About one in five people in Churchill County, Nevada, has a disability
In Churchill County, 20.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 82% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Churchill County's score
In Churchill County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 62.9. Unemployment averaged 4.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 64% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 57.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Churchill 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.
Churchill County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (9.9%, 2024) and children below the poverty line (12.7%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.6% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 57.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.7% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 51.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.1% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124 · 202548th percentile
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- 45.8 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 rent14.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.8% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 42.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.9% · 202421st percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.7% · 202426th percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,479 · 202428th 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 Churchill 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 Churchill County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Churchill County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Churchill County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Churchill County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Churchill County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 2012 to 12.7% in 2013.
The share of households in Churchill County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 10.6%
Low on the chart: 3.5% 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, Churchill County, Nevada.
How Churchill County has changed
Churchill County's population more than doubled to 26,033, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 23,859. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Churchill County, Nevada.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Churchill County rose by about half to 9,051, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 8,142. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Churchill County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.7% | 2024 9.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,846 | 2024 $75,479 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Churchill County's history
1861
1861( 1861 ) (created) 1864( 1864 ) (organized). Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 25,516, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1997
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Churchill County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Churchill County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Churchill County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Churchill County ranks 3rd of the seven; Mineral County is highest, at 42.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County, NV | 90 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Mineral County, NV | 74 | 17.6% | 42.7% |
| Lyon County, NV | 63 | 11.4% | 25.3% |
| Churchill County, NV | 53 | 9.9% | 27.0% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| Lander County, NV | 49 | 10.9% | 13.9% |
| Pershing County, NV | 44 | 18.3% | 27.0% |
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 Churchill County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Churchill County's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 13th 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, Churchill County ranks 8th of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Churchill 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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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.
Download the CSV for Churchill 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 Churchill County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.