About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Saline County, Nebraska, have a job
In Saline County, 10.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Saline County's score
In Saline County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 41.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 6.5. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 15.7% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Saline 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.
Saline 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.
- 41.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
-
- 29.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.3% · August 202527th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89.3 · 202530th percentile
-
- 23.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.6% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.5% · 202410th percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance9.7% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,352 · 202419th percentile
-
- 18.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202630th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
-
- 6.6 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 rent7.7% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.7% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
-
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 Saline 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 Saline County, 15.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Saline County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Saline County rose most in two steps: 11.1% in 1979 to 14.0% in 1984; 16.6% in 2004 to 19.5% in 2009.
In Saline County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Saline County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Saline County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.0% in 2022 to 6.0% in 2023.
The share of households in Saline County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.3% 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, Saline County, Nebraska.
How Saline County has changed
Saline County's population had its largest rise, from 13,174 in 1994 to 13,821 in 1999.
Saline County's population rose 15% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 14,740 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Saline County, Nebraska.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Saline County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,630, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 7,033 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Saline County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.8% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.6% | 2024 7.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,804 | 2024 $80,352 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Saline County's history
1867
Saline County was formed in 1855 and organized in 1867; first permanent settler arrived in 1858. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,252. The 2020 Census counted 14,292, 78% of the peak. Census Bureau
1994
Hail in July 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in May 2004 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A flood in May 2015 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in August 2025 did $16.13 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1967
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Saline County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Saline County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Saline County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Saline County ranks 4th of the six; Jefferson County is highest, at 26.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NE | 31 | 9.8% | 26.4% |
| Gage County, NE | 22 | 10.7% | 22.3% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 17 | 11.8% | 15.6% |
| Saline County, NE | 8 | 7.6% | 21.1% |
| Fillmore County, NE | 7 | 8.5% | 21.6% |
| Seward County, NE | 3 | 7.9% | 18.1% |
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 Saline County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Saline County's poverty rate was 7.6% in 2024, 88th 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, Saline County ranks 59th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Saline 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.
-
Legal Aid of Nebraska
Legal aid
-
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 Saline 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 Saline County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.