About three in ten people in Lincoln County, Nevada, have a disability
In Lincoln County, 28.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lincoln County's score
In Lincoln County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 81.7. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (28.8%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 50.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lincoln 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.
Lincoln County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (17.7%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (5.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
-
- 50.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.2% · 202449th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.7% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability28.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,249 · 202435th percentile
-
- 43.7 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 rent21.2% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.7% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
-
- 43.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.1% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.1% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
-
- 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
-
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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, 25.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lincoln County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lincoln County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lincoln County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lincoln County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.6% in 2013 to 7.4% in 2014.
The share of households in Lincoln County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 4.6%
Low on the chart: 2.8% 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, Lincoln County, Nevada.
How Lincoln County has changed
Lincoln County's population rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 2,528 in 1974 to 3,616 in 1979.
Lincoln County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 5,246 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lincoln County, Nevada.
The number of jobs located in Lincoln County had its largest drop, from 1,827 in 1990 to 1,535 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Lincoln County fell by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 1,377, with its low point on the chart in 2010
Low on the chart: 1,177 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lincoln County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.8% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.2% | 2024 13.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,492 | 2024 $72,249 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Lincoln County's history
1866
Established in 1866. Wikipedia
2010
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
-
Since 2005
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lincoln County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 87 | 12.5% | 17.5% |
| Mohave County, AZ | 83 | 14.6% | 36.3% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 50 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| White Pine County, NV | 48 | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| Washington County, UT | 38 | 9.3% | 21.5% |
| Iron County, UT | 28 | 12.6% | 23.4% |
| Millard County, UT | 13 | 10.3% | 21.5% |
| Beaver County, UT | 5 | 9.5% | 32.2% |
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 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 11th of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lincoln 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.
-
Nevada Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.