In Lincoln County, Nevada, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Lincoln County, 17.7% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 51% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lincoln County's score
In Lincoln County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 81.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 34.3. About one in six people with a credit file (17.0%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 73% 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.
Even so, Lincoln County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (28.3%, 2020 to 2024) and adults 25 to 54 not working (28.8%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Lincoln 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.
- 81.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202676th percentile
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- 50.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.7% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability28.3% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,249 · 202435th percentile
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 43.7 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 income17.7% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 35.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score14.9% · Q4 202512th percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.0% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people112.3 · 202542nd 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 Lincoln 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
Lincoln County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lincoln County in 2024, pay from work was 57 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 15 cents. Benefit checks were 28 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Lincoln County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 28 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Lincoln County, Nevada: 28.3% and 57.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 28.3% of all personal income in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, 25.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Lincoln County has changed
The number of people living in Lincoln County grew by about 70% between 1969 and 2024, from 2,554 to 4,345. The number of jobs located there fell by about three in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 6.8% in 1990 to 5.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 2,554 | 2024 4,345 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,827 | 2024 1,350 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $28,492 | 2024 $72,249 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.6% | 2024 28.3% |
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 Lincoln County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 5,345. The 2020 Census counted 4,499, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
1866
Established in 1866. Wikipedia
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Since 2005
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lincoln County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Lincoln County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Lincoln County, in Nevada, Arizona and Utah, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lincoln County ranks 4th of the nine; Nye County is highest, at 38.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County, NV | 90 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Clark County, NV | 88 | 12.5% | 17.5% |
| Mohave County, AZ | 82 | 14.6% | 36.3% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 48 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| White Pine County, NV | 48 | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| Washington County, UT | 39 | 9.3% | 21.5% |
| Iron County, UT | 29 | 12.6% | 23.4% |
| Millard County, UT | 13 | 10.3% | 21.5% |
| Beaver County, UT | 4 | 9.5% | 32.2% |
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 Lincoln County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Lincoln County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 5th 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, Lincoln County ranks 13th of 17 in the state.
Lincoln County in photographs
Places in Lincoln County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Courthouse in Lincoln County, Nevada, in the United States.
Joshua Trees along Nevada State Route 375 about 28.9 miles south of the Nye County Line in Lincoln County, Nevada.
Lincoln County, Nevada: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Lincoln County, Nevada?
13.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 16.7%.
Is Lincoln County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Lincoln County's poverty rate was 13.2% in 2024, 5th 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, Lincoln County ranks 13th of 17 in the state.
What is the population of Lincoln County, Nevada?
About 4,345 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 4,499, 84% of the county's peak of 5,345 in 2010.
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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.