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. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% 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 8.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.5%, August 2025, lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 60.4 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 rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
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- 53.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.0% · 2020 to 202451st 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
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.7% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability16.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$101,862 · 20245th percentile
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- 8.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.5% · August 20253rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.8% · second quarter of 202612th 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 32.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Douglas County had its largest rise, from 9.1% in 2004 to 14.1% in 2009.
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 14.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Douglas County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.3% in 2012 to 5.8% in 2013.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 1.5% 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, Douglas County, Nevada.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population had its largest rise, from 26,579 in 1989 to 34,413 in 1994.
Douglas County's population grew to about seven times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 49,564, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 49,564. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, Nevada.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 21,784 in 2005 to 17,198 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 21,634
High on the chart: 21,784 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 4.4% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,902 | 2024 $101,862 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Douglas County's history
2015
A flash flood in July 2015 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 49,488, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A flood in December 2022 did $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
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 | 52 | 11.7% | 23.1% |
| Alpine County, CA | 41 | 15.8% | 28.9% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 31 | 7.9% | 16.8% |
| Placer County, CA | 25 | 6.8% | 15.1% |
| Douglas County, NV | 23 | 8.2% | 14.9% |
| Mono County, CA | 11 | 9.8% | 12.7% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.