In Pershing County, Nevada, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Pershing County, 17.8% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 80% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pershing County's score
In Pershing County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 72.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 17.6. About one in nine renters (11.3%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 83% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pershing 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, Pershing County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (8.8%, August 2025) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (35.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.9 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.8% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.3% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line18.3% · 202481st percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.9% · 202448th percentile
- People with a disability18.9% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,559 · 202444th percentile
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- 46.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector35.4% · August 202586th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people15.7 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 34.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
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- 17.6 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 rent11.3% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th 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 Pershing 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 Pershing County, 17.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pershing County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pershing County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 27.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Pershing County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pershing County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (4.5% in 2009) to 8.3% in 2010.
The share of households in Pershing County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 4.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pershing County, Nevada.
How Pershing County has changed
Pershing County's population had its largest rise, from 4,826 in 1994 to 6,653 in 1999.
Pershing County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6,536
High on the chart: 6,734 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pershing County, Nevada.
The number of jobs located in Pershing County had its largest drop, from 1,853 in 2005 to 1,617 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Pershing County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 1,617 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pershing County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 18.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,323 | 2024 $68,559 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Pershing County's history
1881
Gold placer deposits were discovered in American Valley, Spring Valley, and Dry Gulch in 1881. Wikipedia
1963
There was a possible exploration for in 1963 from the chance of a large deposit of silver. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 6,753. The 2020 Census counted 6,650, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 2005
4 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pershing County. FEMA
Pershing County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Pershing County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pershing County ranks 2nd of the five; Churchill County is highest, at 27.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Churchill County, NV | 53 | 9.9% | 27.0% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
| Lander County, NV | 49 | 10.9% | 13.9% |
| Pershing County, NV | 44 | 18.3% | 27.0% |
| Humboldt County, NV | 30 | 10.6% | 19.5% |
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 Pershing County the poorest county in Nevada?
Yes, Pershing County's poverty rate was 18.3% in 2024, the highest of 17 counties in Nevada (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Pershing County ranks 14th of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pershing 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 Pershing 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 Pershing County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.