About one in 12 people in Thurston County, Nebraska, has a disability
In Thurston County, 8.7% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Thurston County's score
In Thurston County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 73.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 20.4. About one in 10 renters (10.2%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Thurston County is worse off than most counties on people with a subprime credit score (37.0%, Q4 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (8.9%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Thurston County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 73.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.0% · Q4 202591st percentile
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- 58.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.4% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people91.5 · 202531st percentile
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- 53.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line21.9% · 202471st percentile
- People with a disability8.7% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,125 · 202454th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.9% · 202475th percentile
- People without health insurance9.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 32.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.8% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202613th percentile
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- 20.4 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.2% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Thurston County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Thurston County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Thurston County in 2024, pay from work was 62 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 23 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Thurston County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 23 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Thurston County, Nebraska: 23.2% and 61.8% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 23.2% of all personal income in Thurston County, Nebraska (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Thurston County, 12.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Thurston County has changed
The number of people living in Thurston County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 7,010 to 6,637. The number of jobs located there grew by about 70% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.8% in 1990 to 3.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 7,010 | 2024 6,637 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,046 | 2024 3,471 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 30.6% | 2024 16.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,623 | 2024 $65,125 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.3% | 2024 23.2% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Thurston County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 10,462. The 2020 Census counted 6,773, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
1889
Organized by European Americans in 1889 from territory divided between Dakota and Burt counties since dissolution of Blackbird County in 1879. Wikipedia
1954
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1967
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Thurston County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Thurston County beside its neighbors
Thurston County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Nebraska and Iowa. For the share of income from benefit checks, Thurston County ranks 3rd of the eight; Monona County is highest, at 28.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurston County, NE | 45 | 16.9% | 23.2% |
| Woodbury County, IA | 38 | 13.6% | 23.0% |
| Dakota County, NE | 34 | 11.2% | 16.2% |
| Monona County, IA | 17 | 11.1% | 28.0% |
| Burt County, NE | 8 | 10.0% | 26.9% |
| Wayne County, NE | 7 | 12.5% | 18.7% |
| Dixon County, NE | 2 | 8.9% | 19.9% |
| Cuming County, NE | 1 | 8.6% | 17.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Thurston County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Thurston County's poverty rate was 16.9% in 2024, 1st 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, Thurston County ranks 2nd of 93 in the state.
Thurston County in photographs
Places in Thurston County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Thurston County Courthouse in Pender, Nebraska; seen from the west.
Thurston County, Nebraska: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Thurston County, Nebraska?
16.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 21.9%.
Is Thurston County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Thurston County's poverty rate was 16.9% in 2024, 1st 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, Thurston County ranks 2nd of 93 in the state.
What is the population of Thurston County, Nebraska?
About 6,637 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 6,773, 65% of the county's peak of 10,462 in 1930.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Thurston County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Legal Aid of Nebraska
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Thurston County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Thurston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.