Unemployment in Kimball County, Nebraska, is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Kimball County, 2.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kimball County's score
In Kimball County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 67.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 14.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kimball 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, Kimball County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (22.8%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (14.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.9% · 202447th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability22.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- People without health insurance14.4% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,362 · 202469th percentile
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- 58.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th 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 score45.7% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 48.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.3% · August 202536th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people152 · 202560th percentile
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- 28.2 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 rent10.0% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
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- 14.4 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 working16.4% · 2020 to 202423rd 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 Kimball 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 Kimball County, 28.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kimball County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Kimball County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 29.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Kimball County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 29.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kimball County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2019 to 13.2% in 2020.
The share of households in Kimball County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 11.3%
Low on the chart: 5.8% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Kimball County, Nebraska.
How Kimball County has changed
Kimball County's population fell by about half to 3,305, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 6,401 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kimball County, Nebraska.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Kimball County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 1,659 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kimball County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.3% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.9% | 2024 12.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,184 | 2024 $60,362 |
The table uses 2.5% for 2025; the score uses 2.3% 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 Kimball County's history
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 7,975. The 2020 Census counted 3,434, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A flash flood in May 1997 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Hail in June 1997 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Winter weather in December 1997 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
Hail in May 2000 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1997
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kimball County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kimball County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Kimball County, in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming, one scores higher. Of the group, Kimball County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logan County, CO | 42 | 17.0% | 22.7% |
| Kimball County, NE | 38 | 12.9% | 29.2% |
| Weld County, CO | 38 | 9.6% | 15.0% |
| Laramie County, WY | 21 | 8.4% | 19.9% |
| Cheyenne County, NE | 21 | 11.8% | 28.3% |
| Banner County, NE | 15 | 10.8% | 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 Kimball County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Kimball County's poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, 18th 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, Kimball County ranks 4th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kimball 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 Kimball 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 Kimball County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.