No Nebraska county is in the nation's more distressed half; 11 rank in the 100 least distressed
Each state is shaded by how distressed its households are, from green (least) to red (most), with data through September 2026. Nebraska scores 10 out of 100.
Dawson County, where Tyson Foods closed its Lexington beef plant in January 2026, had 16.4% unemployment in August 2026, the 4th highest of any U.S. county. Yet on distress, Dawson ranks only 18th of Nebraska's 93 counties. Johnson County, the state's hardest hit, is more distressed than 48% of U.S. counties, so even it sits in the nation's less distressed half. Statewide, unemployment ran at 2.9% in August 2026, 6th lowest nationally.
- Score
- 10/100
- Data through
- September 2026
- Edition
- October 2026
Next edition expected March 2027
Nebraska ranks among the least distressed states, but its bankruptcy rate sits mid-pack
Nebraskans are less likely than people in most states to be out of work, yet they file for bankruptcy at a rate near the middle of the states. Only five places score lower than Nebraska: North Dakota, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Vermont and Montana. In 2025, Nebraska’s filing rate of 138.6 per 100,000 residents, counting the 2025 population, ranked 27th highest, though it stayed under the U.S. rate of 166.3 (see bankruptcy).
What drives the score
Each measure is ranked against the other states and D.C., and the ranks fill four parts scored from 0 to 100. The late-payments part averages its three measures and the collections and bankruptcy part its two; the jobs and renters’ parts hold one measure apiece. Nebraska’s four parts average 22, but its score is not that average. Of the other 50 states and D.C., five have a lower four-part average, so Nebraska scores 10. On the same rule, a state scoring 80 would be more distressed than 80% of states.
- Collections and bankruptcy40Nebraska’s highest part and the only one near the middle of the states. Bankruptcy filings rank 27th highest per resident; the share of people with a debt in collections, 10.2%, ranks 34th highest.
- Late payments15In early 2025, Nebraska borrowers were less likely than borrowers nationwide to be 90 days or more behind on cards, car loans and mortgages alike (see behind on bills).
- Renters’ housing costs21Rent and utilities took at least half the income of 21.2% of Nebraska renter households in 2024, against 26.1% across the U.S.
- Jobs11Nebraska’s lowest part. Unemployment averaged 2.9% from June through August 2026, against 4.1% nationally. The separate August rate was 2.9%.
Five of Nebraska’s six neighbors are more distressed; only South Dakota is less distressed
Colorado, along Nebraska’s southwest border, scores highest of the six, at 42. Wyoming, at 12, comes closest to Nebraska. South Dakota’s 4 is the 3rd lowest of the 50 states and D.C.
State Distress Index score, 0 to 100.
Nebraska has stayed among the eight least distressed states in every quarter since mid-2006
At its worst
Nebraska’s highest score on the chart is 14, which ranked it 44th most distressed. It hit that mark in four quarters: the first half of 2007, the first quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2023. Its low, 2, ranked 50th most distressed and came in the second half of 2018 and the third quarter of 2020.
What moved it
The renters’ part often moved the score, because it changes once a year when new Census figures arrive. The 2017 figures, the lowest share of renters paying half their income in any year published, cut that part to 1 in 2018. The 2021 figures, 22.4% against 17.9% in 2019, lifted the part from 5 to 30 in the third quarter of 2022.
Since the chart ends
The quarterly history stops in early 2025, when Nebraska scored 6 and ranked 48th. Today’s score is 10, ranked 46th. Only the jobs part moved, from 9 to 11. Nebraska’s own unemployment averaged 2.9% in both periods, so the change came from other states’ rates. The chart below traces Nebraska’s score in every quarter from mid-2006 to early 2025.
Nebraska’s score has stayed between 2 and 14 since mid-2006
Quarterly scores on the 0-to-100 State Distress Index. The line starts in mid-2006, when all four parts first have data, and ends in early 2025, the last quarter in our quarterly history.
Nebraska has 93 counties, and none ranks in the more distressed half of the U.S.
Thurston County, around Pender, and Garden County, around Oshkosh, share Nebraska’s highest poverty rate: 16.9% in 2024, by the Census Bureau’s estimate. On our County Distress Index, which rates every U.S. county from 0 to 100 on how hard household budgets are squeezed, Johnson County, around Tecumseh, is the most distressed. Its score of 48 means it is more distressed than 48% of the nation’s 3,144 counties, so even Nebraska’s hardest-hit county sits in the less distressed half. County scores come from a separate index, so they can’t be compared with the state’s score of 10. Cedar County, in the northeast, is the least distressed, at 0. It is one of 11 Nebraska counties among the 100 least distressed in the country.
