About one in 17 people in Sarpy County, Nebraska, lives below the poverty line
In Sarpy County, 5.8% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sarpy County's score
In Sarpy County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 39.9. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 5.3. About one in 19 children (5.3%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 99% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sarpy 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.
Sarpy 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.
- 39.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.3% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people161.6 · 202563rd percentile
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- 30.5 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 rent17.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202713th percentile
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- 14.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.7% · second quarter of 20266th percentile
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- 8.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.8% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
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- 5.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.3% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability10.0% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$102,043 · 20244th 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 Sarpy 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 Sarpy County, 12.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sarpy County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sarpy County had its largest rise, from 9.0% in 2004 to 11.4% in 2009.
In Sarpy County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about six times its 1969 level, reaching 14.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Sarpy County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income grew to about six times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 14.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sarpy County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.3% in 2011 to 5.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Sarpy County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 4.7%
Low on the chart: 3.5% 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, Sarpy County, Nebraska.
How Sarpy County has changed
Sarpy County's population had its largest rise, from 136,339 in 2004 to 156,147 in 2009.
Sarpy County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 204,828, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 100,842. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sarpy County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Sarpy County had its largest rise, from 35,657 in 2000 to 55,971 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Sarpy County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 83,436, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 71,092. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sarpy County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.1% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.7% | 2024 5.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,475 | 2024 $102,043 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Sarpy County's history
1857
Created February 7, 1857 when Territorial Legislature partitioned off southern half of Douglas County. Wikipedia
1920
Fort Crook established in 1890s, Offutt Field added in 1920s. Wikipedia
1988
A tornado in May 1988 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
Hail in May 1995 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in March 2019 did $420 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 190,604, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A thunderstorm in July 2024 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sarpy County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sarpy County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Sarpy County, in Nebraska and Iowa, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sarpy County ranks 5th of the six; Pottawattamie County is highest, at 27.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 46 | 13.9% | 27.1% |
| Douglas County, NE | 34 | 11.8% | 12.1% |
| Mills County, IA | 14 | 9.8% | 21.6% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 4 | 5.8% | 14.4% |
| Cass County, NE | 4 | 6.2% | 18.8% |
| Saunders County, NE | 1 | 6.0% | 17.2% |
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 Sarpy County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Sarpy County's poverty rate was 5.8% in 2024, the lowest 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, Sarpy County ranks 75th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sarpy 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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Family Housing Advisory Services, Incorporate
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Sarpy County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.