Otoe County, Nebraska

County Distress Index: Healthy · 26.4 | 16,335 people · 78th most distressed in Nebraska
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Otoe County, NE ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 26.4 — 3004th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where the job market is relatively stable with wages that keep pace with costs. Within Nebraska, it ranks 78th of 93 counties. It scores lower than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Otoe County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 43.5 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 43.5
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 34
Business Formation Rate 74
Debt & Delinquency 31.8
Debt in Collections 25
Medical Debt 40
Student Loan Delinquency 26
Auto Loan Delinquency 29
Credit Card Delinquency 29
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 41
Community Vulnerability 26.3
Uninsured Rate 22
Disability Rate 30
Housing Cost Burden 18.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 10
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 14
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 44
Homeownership Rate 18
Rent-to-Income Ratio 7
Income & Poverty 11.7
Poverty Rate 7
Income vs. State Median 20
Child Poverty Rate 8

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Otoe County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Otoe County
Otoe County, NE 26.4 Healthy —
Johnson County, NE 43.9 Normal +17.5
Nemaha County, NE 40.5 Normal +14.1
Gage County, NE 39.7 Normal +13.3
Atchison County, MO 37.9 Normal +11.5
Lancaster County, NE 35.2 Normal +8.9
Cass County, NE 30.8 Healthy +4.4
Fremont County, IA 27.1 Healthy +0.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Otoe County
Jefferson County, MT 26.4 Healthy +0.1
Blaine County, ID 26.5 Healthy +0.2
Stark County, ND 26.5 Healthy +0.2
Green County, WI 26.2 Healthy -0.2
Carroll County, IA 26.6 Healthy +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Otoe County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Otoe County

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Nebraska State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Nebraska State Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service 402-475-7091

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Otoe County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of Nebraska 1-877-250-2016

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Otoe County, Nebraska?

    Otoe County has a County Distress Index score of 26.4 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,004th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 78th in Nebraska out of 93 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Otoe County?

    The primary driver of distress in Otoe County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 43.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Otoe County compare to neighboring counties?

    Otoe County (26.4) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Johnson County, NE (43.9); Nemaha County, NE (40.5); Gage County, NE (39.7).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Otoe County?

    Otoe County, Nebraska has a population of approximately 16,335 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.