Nebraska’s most distressed counties sit apart: in the southeast corner, the northeast and the Panhandle
Each county is shaded by its County Distress Index score, from 0 to 100. Only the two lightest of the five shades appear, because no Nebraska county scores 50 or more.
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The county map could not be loaded. Every county is in the lists on this page.
Most distressed
| Rank | County | Score | Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnson | 48 | 13.7% |
| 2 | Thurston | 45 | 16.9% |
| 3 | Scotts Bluff | 41 | 11.0% |
| 4 | Kimball | 38 | 12.9% |
| 5 | Hall | 38 | 15.1% |
| 6 | Garden | 37 | 16.9% |
| 7 | Pawnee | 36 | 12.9% |
| 8 | Dakota | 34 | 11.2% |
| 9 | Douglas | 34 | 11.8% |
| 10 | Furnas | 33 | 13.2% |
Least distressed
| Rank | County | Score | Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89 | Holt | 1 | 11.1% |
| 90 | Clay | 0 | 9.6% |
| 91 | Boone | 0 | 9.3% |
| 92 | Hamilton | 0 | 6.6% |
| 93 | Cedar | 0 | 8.7% |
Each county’s place among Nebraska’s 93 counties, with 1 as the most distressed. Ranks use unrounded scores, so Kimball and Hall both print 38 yet rank fourth and fifth. Four counties print 0. Poverty rates are for 2024, from the Census Bureau.
Every county, by score
Nebraska’s 15 most distressed counties score from 30 to 48, and the other 78 score under 30. The three groups from 50 up, where the nation’s more distressed counties fall, hold no Nebraska county at all.
0 score 80–100
0 score 70–79
0 score 50–69
15 score 30–49
Johnson, Thurston, Scotts Bluff, Kimball, Hall, Garden, Pawnee, Dakota, Douglas, Furnas, Box Butte, Dawes, Jefferson, Boyd, Hitchcock
78 score 0–29
Red Willow, Dodge, Dawson, Lincoln, Thomas, Adams, Gage, Blaine, Deuel, Cheyenne, Brown, Sheridan, Webster, Stanton, Morrill, Nemaha, Richardson, Hooker, Keith, Franklin, Lancaster, McPherson, Madison, Butler, Banner, Platte, Frontier, Keya Paha, Loup, Colfax, Sioux, York, Arthur, Hayes, Sherman, Logan, Custer, Cherry, Greeley, Valley, Burt, Dundy, Garfield, Saline, Chase, Thayer, Knox, Antelope, Wayne, Nuckolls, Grant, Rock, Merrick, Fillmore, Buffalo, Wheeler, Howard, Harlan, Phelps, Sarpy, Nance, Otoe, Gosper, Cass, Kearney, Seward, Washington, Perkins, Dixon, Polk, Cuming, Saunders, Pierce, Holt, Clay, Boone, Hamilton, Cedar
Keya Paha County has one of Nebraska’s highest poverty rates but sits mid-pack on distress
Our county score has five equal parts. Only one covers poverty, income, health insurance and disability; the other four are late payments, collections and bankruptcy, jobs, and renters’ costs. Three of the five highest poverty rates belong to counties that also rank among Nebraska’s six most distressed: Thurston, Garden and Hall. Keya Paha County, on the South Dakota line, is the clearest exception. Its poverty rate, 16.0%, is the 3rd highest in the state, but it ranks 43rd on distress, with its late-payment part in the state’s less distressed half. Scotts Bluff County runs the other way. Its poverty rate is tied for 45th highest in the state, yet it is the third most distressed county, with late payments and renters’ costs among the ten highest in Nebraska. These are the Census Bureau’s 2024 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; in counties of a few hundred people the margins are wide, and another survey can name a different poorest county.
The Johnson County Courthouse in Tecumseh, the county seat, in November 2010. Built in 1888 and 1889, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Johnson County, home to 5,198 people by the count our index uses, is Nebraska’s most distressed county. Only one Nebraska county scores higher on late payments, and only one on collections and bankruptcy.
Sources: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, via Wikipedia; American Default Research. Photo: Ammodramus, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Omaha’s Douglas County holds most of the people in Nebraska’s ten most distressed counties
Douglas County scores 34, the ninth most distressed in Nebraska, and is home to 29.8% of the state’s people. The ten most distressed counties together hold 37.0% of Nebraskans, and 80% of the people in those ten live in Douglas. The other nine are mostly small: only Hall, around Grand Island, has more than 50,000 residents. Douglas County’s page →
County Distress Index (American Default Research), with the county populations the index uses.
