In Emery County, Utah, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Emery County, 16.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Emery County's score
In Emery County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 65.1. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 12.5. People with a credit card behind: 2.8%, August 2025, lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Emery 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.
Emery County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.7% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 42.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.2% · 202434th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,314 · 202430th percentile
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- 30.2 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 rent18.3% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.4% · fiscal year 20279th percentile
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- 22.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.9% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69 · 202518th percentile
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- 12.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.5% · second quarter of 202617th 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 Emery 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 Emery County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Emery County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Emery County had its largest rise, from 23.7% in 2014 to 28.0% in 2019.
In Emery County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Emery County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Emery County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 10.1% in 2017 to 8.2% in 2018.
The share of households in Emery County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 10.2%
Low on the chart: 7.4% 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, Emery County, Utah.
How Emery County has changed
Emery County's population had its largest rise, from 5,961 in 1974 to 10,413 in 1979.
Emery County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 12,483 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Emery County, Utah.
The number of jobs located in Emery County fell most sharply after its 2010 high, from 3,753 in 2010 to 3,151 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Emery County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2015, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 3,151 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Emery County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.2% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.6% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $35,121 | 2024 $74,314 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Emery County's history
1880
Created February 12, 1880. Wikipedia
1970
Coal mines and power plants opened 1970s, depressed markets later slowed the sector. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 11,451. The 2020 Census counted 9,825, 86% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
Lightning in July 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A flash flood in May 2020 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A flash flood in August 2021 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Emery County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Emery County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Emery County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Emery County ranks 2nd of the six; Carbon County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon County, UT | 53 | 13.5% | 29.9% |
| Grand County, UT | 47 | 10.3% | 17.5% |
| Sevier County, UT | 33 | 10.0% | 27.0% |
| Sanpete County, UT | 24 | 12.2% | 24.7% |
| Emery County, UT | 23 | 11.8% | 29.5% |
| Wayne County, UT | 9 | 10.3% | 23.9% |
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 Emery County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Emery County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 7th highest of 29 in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is San Juan County, at 19.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Emery County ranks 15th of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Emery 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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Utah 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.
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 Emery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.