About one in four people in Nye County, Nevada, has a disability
In Nye County, 25.8% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Nye County's score
In Nye County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 94.8. Unemployment averaged 6.3%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 94% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 76.3.
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.
Nye County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Nye 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.
- 94.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.4% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average6.3% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202694th percentile
-
- 76.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.8% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people251.3 · 202585th percentile
-
- 70.1 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 income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.2% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
-
- 67.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line22.8% · 202475th percentile
- People with a disability25.8% · 2020 to 202497th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,910 · 202452nd percentile
- People below the poverty line13.8% · 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
-
- 65.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.0% · August 202573rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.0% · Q4 202560th 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 Nye 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
Nye County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Nye County in 2024, pay from work was 46 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 38 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 5 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Nye County, benefit checks rose from 5 to 38 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Nye County, Nevada: 38.2% and 46.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 38.2% of all personal income in Nye 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 Nye County, 30.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Nye County has changed
The number of people living in Nye County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 5,549 to 55,990. The number of jobs located there grew by about 34% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 3.5% in 1990 to 6.6% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 5,549 | 2024 55,990 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 10,250 | 2024 13,764 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 6.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.9% | 2024 13.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $32,126 | 2024 $65,910 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 4.5% | 2024 38.2% |
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 Nye County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 51,591, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1997
Flash flood: $2.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 2005
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Nye County. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Nye County beside its neighbors
Nye County scores higher than all nine counties that border it, in Nevada and California. For the share of income from benefit checks, Nye County ranks 2nd of the 10; Mineral County is highest, at 42.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nye County, NV | 90 | 13.8% | 38.2% |
| Clark County, NV | 88 | 12.5% | 17.5% |
| Esmeralda County, NV | 84 | 14.8% | 27.2% |
| Mineral County, NV | 71 | 17.6% | 42.7% |
| Eureka County, NV | 61 | 11.1% | 18.4% |
| Churchill County, NV | 52 | 9.9% | 27.0% |
| Lander County, NV | 52 | 10.9% | 13.9% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 48 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| White Pine County, NV | 48 | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| Inyo County, CA | 28 | 11.2% | 26.1% |
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 Nye County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Nye County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 4th 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, Nye County ranks 1st of 17 in the state.
Nye County in photographs
Places in Nye County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Nye County Courthouse in Tonopah, Nevada, United States.
Gabbs is an unincorporated community in Nye County, Nevada, United States.
Photo: Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
.jpg){kind=link}
Nye County, Nevada: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Nye County, Nevada?
13.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 22.8%.
Is Nye County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Nye County's poverty rate was 13.8% in 2024, 4th 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, Nye County ranks 1st of 17 in the state.
What is the population of Nye County, Nevada?
About 55,990 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 51,591, the most of any census.
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 Nye 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.
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 Nye County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.