Is western Nebraska more distressed than Omaha and Lincoln? On average, yes
The Panhandle, Nebraska’s far west, is the most distressed of our groups, though the two hardest-hit counties are in the east. Grouping counties ourselves and weighting each by its population, the 11 Panhandle counties average a County Distress Index score of 33, the highest of our groups. The Omaha area, home to 43.5% of Nebraskans, averages 24, and the Lincoln area 16. The Panhandle holds just 4.2% of the state’s people but five of the state’s 15 counties scoring 30 or more.
| Our group | Counties | Share of Nebraskans | Average score | Poverty rate, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panhandle, from Scotts Bluff and Dawes counties to the Wyoming and Colorado lines Average score 33 · Poverty rate, 2024 12.1% | 11 Share of Nebraskans 4.2% | 4.2% | 33 | 12.1% |
| Grand Island area: Hall, Hamilton, Howard, Merrick Average score 29 · Poverty rate, 2024 13.3% | Four Share of Nebraskans 4.3% | 4.3% | 29 | 13.3% |
| Omaha area: Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Saunders, Washington Average score 24 · Poverty rate, 2024 9.9% | Five Share of Nebraskans 43.5% | 43.5% | 24 | 9.9% |
| Lincoln area: Lancaster, Seward Average score 16 · Poverty rate, 2024 11.6% | Two Share of Nebraskans 17.4% | 17.4% | 16 | 11.6% |
| All other counties Average score 16 · Poverty rate, 2024 10.4% | 62 Share of Nebraskans 30.0% | 30.0% | 16 | 10.4% |
| Sandhills: Arthur, Blaine, Cherry, Grant, Hooker, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Thomas Average score 12 · Poverty rate, 2024 10.8% | Nine Share of Nebraskans 0.5% | 0.5% | 12 | 10.8% |
Groups and their borders are ours; the Sandhills have no official county list. The Panhandle group is Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan and Sioux counties. Scores and poverty rates average each group’s counties, weighted by population (County Distress Index; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). Shares use the population figures in our index and may not add to 100% because of rounding.
A group’s average hides the counties at either end. Johnson County and Thurston County, the two most distressed in the state, fall outside our named groups. Inside the Omaha group, Douglas scores 34 while Saunders County, around Wahoo, scores 1. Find any Nebraska county →
What changed in Nebraska in the past year
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June 22, 2026
A federal court struck down approval of Nebraska’s SNAP soda limits, and the state asked again
Nebraska’s health and human services department says soda, soft drinks and energy drinks could no longer be bought with SNAP, the federal grocery benefit many still call food stamps, from Jan. 1, 2026. On June 22, a federal court in Washington, D.C., vacated the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s approval of those limits. Under the court order, the state department says it is working with stores to remove the limits. Nebraska sent a new request on Sept. 1, which USDA is reviewing (see what to watch).
Nebraska’s health and human services department, Healthy Choices waiver; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Nebraska food restriction waiver
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May 1, 2026
Medicaid work requirements began for adults in the expansion group
Nebraska started applying the new federal work requirements to its Medicaid expansion group, right away for new applicants. The state’s health and human services department said reviews of current members begin with people whose eligibility periods end July 31, 2026, and phase in through June 2027.
Nebraska’s health and human services department, release of April 30, 2026
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Jan. 20, 2026
Tyson Foods closed its beef plant in Lexington
The closing laid off 3,200 workers, the U.S. Department of Labor says. In March the department awarded Nebraska’s labor department $1.67 million for services to them in seven counties around Lexington. In August 2026, unemployment in Dawson County, which takes in Lexington, was 16.4% (see unemployment).
U.S. Department of Labor, release of March 12, 2026; Tyson Foods’ layoff notice to Nebraska’s labor department
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Jan. 1, 2026
Nebraska’s minimum wage rose, and a 2026 law set the raises that follow
The state minimum wage went to $15.00 an hour, Nebraska’s labor department says. LB258, passed in 2026, set the raises that follow at a fixed 1.75% each Jan. 1, starting in 2027. The same law set a youth wage of $13.50 an hour for workers aged 14 and 15, starting in July 2026.
