About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Stanton County, Nebraska, have a job
In Stanton County, 8.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stanton County's score
In Stanton County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 65.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Unemployment averaged 2.4%, 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 Stanton 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.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.3% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.7% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.7% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 40.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.1% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people119.5 · 202546th percentile
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- 37.1 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 rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
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- 15.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.9% · 20245th 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)$78,313 · 202422nd 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 year2.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working8.7% · 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 Stanton 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 Stanton County, 20.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stanton County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Stanton County had its largest rise, from 8.5% in 1994 to 11.3% in 1999.
In Stanton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 15.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Stanton County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Stanton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.4% in 2012 to 8.8% in 2013.
The share of households in Stanton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 3.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Stanton County, Nebraska.
How Stanton County has changed
Stanton County's population had its largest drop, from 6,426 in 2004 to 6,157 in 2009.
Stanton County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 6,483 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Stanton County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Stanton County rose most sharply from its first year (1,147 in 1990) to 1,258 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Stanton County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 1,392 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Stanton County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.5% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,377 | 2024 $78,313 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.4% 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 Stanton County's history
1856
1856 (founded as "Izard County") 1862 (renamed "Stanton County") 1867 (organized). Wikipedia
1867
Formed in 1856 and organized in 1867. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 7,809. The 2020 Census counted 5,842, 75% of the peak. Census Bureau
1954
A tornado in May 1954 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in June 2010 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A tornado in June 2014 did $12 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A tornado in June 2014 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stanton County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Stanton County beside its neighbors
Stanton County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Stanton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Madison County gets the largest, at 19.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanton County, NE | 20 | 7.8% | 15.7% |
| Madison County, NE | 16 | 12.3% | 19.5% |
| Platte County, NE | 15 | 8.5% | 18.1% |
| Colfax County, NE | 13 | 8.4% | 16.8% |
| Wayne County, NE | 7 | 12.5% | 18.7% |
| Cuming County, NE | 2 | 8.6% | 17.3% |
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 Stanton County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Stanton County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 85th 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, Stanton County ranks 29th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stanton 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 Stanton 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 Stanton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.