Unemployment in Keith County, Nebraska, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Keith County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Keith County's score
In Keith County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 44.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 12.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Keith 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.
Keith 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.
- 44.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.6% · 202427th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.5% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,394 · 202459th percentile
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- 40.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.4% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.3 · 202548th percentile
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- 30.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.3% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.2% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 28.1 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 rent13.1% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd 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 year2.5% · 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 Keith 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 Keith County, 27.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Keith County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Keith County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Keith County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Keith County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8.9%, with most of the change between 2019 and 2020
High on the chart: 9.4% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Keith County, Nebraska.
How Keith County has changed
Keith County's population had its largest drop, from 9,258 in 1984 to 8,621 in 1989.
Keith County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 9,317 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Keith County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Keith County had its largest rise, from 3,258 in 1995 to 3,608 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Keith County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 3,608 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Keith County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.5% | 2024 10.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,946 | 2024 $63,394 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Keith County's history
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 9,364. The 2020 Census counted 8,335, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A flash flood in July 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Hail in July 2003 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in May 2024 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
Hail in July 2024 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2001
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Keith County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Keith County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Keith County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Keith County ranks 3rd of the seven; Deuel County is highest, at 36.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden County, NE | 37 | 16.9% | 35.4% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 24 | 11.0% | 23.0% |
| Deuel County, NE | 21 | 11.9% | 36.0% |
| Keith County, NE | 18 | 10.6% | 25.8% |
| McPherson County, NE | 16 | 11.7% | 20.4% |
| Arthur County, NE | 12 | 11.8% | 15.8% |
| Perkins County, NE | 2 | 9.3% | 18.4% |
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 Keith County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Keith County's poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, 57th 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, Keith County ranks 34th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Keith 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.
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 Keith County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.