In Douglas County, Nevada, benefit checks make up only 15 cents of every dollar of income
In Douglas County, 14.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 77% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 60.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 7.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.5%, August 2025, lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
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.
Even so, Douglas County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.8%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Douglas 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.
- 60.4 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 income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 53.2 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202654th percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.5% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.8 · 202532nd percentile
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- 23.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line10.7% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability16.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$101,862 · 20245th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
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- 7.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.5% · August 20253rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score13.6% · Q4 20257th percentile
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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 Douglas 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
Douglas County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Douglas County in 2024, pay from work was 43 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 42 cents. Benefit checks were 15 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.
Income from investments and rentals is unusually large here: 42 cents of the dollar, against 21 nationally.
In Douglas County, benefit checks rose from 5 to 15 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Douglas County, Nevada: 14.9% and 43.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 14.9% of all personal income in Douglas 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 Douglas County, 32.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Douglas County has changed
The number of people living in Douglas County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 6,674 to 49,564. The number of jobs located there grew by about 13% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.0% in 1990 to 4.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 6,674 | 2024 49,564 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 18,254 | 2024 20,644 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.4% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $33,902 | 2024 $101,862 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 4.5% | 2024 14.9% |
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 Douglas County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 49,488, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2015
Flash flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
Flood: $5,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Douglas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Douglas County, in Nevada and California, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Douglas County ranks 6th of the seven; Alpine County is highest, at 28.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon County, NV | 63 | 11.4% | 25.3% |
| Carson City, NV | 51 | 11.7% | 23.1% |
| Alpine County, CA | 41 | 15.8% | 28.9% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 30 | 7.9% | 16.8% |
| Placer County, CA | 25 | 6.8% | 15.1% |
| Douglas County, NV | 22 | 8.2% | 14.9% |
| Mono County, CA | 13 | 9.8% | 12.7% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 16th 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, Douglas County ranks 17th of 17 in the state.
Douglas County in photographs
Places in Douglas County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Minden is a census-designated place (CDP) in Douglas County, Nevada, United States.
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Douglas County, Nevada: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Douglas County, Nevada?
8.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 12 people. Among children it was 10.7%.
Is Douglas County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 16th 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, Douglas County ranks 17th of 17 in the state.
What is the population of Douglas County, Nevada?
About 49,564 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 49,488, 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 Douglas 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.
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Nevada Legal Services
Legal aid
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State Bar of Nevada Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
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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.
Download the CSV for Douglas County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.