Nebraska’s labor department, minimum wage fact sheet; Nebraska Legislature, statute 48-1203
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Dec. 18, 2025
Omaha’s public power district approved higher electric rates for 2026
The Omaha Public Power District’s board approved an average rate increase of 6.3% across its customers for 2026. The utility put the cost at about $7 a month on a $115 home bill, with the new rates set to start in January.
-
Oct. 20, 2025
Federal SNAP changes reached Nebraska households
Nebraska began applying the 2025 federal law’s SNAP changes on Oct. 20, 2025, its health and human services department says. The work rule now covers adults up to age 64, not 54, and parents once their youngest child turns 14. An energy-assistance payment no longer automatically raises the utility allowance, and refugees and asylees lost eligibility (see SNAP).
Nebraska’s health and human services department, SNAP changes FAQ, updated Aug. 17, 2026
Is Nebraska expensive to live in? For renters, less than most of the country
Half of Nebraska’s renters paid less than $1,072 a month for rent and utilities over 2020 to 2024, against $1,413 nationwide, the Census Bureau’s survey shows. A year of that rent equals 16.8% of the typical household’s 2024 income; for the country the figure is 20.8% (our calculation). We don’t track prices for food, gas or homes, so we don’t rank the overall cost of living.
Median rent, a month
$1,072
U.S. $1,413
17th lowest of the states and D.C. for 2020 to 2024
Renters spending 30% or more of income on housing
41.9%
U.S. 47.6%
13th lowest of the states and D.C. for 2020 to 2024
MIT’s basic-needs budget for a single adult
$45,241
16th lowest of the states and D.C., in MIT’s 2026 update
The heaviest rent burden tells the same story. The chart below follows the renters who hand over at least half their income for rent and utilities, the one measure in the State Distress Index’s renters’ part.
Since 2005, the share of Nebraska renters paying half their income for housing has stayed below the U.S. share every year
Renter households paying 50% or more of income for rent and utilities, Nebraska and the U.S., Census Bureau one-year surveys, 2005 to 2024. The bureau released no 2020 figures.
A full-time job at Nebraska’s minimum wage covers a little over two-thirds of MIT’s basic budget for one adult
Nebraska’s minimum wage is $15.00 an hour in 2026. Forty hours a week for a full year at that rate pays $31,200 before taxes (our calculation). That is 69% of the $45,241 that the MIT Living Wage Calculator says one adult with no children needs for basic costs, in its February 2026 update. For two working parents with two children, MIT’s figure is $111,545.
Among Nebraska’s neighbors, rent takes a bigger share of income in Colorado (21.8%), Missouri (17.3%) and Kansas (16.9%), and a smaller one in Iowa, Wyoming and South Dakota. Homeowners face a cost renters don’t pay directly: property tax. Nebraska property taxes →
How high are Nebraska’s property taxes? We don’t rank them, but fewer homeowners are stretched by housing costs than nationwide
We don’t hold property tax figures, so we don’t rank Nebraska’s rates. What we do measure is homeowners’ total housing costs, taxes included. Over 2020 to 2024, 18.2% of Nebraska homeowners spent 30% or more of their income on housing, against 22.5% nationwide (Census Bureau).
Homeowners spending 30% or more of income on housing
18.2%
U.S. 22.5%
13th lowest of the states and D.C. for 2020 to 2024
Homes lived in by their owners
66.5%
U.S. 65.2%
Tied for 34th highest of the states and D.C. for 2020 to 2024
A Nebraska tax bill starts with the property’s assessed value times the combined rates of the local governments that tax it, less any state credits, the Legislature’s research office explains. Homes and most other property are assessed at full market value; farm and ranch land at 75% of it. An owner who disagrees with a value can appeal to the county board and then to the state’s Tax Equalization and Review Commission.
The state also returns part of the tax through credits claimed on the Nebraska income tax return, which the Nebraska Department of Revenue explains. The Legislature’s guide to Nebraska property tax (PDF) →
What is Nebraska’s unemployment rate? One of the lowest in the U.S., with one county far above the rest
Nebraska’s unemployment rate was 2.9% in August 2026, 6th lowest among the 50 states and D.C. and unchanged from a year earlier (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The U.S. rate was 4.1%. For all of 2025, Nebraska averaged 3.0%.
Unemployment rate
2.9%
U.S. 4.1%
6th lowest of the states and D.C. for August 2026
Yearly average unemployment rate
3.0%
U.S. 4.3%
6th lowest of the states and D.C. for 2025
Personal income per resident
$72,701
U.S. $73,204
18th highest of the states and D.C. for 2024
Low unemployment is nothing new for Nebraska. The chart sets its monthly rate beside the nation’s from 1990 on.
