Johnson County's population had its largest rise, from 4,498 in 1999 to 5,372 in 2004.
Johnson County's population fell 10% from 1969 to 2024, with its low point on the chart in 1999
Low on the chart: 4,498 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Johnson County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County rose most sharply after its 2000 low, from 1,328 in 2000 to 1,995 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Johnson County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,995 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Johnson County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 13.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,355 | 2024 $67,442 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Johnson County's history
1855
1855 (founded) 1857 (organized). Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 11,197. The 2020 Census counted 5,290, 47% of the peak. Census Bureau
1989
A tornado in April 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in April 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Johnson County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Johnson County beside its neighbors
Johnson County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Johnson County ranks 2nd of the five; Pawnee County is highest, at 26.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, NE | 48 | 13.7% | 24.7% |
| Pawnee County, NE | 36 | 12.9% | 26.5% |
| Gage County, NE | 22 | 10.7% | 22.3% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 18 | 11.7% | 24.5% |
| Otoe County, NE | 4 | 8.0% | 22.4% |
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 Johnson County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Johnson County's poverty rate was 13.7% in 2024, 10th 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, Johnson County ranks 1st of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.