About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Polk County, Nebraska, have a job
In Polk County, 8.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 29.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Polk 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.
Polk 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.
- 29.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit 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 behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.0% · second quarter of 202629th percentile
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- 19.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.5% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.6 · 202533rd percentile
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- 16.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.0% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.0% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,692 · 202426th percentile
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- 9.0 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 rent9.7% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.9% · fiscal year 20276th percentile
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- 5.2 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 working8.4% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Polk 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 Polk County, 23.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Polk County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Polk County had its largest rise, from 13.4% in 2014 to 18.7% in 2019.
In Polk County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 18.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Polk County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.2% in 2010 to 4.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 3.3% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Polk County, Nebraska.
How Polk County has changed
Polk County's population had its largest drop, from 6,584 in 1969 to 6,256 in 1974.
Polk County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5,269
High on the chart: 6,584 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Polk County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Polk County made its largest gain on the way to its 2015 high, from 1,411 in 2010 to 1,479 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Polk County fell 3% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 1,479 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Polk County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.1% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.2% | 2024 8.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,301 | 2024 $76,692 |
The table uses 2.5% 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 Polk County's history
1895
Drought from 1893–95. Wikipedia
1895
Two-hour fire destroyed most of city, only two buildings stood. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 10,714. The 2020 Census counted 5,214, 49% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
A tornado in April 1978 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1978
A tornado in April 1978 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in May 1993 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A tornado in June 2011 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Polk County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Polk County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Polk County ranks 5th of the six; Merrick County is highest, at 22.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County, NE | 15 | 9.5% | 18.5% |
| Platte County, NE | 15 | 8.5% | 18.1% |
| York County, NE | 13 | 9.1% | 21.1% |
| Merrick County, NE | 7 | 9.8% | 22.7% |
| Polk County, NE | 2 | 8.0% | 18.0% |
| Hamilton County, NE | 0 | 6.6% | 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 Polk County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 8.0% in 2024, 82nd 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, Polk County ranks 85th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Polk 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.
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.