Nebraska’s yearly unemployment rate has been below the nation’s in every year since 1990
Share of the labor force out of work and looking for a job, by month, seasonally adjusted, Nebraska and the U.S., January 1990 to August 2026. BLS issued no October 2025 figures during the federal shutdown. The headline uses BLS yearly averages.
Dawson County, home to Lexington, has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country
Dawson County’s rate was 16.4% in August 2026, not adjusted for seasonal swings, 4th highest among the 3,143 counties with federal jobless rates (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The next highest in Nebraska, Hooker County, was at 4.8%. Dawson is where Tyson Foods closed its Lexington beef plant in January (see what changed).
On our County Distress Index, Dawson ranks only 18th of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Its jobs part is the third highest in the state, but its collections and renters’ parts sit in the state’s less distressed half. The index’s jobs part uses unemployment averaged over 12 months, not one, plus the share of working-age adults without a job, and the jobs part is one of five.
| County | Rate |
|---|---|
| Dawson (Lexington) | 16.4% |
| Hooker (Mullen) | 4.8% |
| Thomas (Thedford) | 4.3% |
| Douglas (Omaha) | 3.0% |
| Hall (Grand Island) | 2.7% |
| Lancaster (Lincoln) | 2.6% |
| Sarpy (Papillion) | 2.6% |
| Pierce (Pierce) | 1.7% |
Unemployment rate, August 2026, not adjusted for seasonal swings. Rows: Nebraska’s three highest rates, then its four most populous counties, then Pierce, the lowest. County seats are in parentheses. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Unemployment claims are filed with Nebraska’s labor department. The minimum wage and the 2026 law that changed its raises are under what changed.
Is Nebraska a poor state? Its poverty rate is below the nation’s, but so is its median household income
Not by the official measure. In 2024, 10.6% of Nebraskans lived below the poverty line, against 12.1% nationwide, tied for 31st highest among the 50 states and D.C. (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). But the typical household earned $76,578, under the U.S. median of $81,604 and 20th lowest among the states.
Residents in poverty
10.6%
U.S. 12.1%
Tied for 31st highest of the states and D.C. for 2024
Children in poverty
11.6%
U.S. 15.5%
40th highest of the states and D.C. for 2024
Median household income
$76,578
U.S. $81,604
20th lowest of the states and D.C. for 2024
Nebraska’s rate has run under the nation’s in every year of these Census estimates, back to 1989, as the chart shows.
Nebraska’s poverty rate has been below the U.S. rate in every year shown since 1989
Residents living below the poverty line as a share of the population, Nebraska and the U.S., 1989 to 2024. Census Bureau state figures are absent for 1990 to 1992 and 1994.
Income per resident comes closer to the nation’s than household income does
Divide all the income Nebraskans received in 2024 by the state’s population and it comes to $72,701 a resident, near the U.S. figure of $73,204 (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis). That ranks 18th highest, well above the household median’s place. The two measures count different things: the median is the middle household’s income, while the per-resident figure spreads every dollar, investment income included, across everyone. We found no source that explains Nebraska’s gap between them.
Nebraska’s SNAP rolls fell by about a fifth in a year
In July 2026, 116,703 Nebraskans received SNAP, the federal grocery benefit, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s count. That was 5.8% of residents (2025 population), 6th lowest among the states, and 21.9% fewer people than in July 2025. Before the pandemic, from October 2019 to February 2020, Nebraska averaged 154,820.
The fall came in the same year new federal SNAP rules took effect in Nebraska (see what changed). No source we read says how much of it they explain, and the newest Census poverty figures, for 2024, come from before the change.
Many programs use the federal poverty guideline to decide who qualifies. For 2026 it is $15,960 a year for one person and $33,000 for a family of four (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
Applications for SNAP and other state benefits go through iServe Nebraska →
Are Nebraskans behind on their bills? Less often than most Americans, though card trouble has grown since 2019
Less often than Americans overall. In early 2025, 12.2% of Nebraskans with a credit record had a debt 90 or more days late, against 17.2% for the U.S. (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; the U.S. figure is our population-weighted average of the states). This is household debt, not state government debt. The chart breaks it down by kind of loan.
Nebraska’s places among the 50 states and D.C., counting down from the highest share: 34th for collections, 39th for cards, tied for 43rd for car loans and tied for 38th for mortgages. The U.S. bars are our population-weighted average of the states.
