Unemployment in Madison County, Nebraska, is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Madison County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 39.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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.
Madison 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.
- 39.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.0% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
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- 36.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.2% · August 202519th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people131.9 · 202552nd percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.4% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,056 · 202443rd percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.0% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
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- 9.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.9% · 2020 to 202411th 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 10.8% in 2019 to 8.9% in 2020; 6.6% in 2023 to 8.5% in 2024.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.4% 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, Madison County, Nebraska.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population had its largest rise, from 28,375 in 1974 to 30,727 in 1979.
Madison County's population rose 30% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 35,727 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Nebraska.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madison County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 21,946, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 22,681 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,060 | 2024 $69,056 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Madison County's history
1856
January 26, 1856 (created) January 21, 1868 (organized). Wikipedia
1954
A tornado in May 1954 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1962
A tornado in May 1962 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in June 2010 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in March 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 35,585, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Madison County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 3rd of the six; Boone County is highest, at 21.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanton County, NE | 20 | 7.8% | 15.7% |
| Madison County, NE | 16 | 12.3% | 19.5% |
| Platte County, NE | 15 | 8.5% | 18.1% |
| Antelope County, NE | 8 | 11.4% | 21.2% |
| Pierce County, NE | 1 | 9.0% | 10.9% |
| Boone County, NE | 0 | 9.3% | 21.7% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 23rd 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, Madison County ranks 38th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.