Unemployment in Thayer County, Nebraska, is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Thayer County, 2.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Thayer County's score
In Thayer County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 44.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Thayer 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.
Even so, Thayer County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (227.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 44.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.5% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people227.8 · 202581st percentile
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- 31.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.4% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability13.7% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,526 · 202447th percentile
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- 16.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.8% · second quarter of 202612th percentile
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- 15.3 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 rent8.3% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
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- 9.1 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 working14.3% · 2020 to 202413th 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 Thayer 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 Thayer County, 25.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Thayer County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Thayer County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Thayer County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Thayer County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.1% in 2013 to 10.3% in 2014.
The share of households in Thayer County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 5.9% 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, Thayer County, Nebraska.
How Thayer County has changed
Thayer County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 6,732. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Thayer County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Thayer County had its largest rise, from 2,161 in 1995 to 2,483 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Thayer County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 2,483 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Thayer County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.0% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,558 | 2024 $67,526 |
The table uses 2.5% 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 Thayer County's history
1871
Created in 1856 originally named Jefferson County; organized in 1870-1871. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 14,775. The 2020 Census counted 5,034, 34% of the peak. Census Bureau
1953
Tornado in 1953 caused severe damage. Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in May 1953 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in June 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in June 2003 did $10 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Thayer County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Thayer County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Thayer County, in Nebraska and Kansas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Thayer County ranks 4th of the six; Republic County is highest, at 29.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NE | 31 | 9.8% | 26.4% |
| Republic County, KS | 13 | 10.7% | 29.6% |
| Thayer County, NE | 8 | 10.8% | 26.1% |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 7 | 10.7% | 25.3% |
| Fillmore County, NE | 7 | 8.5% | 21.6% |
| Washington County, KS | 3 | 11.1% | 26.3% |
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 Thayer County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Thayer County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 49th 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, Thayer County ranks 61st of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Thayer 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 Thayer 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 Thayer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.