About one in five people in Eureka County, Nevada, has a disability
In Eureka County, 21.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Eureka County's score
In Eureka County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 76.2. Unemployment averaged 5.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 82% of U.S. counties. Housing costs come next, at 65.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Eureka 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.
Eureka County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($82,162, 2024) and children below the poverty line (13.6%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 76.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 65.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent36.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.4% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
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- 63.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 48.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$82,162 · 202417th percentile
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- 45.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.1% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104.3 · 202538th 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 Eureka 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 Eureka County, 21.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Eureka County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Eureka County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 18.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Eureka County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Eureka County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.2% in 2016 to 4.4% in 2017.
The share of households in Eureka County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 2.6%
Low on the chart: 0.6% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Eureka County, Nevada.
How Eureka County has changed
Eureka County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 1,470 in 2004 to 1,926 in 2009.
Eureka County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,877
High on the chart: 1,926 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Eureka County, Nevada.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Eureka County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 4,549 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Eureka County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.3% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,916 | 2024 $82,162 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Eureka County's history
1873
Established in 1873. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 1,987. The 2020 Census counted 1,855, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in March 2023 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Eureka County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Eureka County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Eureka County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Eureka County ranks 3rd of the five; Nye County is highest, at 38.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County, NV | 90 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Eureka County, NV | 66 | 11.1% | 18.4% |
| Lander County, NV | 49 | 10.9% | 13.9% |
| White Pine County, NV | 48 | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| Elko County, NV | 27 | 9.5% | 15.7% |
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 Eureka County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Eureka County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 10th 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, Eureka County ranks 5th of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Eureka 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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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 Eureka 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 Eureka County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.