About one in nine people in McPherson County, Nebraska, has a disability
In McPherson County, 10.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives McPherson County's score
In McPherson County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 60.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.2. Almost no renters (0.0%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McPherson 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.
McPherson 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.
- 60.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202656th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.2% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 30.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202544th percentile
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- 25.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability10.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance3.4% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,039 · 202449th percentile
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- 18.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, third quarter of 2024
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202529th 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 score20.0% · third quarter of 20245th or lower percentile
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- 14.2 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 rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd 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 McPherson 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 McPherson County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McPherson County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in McPherson County had its largest drop, from 31.1% in 1999 to 14.3% in 2004.
In McPherson County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in two of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In McPherson County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.4%; 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 McPherson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 0.9%
Low on the chart: 0.0% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McPherson County, Nebraska.
How McPherson County has changed
McPherson County's population fell 40% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 531. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McPherson County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in McPherson County rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 54 in 2010 to 81 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in McPherson County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 81 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McPherson County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.0% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,793 | 2024 $67,039 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 McPherson County's history
1887
Formed March 31, 1887 from Logan County. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 2,470. The 2020 Census counted 399, 16% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 2001
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McPherson County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
McPherson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McPherson County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, McPherson County ranks 6th of the seven; Hooker County is highest, at 33.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, NE | 24 | 11.0% | 23.0% |
| Thomas County, NE | 24 | 13.4% | 23.1% |
| Hooker County, NE | 18 | 7.8% | 33.3% |
| Keith County, NE | 18 | 10.6% | 25.8% |
| McPherson County, NE | 16 | 11.7% | 20.4% |
| Arthur County, NE | 12 | 11.8% | 15.8% |
| Logan County, NE | 11 | 9.0% | 23.8% |
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 McPherson County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, McPherson County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 32nd 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, McPherson County ranks 37th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McPherson 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 McPherson 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 McPherson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.