Unemployment in Clark County, Nevada, is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Clark County, 5.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 88% 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 one in four renters (28.1%, 2020 to 2024) pays 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 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.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Clark 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.
- 89.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
-
- 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
-
- 78.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.5% · August 202578th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.7% · Q4 202576th percentile
-
- 74.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202687th percentile
-
- 43.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.4% · 202446th percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,047 · 202420th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
-
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 Clark 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
Clark County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Clark County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 23 cents. Benefit checks were 18 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 5 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Clark County, benefit checks rose from 5 to 18 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Clark County, Nevada: 17.5% and 59.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 17.5% of all personal income in Clark County, Nevada (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 Clark County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Clark County has changed
The number of people living in Clark County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 267,479 to 2,398,871. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 4.6% in 1990 to 5.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 267,479 | 2024 2,398,871 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 373,281 | 2024 1,124,772 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.2% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $28,249 | 2024 $80,047 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.0% | 2024 17.5% |
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 Clark County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 2,265,461, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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
Thunderstorm wind: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Flash flood: $25 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Hail: $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1981
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clark County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Clark County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Clark County, in Nevada, California and Arizona, 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 | 88 | 12.5% | 17.5% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 83 | 12.6% | 23.6% |
| Mohave County, AZ | 82 | 14.6% | 36.3% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 48 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| Inyo County, CA | 28 | 11.2% | 26.1% |
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 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.
Clark County in photographs
Places in Clark County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Regional Justice Center in Downtown Las Vegas.
Photo: Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
A Clark County building in downtown Las Vegas, NV.
Clark County, Nevada: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Clark County, Nevada?
12.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 16.4%.
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.
What is the population of Clark County, Nevada?
About 2,398,871 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 2,265,461, the most of any census.
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 Clark 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.
-
Chicanos Por LA Causa Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Community Services of Nevada (CSNV)
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Credit.org - Henderson Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
Legal aid
-
Nevada Legal Services
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 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 Clark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.