About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Lander County, Nevada, is not working
In Lander County, 26.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lander County's score
In Lander County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 70.7. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (26.8%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 80% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 57.6.
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.
Lander County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (15.2%, fiscal year 2027) and median household income ($92,510, 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lander 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.
- 70.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202660th percentile
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- 57.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.1% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104 · 202538th percentile
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- 57.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.1% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.9% · Q4 202567th percentile
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- 47.6 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 income15.2% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent26.2% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 24.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line13.4% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,510 · 20248th percentile
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Lander 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
Lander County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lander County in 2024, pay from work was 76 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 10 cents. Benefit checks were 14 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 Lander County, benefit checks rose from 6 to 14 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lander County, Nevada: 13.9% and 75.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 13.9% of all personal income in Lander 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 Lander County, 14.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Lander County has changed
The number of people living in Lander County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 2,648 to 5,785. The number of jobs located there grew by about 38% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.5% in 1990 to 4.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 2,648 | 2024 5,785 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,626 | 2024 3,626 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $44,142 | 2024 $92,510 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.5% | 2024 13.9% |
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 Lander County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 6,266. The 2020 Census counted 5,734, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
Flood: $5.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lander County. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Lander County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lander County, two score higher. Of the group, Lander County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Nye County gets the largest, at 38.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County, NV | 90 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Eureka County, NV | 61 | 11.1% | 18.4% |
| Lander County, NV | 52 | 10.9% | 13.9% |
| Churchill County, NV | 52 | 9.9% | 27.0% |
| Pershing County, NV | 44 | 18.3% | 27.0% |
| Humboldt County, NV | 30 | 10.6% | 19.5% |
| Elko County, NV | 28 | 9.5% | 15.7% |
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 Lander County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Lander County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 11th 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, Lander County ranks 10th of 17 in the state.
Lander County in photographs
Places in Lander County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Lander County Courthouse in Battle Mountain, Nevada, United States.
View down the Humboldt River from Interstate 80 east of Battle Mountain, Nevada.
Lander County, Nevada: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lander County, Nevada?
10.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in nine people. Among children it was 13.4%.
Is Lander County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Lander County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 11th 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, Lander County ranks 10th of 17 in the state.
What is the population of Lander County, Nevada?
About 5,785 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 5,734, 92% of the county's peak of 6,266 in 1990.
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 Lander 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 Lander 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 Lander County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.