Unemployment in Storey County, Nevada, is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Storey County, 5.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 88% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Storey County's score
In Storey County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.9. About three in ten renters (28.4%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 70.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Storey 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.
Storey County does better than most counties on two measures: people below the poverty line (7.2%, 2024) and children below the poverty line (7.4%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.4% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
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- 70.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.5% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.3% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.6% · second quarter of 202632nd percentile
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- 64.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.0% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
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- 55.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.1% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people119.7 · 202546th percentile
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- 21.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.2% · 20245th or lower percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.4% · 20245th or lower percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,548 · 20248th 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 Storey 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 Storey County, 33.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Storey County
Nevada
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Storey County had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2004 to 17.5% in 2009.
In Storey County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 13.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Storey County, Nevada, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Storey County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.7% in 2016 to 8.9% in 2017.
The share of households in Storey County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 4.4%
Low on the chart: 1.8% 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, Storey County, Nevada.
How Storey County has changed
Storey County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size, reaching 4,112, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 1,934. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Storey County, Nevada.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Storey County grew to more than twenty times its 1990 size, reaching 21,463, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 21,463 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Storey County, Nevada.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.3% | 2025 5.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.5% | 2024 7.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,070 | 2024 $92,548 |
The table uses 5.8% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Storey County's history
1861
Established in 1861. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 4,104, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Storey County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storey County beside its neighbors
Storey County scores higher than all three counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Storey County ranks 3rd of the four; Lyon County is highest, at 25.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storey County, NV | 66 | 7.2% | 13.6% |
| Lyon County, NV | 63 | 11.4% | 25.3% |
| Carson City, NV | 52 | 11.7% | 23.1% |
| Washoe County, NV | 51 | 9.4% | 13.5% |
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 Storey County the poorest county in Nevada?
No, Storey County's poverty rate was 7.2% in 2024, the lowest 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, Storey County ranks 6th of 17 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Storey 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 Storey 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 Storey County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.