About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Seward County, Nebraska, have a job
In Seward County, 9.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Seward County's score
In Seward County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 29.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Unemployment averaged 2.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Seward 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.
Seward 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.
- 29.8 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 rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.4% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.8% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
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- 14.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.4% · 20245th or lower percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance6.1% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,422 · 202417th percentile
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- 7.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.4% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people50.9 · 20259th percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.7% · 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 Seward 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 Seward County, 18.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Seward County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Seward County rose most in two steps: 13.7% in 2004 to 16.1% in 2009; 14.9% in 2014 to 17.3% in 2019.
In Seward County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 18.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Seward County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Seward County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 5.4% in 2017 to 4.0% in 2018; 4.0% in 2023 to 5.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Seward County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5.4%
High on the chart: 5.5% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Seward County, Nebraska.
How Seward County has changed
Seward County's population rose by about a quarter to 17,769, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 15,769. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Seward County, Nebraska.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Seward County rose 12% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 6,305 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Seward County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.1% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.1% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,334 | 2024 $82,422 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% 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 Seward County's history
1855
March 16, 1855 (created) October 1, 1865 (organized). Wikipedia
1865
Created March 16, 1855 and organized October 1, 1865. Wikipedia
1957
A tornado in April 1957 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in May 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in June 1992 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 17,609, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Seward County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Seward County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Seward County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Seward County ranks 4th of the five; York County is highest, at 21.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County, NE | 17 | 11.8% | 15.6% |
| Butler County, NE | 15 | 9.5% | 18.5% |
| York County, NE | 13 | 9.1% | 21.1% |
| Saline County, NE | 8 | 7.6% | 21.1% |
| 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 Seward County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Seward County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 84th 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, Seward County ranks 81st of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Seward 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 Seward 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 Seward County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.