About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Morrill County, Nebraska, have a job
In Morrill County, 13.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Morrill County's score
In Morrill County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 51.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Morrill 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, Morrill County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.8 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 rent23.6% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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- 49.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.8% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,099 · 202448th percentile
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- 27.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.6% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people88.8 · 202530th percentile
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- 22.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.9% · second quarter of 202645th 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 year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.0% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Morrill 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 Morrill County, 22.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Morrill County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Morrill County fell most sharply after its 2009 high, from 20.6% in 2009 to 15.0% in 2014.
In Morrill County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 19.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Morrill County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Morrill County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 9.6% in 2023 to 11.6% in 2024.
The share of households in Morrill County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2019, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 8.0% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Morrill County, Nebraska.
How Morrill County has changed
Morrill County's population had its largest drop, from 5,868 in 1984 to 5,444 in 1989.
Morrill County's population fell by about a quarter to 4,485, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 5,918 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Morrill County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Morrill County had its largest rise, from 1,317 in 2000 to 1,420 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Morrill County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 1,495
High on the chart: 1,525 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Morrill County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.2% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,900 | 2024 $67,099 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Morrill County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 9,950. The 2020 Census counted 4,555, 46% of the peak. Census Bureau
1994
A tornado in July 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A tornado in June 2017 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2001
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Morrill County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Morrill County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Morrill County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Morrill County ranks 6th of the seven; Garden County is highest, at 35.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotts Bluff County, NE | 41 | 11.0% | 25.2% |
| Garden County, NE | 37 | 16.9% | 35.4% |
| Box Butte County, NE | 33 | 10.8% | 29.4% |
| Cheyenne County, NE | 21 | 11.8% | 28.3% |
| Sheridan County, NE | 21 | 14.1% | 24.7% |
| Morrill County, NE | 19 | 13.4% | 19.9% |
| 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 Morrill County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Morrill County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 11th 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, Morrill County ranks 30th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Morrill 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 Morrill 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 Morrill County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.