Unemployment in Lincoln County, Nebraska, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Lincoln County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lincoln County's score
In Lincoln County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 50.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 6.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lincoln 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.
Lincoln 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.
- 50.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.2% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167.8 · 202565th percentile
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- 41.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.5% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 39.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.0% · 202430th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.0% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,128 · 202442nd percentile
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- 37.0 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 rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 6.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.7% · 2020 to 20247th 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lincoln County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lincoln County made its largest gain on the way to its 2019 high, from 18.7% in 2014 to 23.4% in 2019.
In Lincoln County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Lincoln County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lincoln County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 8.5% in 2013 to 10.3% in 2014; 11.0% in 2022 to 12.8% in 2023.
The share of households in Lincoln County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2023 and has since fallen to 11.6%
Low on the chart: 6.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lincoln County, Nebraska.
How Lincoln County has changed
Lincoln County's population rose most sharply from its first year (29,256 in 1969) to 33,465 in 1974.
Lincoln County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 36,377 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lincoln County, Nebraska.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lincoln County rose 42% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 12,557. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lincoln County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 11.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,845 | 2024 $69,128 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Lincoln County's history
1860
Created January 7, 1860. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 36,455. The 2020 Census counted 34,676, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
Consolidated Freightways, a previous major employer, relocated employees to Las Vegas and Lincoln in 1980. Wikipedia
2003
Hail in July 2003 did $7.05 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail in April 2012 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail in April 2012 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail in May 2012 did $5,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1994
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lincoln County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lincoln County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Lincoln County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lincoln County ranks 5th of the nine; Frontier County is highest, at 27.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, NE | 26 | 10.1% | 20.8% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 24 | 11.0% | 23.0% |
| Keith County, NE | 18 | 10.6% | 25.8% |
| McPherson County, NE | 16 | 11.7% | 20.4% |
| Frontier County, NE | 15 | 11.3% | 27.6% |
| Hayes County, NE | 12 | 12.9% | 14.8% |
| Logan County, NE | 11 | 9.0% | 23.8% |
| Custer County, NE | 10 | 11.5% | 24.2% |
| 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 Lincoln County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Lincoln County's poverty rate was 11.0% in 2024, 45th 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, Lincoln County ranks 19th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.