In Mineral County, Nevada, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 43 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (42.7%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mineral County's score
In Mineral County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 79.7. About one in four people (23.0%, 2020 to 2024) has a disability, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 79.4.
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.
Mineral County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (1.5%, August 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.0%, August 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Mineral 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.
- 79.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line23.6% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability23.0% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,610 · 202474th percentile
- People below the poverty line17.6% · 202478th percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
-
- 79.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.0% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average9.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202695th percentile
-
- 62.6 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 income25.7% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.3% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
-
- 62.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.5% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people132.5 · 202552nd percentile
-
- 28.8 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 behind1.5% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.1% · Q4 202548th percentile
-
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 Mineral 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
Mineral County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mineral County in 2024, pay from work was 41 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 43 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 80 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 5 cents. They crossed in 2024.
In Mineral County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2024
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Mineral County, Nevada: 42.7% and 41.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 42.7% of all personal income in Mineral 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 Mineral County, 26.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Mineral County has changed
The number of people living in Mineral County fell by about four in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 7,150 to 4,475. The number of jobs located there fell by about half from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 5.9% in 1990 to 10.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 7,150 | 2024 4,475 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,574 | 2024 1,166 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 10.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.2% | 2024 17.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $28,509 | 2024 $58,610 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 5.3% | 2024 42.7% |
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 Mineral County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1970 Census count of 7,051. The 2020 Census counted 4,554, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 1997
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mineral County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Mineral County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Mineral County, in Nevada and California, two score higher. Of the group, Mineral County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (42.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County, NV | 90 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Esmeralda County, NV | 84 | 14.8% | 27.2% |
| Mineral County, NV | 71 | 17.6% | 42.7% |
| Lyon County, NV | 63 | 11.4% | 25.3% |
| Churchill County, NV | 52 | 9.9% | 27.0% |
| Mono County, CA | 13 | 9.8% | 12.7% |
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 Mineral County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Mineral County's poverty rate was 17.6% in 2024, 2nd 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, Mineral County ranks 4th of 17 in the state.
Mineral County in photographs
Places in Mineral County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The old Esmeralda & Mineral County Court House — Hawthorne, Nevada Constructed in 1883 to serve Esmeralda County.
Photo: Jimmy Emerson from Dalton GA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
View of gravestones in Hawthorne Cemetery located at Hawthorne, Nevada on U.S Highway 95 in Mineral County, Nevada.
Photo: FloNight (Sydney Poore) and Russell Poore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mineral County, Nevada: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Mineral County, Nevada?
17.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 23.6%.
Is Mineral County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Mineral County's poverty rate was 17.6% in 2024, 2nd 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, Mineral County ranks 4th of 17 in the state.
What is the population of Mineral County, Nevada?
About 4,475 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 4,554, 65% of the county's peak of 7,051 in 1970.
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 Mineral 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.
-
Nevada Legal Services
Legal aid
-
State Bar of Nevada Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
-
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 Mineral 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 Mineral County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.