About one in three people in Esmeralda County, Nevada, has a disability
In Esmeralda County, 31.5% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Esmeralda County's score
In Esmeralda County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.2. Unemployment averaged 6.4%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 87.3.
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.
Esmeralda County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a subprime credit score (11.1%, Q4 2025) and people without health insurance (4.7%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Esmeralda 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.
- 91.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.0% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average6.4% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202695th percentile
-
- 87.4 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 income24.3% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent53.3% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
-
- 76.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people271.7 · 202587th percentile
-
- 57.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability31.5% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,369 · 202451st percentile
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
-
- 40.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score11.1% · Q4 20255th 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 Esmeralda 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
Esmeralda County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Esmeralda County in 2024, pay from work was 60 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 27 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 Esmeralda County, benefit checks rose from 5 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Esmeralda County, Nevada: 27.2% and 60.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.2% of all personal income in Esmeralda 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 Esmeralda County, 24.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Esmeralda County has changed
The number of people living in Esmeralda County grew by about 23% between 1969 and 2024, from 585 to 720. The number of jobs located there fell by about two in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 5.9% in 1990 to 7.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 585 | 2024 720 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 364 | 2024 284 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 7.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.7% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $28,824 | 2024 $66,369 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.4% | 2024 27.2% |
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 Esmeralda County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 9,369. The 2020 Census counted 729, 8% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 2005
3 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Esmeralda County. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Esmeralda County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Esmeralda County, in Nevada and California, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Esmeralda County ranks 3rd of the five; Mineral County is highest, at 42.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County, NV | 90 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Esmeralda County, NV | 84 | 14.8% | 27.2% |
| Mineral County, NV | 71 | 17.6% | 42.7% |
| Inyo County, CA | 28 | 11.2% | 26.1% |
| 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 Esmeralda County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Esmeralda County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 3rd 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, Esmeralda County ranks 3rd of 17 in the state.
Esmeralda County in photographs
Places in Esmeralda County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Esmeralda County, Nevada courthouse, located on Crook Avenue ( U.S.
Photo: FloNight (Sydney Poore) and Russell Poore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Silver Peak (also Silverpeak) is an unincorporated community in Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States.
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Esmeralda County, Nevada: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Esmeralda County, Nevada?
14.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.8%.
Is Esmeralda County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Esmeralda County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 3rd 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, Esmeralda County ranks 3rd of 17 in the state.
What is the population of Esmeralda County, Nevada?
About 720 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 729, 8% of the county's peak of 9,369 in 1910.
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 Esmeralda 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.
Download the CSV for Esmeralda 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 Esmeralda County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.