Unemployment in Webster County, Nebraska, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Webster County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Webster County's score
In Webster County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 62.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 8.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Webster 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, Webster County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (328.3, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.1% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people328.3 · 202592nd percentile
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- 37.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd 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 score42.8% · second quarter of 202659th percentile
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- 33.7 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 line10.0% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability13.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,235 · 202467th percentile
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- 22.9 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 rent2.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
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- 8.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.3% · 2020 to 20249th 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 Webster 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 Webster County, 22.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Webster County
Nebraska
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Webster County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Webster County, Nebraska, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Webster County getting SNAP food aid rose most in three steps: 5.8% in 2010 to 7.3% in 2011; 7.7% in 2017 to 9.2% in 2018; 6.6% in 2021 to 8.1% in 2022.
The share of households in Webster County getting SNAP food aid rose by about half to 9.5%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 5.8% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Webster County, Nebraska.
How Webster County has changed
Webster County's population had its largest drop, from 4,735 in 1984 to 4,313 in 1989.
Webster County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1979 to 1984, reaching 4,735. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Webster County, Nebraska.
The number of jobs located in Webster County had its largest drop, from 1,163 in 2005 to 971 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Webster County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 1,163 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Webster County, Nebraska.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.5% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,718 | 2024 $61,235 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Webster County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 12,008. The 2020 Census counted 3,395, 28% of the peak. Census Bureau
1990
A tornado in March 1990 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in May 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Lightning in July 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
Hail in September 2023 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Webster County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Webster County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Webster County, in Nebraska and Kansas, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Webster County ranks 4th of the eight; Franklin County is highest, at 28.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewell County, KS | 28 | 12.3% | 28.6% |
| Adams County, NE | 22 | 11.0% | 20.1% |
| Webster County, NE | 21 | 10.8% | 26.0% |
| Franklin County, NE | 17 | 12.1% | 28.7% |
| Smith County, KS | 17 | 10.5% | 28.6% |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 7 | 10.7% | 25.3% |
| Kearney County, NE | 3 | 7.8% | 15.7% |
| Clay County, NE | 0 | 9.6% | 21.5% |
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 Webster County the poorest county in Nebraska?
No, Webster 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, Webster County ranks 28th of 93 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Webster 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 Webster 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 Webster County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.