In Elko County, Nevada, benefit checks make up only 16 cents of every dollar of income
In Elko County, 15.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Elko County's score
In Elko County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 63.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 21.8. About one in nine renters (11.7%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 82% 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.
Elko County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Elko 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.
- 63.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.7% · Q4 202551st percentile
-
- 43.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.5% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.1 · 202531st percentile
-
- 35.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202632nd percentile
-
- 26.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line10.0% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$91,128 · 202410th percentile
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
-
- 21.8 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent11.7% · 2020 to 202417th 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 Elko 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
Elko County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Elko County in 2024, pay from work was 71 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 16 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 6 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Elko County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 16 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Elko County, Nevada: 15.7% and 71.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 15.7% of all personal income in Elko 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 Elko County, 13.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Elko County has changed
The number of people living in Elko County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 13,979 to 54,363. The number of jobs located there grew by about 44% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.9% in 1990 to 3.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 13,979 | 2024 54,363 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 15,372 | 2024 22,205 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.7% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $35,001 | 2024 $91,128 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 6.2% | 2024 15.7% |
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 Elko County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 53,702, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1869
Established in 1869. Wikipedia
2017
Flood: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Thunderstorm wind: $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Hail: $5,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Thunderstorm wind: $3,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Elko County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Elko County beside its neighbors
Of the nine counties that border Elko County, in Nevada, Idaho and Utah, seven score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Elko County ranks 8th of the 10; White Pine County is highest, at 24.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eureka County, NV | 61 | 11.1% | 18.4% |
| Owyhee County, ID | 59 | 13.2% | 21.5% |
| Lander County, NV | 52 | 10.9% | 13.9% |
| White Pine County, NV | 48 | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| Twin Falls County, ID | 37 | 10.9% | 22.2% |
| Humboldt County, NV | 30 | 10.6% | 19.5% |
| Cassia County, ID | 29 | 12.9% | 17.5% |
| Elko County, NV | 28 | 9.5% | 15.7% |
| Tooele County, UT | 18 | 6.2% | 14.7% |
| Box Elder County, UT | 15 | 6.8% | 17.3% |
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 Elko County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Elko County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 14th 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, Elko County ranks 16th of 17 in the state.
Elko County in photographs
Places in Elko County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Facade of the Elko County Courthouse — in Elko, Nevada.
.jpg){kind=link}
View west across Huntingdon Valley from Huntington Road (Elko County Route 719) in Elko County, Nevada.
_in_Elko_County,_Nevada.jpg){kind=link}
Elko County, Nevada: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Elko County, Nevada?
9.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 11 people. Among children it was 10.0%.
Is Elko County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Elko County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 14th 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, Elko County ranks 16th of 17 in the state.
What is the population of Elko County, Nevada?
About 54,363 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 53,702, 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 Elko 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.
-
Nevada Legal Services
Legal aid
-
State Bar of Nevada Lawyer Referral Service
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 Elko County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.