Unemployment in Clark County, Nevada, is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties
In Clark County, 5.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clark County's score
In Clark County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 89.3. About three in ten renters (28.1%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 83.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clark 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.
Clark County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($80,047, 2024) and people with a disability (13.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.3 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 rent28.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 83.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.8% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people342.3 · 202593rd percentile
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- 74.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 73.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.6% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 43.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.4% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,047 · 202420th 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 Clark 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 Clark County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clark County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clark County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 17.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Clark County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Clark County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 13.6%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2011 to 2012, reaching 9.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clark County, Nevada.
How Clark County has changed
Clark County's population had its largest rise, from 972,624 in 1994 to 1,321,254 in 1999.
Clark County's population grew to about nine times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 2,398,871, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 336,930. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clark County, Nevada.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Clark County tripled to 1,142,466, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 1,142,466. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clark County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,249 | 2024 $80,047 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.3% 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 Clark County's history
1909
Formed by the Nevada Legislature by splitting off a portion of Lincoln County on February 5, 1909, and organized on July 1, 1909. Wikipedia
1994
A thunderstorm in July 1994 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in July 1999 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail in July 2012 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Hail in June 2016 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 2,265,461, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1981
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clark County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clark County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Clark County, in Nevada, Arizona and California, one scores higher. Of the group, Clark County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Nye County gets the largest, at 38.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County, NV | 90 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Clark County, NV | 87 | 12.5% | 17.5% |
| Mohave County, AZ | 83 | 14.6% | 36.3% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 81 | 12.6% | 23.6% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 50 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| Inyo County, CA | 29 | 11.2% | 26.1% |
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 Clark County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Clark County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 7th 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, Clark County ranks 2nd of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clark 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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Chicanos Por LA Causa Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Services of Nevada (CSNV)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Credit.org - Henderson Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
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 Clark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.