In Carson City, Nevada, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Carson City, 24.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 79% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Carson City's score
In Carson City, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 70.0. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 66.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Carson City: 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.
Carson City does better than most counties on two measures: adults 25 to 54 not working (13.5%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.2%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.0 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 rent19.9% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 66.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.1% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people162 · 202563rd percentile
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- 47.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.8% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance11.2% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,143 · 202435th percentile
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- 40.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.7% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 31.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.5% · 2020 to 202410th 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 Carson City 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 Carson City, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Carson City
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Carson City, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 23.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Carson City, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 23.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Carson City getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.6% in 2010 to 9.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Carson City getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 10.3%
Low on the chart: 5.1% 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, Carson City, Nevada.
How Carson City has changed
Carson City's population had its largest rise, from 15,528 in 1969 to 23,808 in 1974.
Carson City's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 58,148
High on the chart: 58,326 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Carson City, Nevada.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Carson City rose by about half to 32,571, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 31,014. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Carson City, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.4% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,610 | 2024 $72,143 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Carson City's history
1858
Settled in 1858 when Abraham Curry bought Eagle Station and renamed it Carson City. Wikipedia
1859
Comstock Lode gold and silver discovery. Wikipedia
1870
Carson City Mint. Wikipedia
2005
A flood in December 2005 did $3.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in January 2006 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 58,639, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1986
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Carson City, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Carson City beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Carson City, in Nevada and California, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Carson City ranks 2nd of the six; Lyon County is highest, at 25.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storey County, NV | 66 | 7.2% | 13.6% |
| Lyon County, NV | 63 | 11.4% | 25.3% |
| Carson City, NV | 52 | 11.7% | 23.1% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| Placer County, CA | 25 | 6.8% | 15.1% |
| Douglas County, NV | 23 | 8.2% | 14.9% |
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 Carson City the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Carson City's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 8th highest of 17 in Nevada (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Pershing County, at 18.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Carson City ranks 9th of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Carson City
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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Northern Nevada Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Nevada Legal Services
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.
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 Carson City comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.