In Lander County, Nevada, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Lander County, 15.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lander County's score
In Lander County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.7. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 24.5. The typical household earns $92,510 a year (2024), more than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lander 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, Lander County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.2%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (26.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202660th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th 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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- 49.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.1% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.8% · second quarter of 202645th percentile
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- 47.6 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 rent26.2% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.2% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 24.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.4% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,510 · 20248th 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 Lander 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 Lander County, 14.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lander County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lander County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 13.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Lander County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lander County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply after its 2018 high, from 12.0% in 2018 to 5.6% in 2019.
The share of households in Lander County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2019, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 5.6% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lander County, Nevada.
How Lander County has changed
Lander County's population had its largest rise, from 4,633 in 1984 to 6,093 in 1989.
Lander County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5,785
High on the chart: 6,227 in 1994. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lander County, Nevada.
The number of jobs located in Lander County had its largest rise, from 2,032 in 2005 to 3,029 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Lander County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2005, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 2,032 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lander County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.5% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $44,142 | 2024 $92,510 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Lander County's history
1990
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
A flood in March 2023 did $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
Lander County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lander County, three 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 | 66 | 11.1% | 18.4% |
| Churchill County, NV | 53 | 9.9% | 27.0% |
| Lander County, NV | 49 | 10.9% | 13.9% |
| Pershing County, NV | 44 | 18.3% | 27.0% |
| Humboldt County, NV | 30 | 10.6% | 19.5% |
| 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 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 12th of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lander 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 Lander 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 Lander County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.