Late card payments have grown. At the end of 2019, 7.2% of Nebraska card borrowers were 90 days or more behind; by early 2025 the share was 10.0%. Collections moved the other way, from 12.7% to 10.2%, and most of that drop came between mid-2022 and mid-2023.
Those were also the months when the three big credit bureaus stopped reporting many medical debts. Across the country, about 14% of people had a medical collection on their credit report in March 2022, and about 5% by June 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found. We can’t say how much of Nebraska’s drop in collections that explains.
Counted in dollars, Nebraska’s late shares have risen since 2019 on all three kinds of loan
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York measures the share of money owed that is 90 or more days late. At the end of 2025, 9.8% of Nebraska card dollars were that far behind, up from 6.7% at the end of 2019. Car-loan and mortgage shares rose too, and all three stayed under the U.S. shares.
| Loan type | Nebraska | U.S. | Nebraska 2019 | U.S. 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card | 9.8% End of 2025 U.S. 12.4% Nebraska 2019 6.7% · U.S. 2019 8.1% | 12.4% | 6.7% | 8.1% |
| Auto loan | 3.3% End of 2025 U.S. 5.2% Nebraska 2019 2.8% · U.S. 2019 4.9% | 5.2% | 2.8% | 4.9% |
| Mortgage | 0.7% End of 2025 U.S. 0.9% Nebraska 2019 0.5% · U.S. 2019 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.0% |
Share of balances 90 or more days past due at the end of 2025 and the end of 2019 (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax). This second measure counts dollars, not people, so it won’t match the Philadelphia Fed chart. Its totals also keep some debts that lenders have charged off but still report.
Debt per person is lower in Nebraska than in most states
At the end of 2025, household debt averaged $49,530 for each Nebraskan with a credit report, 16th lowest among the states and D.C., against $63,200 for the U.S. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York). In September 2025, 1.4% of Nebraska mortgages were one or two months behind, against 1.6% nationwide (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).
| Measure | Nebraska | U.S. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Household debt per person with a credit report, end of 2025 16th lowest | $49,530 U.S. $63,200 | $63,200 | 16th lowest |
| Card balances per person with a credit report, end of 2025 15th lowest | $3,650 U.S. $4,350 | $4,350 | 15th lowest |
| Mortgages with less than 10% equity, mid-2026 Tied for 23rd highest | 4.3% U.S. 4.7% | 4.7% | Tied for 23rd highest |
Ranks are among the 50 states and D.C. Debt and card balances: Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Equity: Federal Housing Finance Agency, second quarter of 2026. Household debt in every state →
How many Nebraskans file for bankruptcy? Fewer per resident than nationwide, though filings have climbed since 2022
Nebraska’s bankruptcy court took 2,796 new cases in 2025, a rate of 138.6 per 100,000 residents counting the 2025 population (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts). The rate ranks 27th highest among the states and sits below the U.S. rate of 166.3. Filings rose 10.4% from 2024, a little less than the 11.1% national rise.
Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents
138.6
U.S. 166.3
27th highest of the states and D.C. for 2025
Change in filings from 2024
10.4%
U.S. 11.1%
23rd highest of the states and D.C. for 2025
Share of filings under Chapter 13
33.7%
U.S. 35.9%
22nd highest of the states and D.C. for 2025
Filings have gone up every year since 2022, which had the fewest of any year in the available series. Even so, the 2025 count stayed under the 3,343 cases filed in 2020. The available series run from 2001 to 2025, with 2004 missing, and the most filings came in 2005: 12,113.
Chapter 13 cases, in which filers repay part of what they owe through a court-approved plan of three to five years, made up 33.7% of Nebraska’s 2025 filings; nationwide the share was 35.9%. Under Chapter 7, the other main type, many debts are erased, though property that exemptions don’t protect can be sold. Bankruptcy filings in every state →
How does foreclosure work in Nebraska? A trustee can sell the home without a court
With a deed of trust that carries a power of sale, a Nebraska lender can have a trustee sell the home without a lawsuit, or choose a court foreclosure instead (Neb. Rev. Stat. 76-1005). Either way, federal rules usually require a mortgage company to wait until a borrower is more than 120 days behind on the home they live in before it starts a foreclosure (12 CFR 1024.41).
A trustee’s sale starts with a notice of default, recorded with the county register of deeds. The borrower can stop the sale by paying the amount then due, plus costs and fees, within one month of that notice, or two months for farm land the borrower works (76-1012).
The notice of sale then runs in a local newspaper once a week for five weeks, and the sale comes 10 to 30 days after the last notice (76-1006, 76-1007). After a trustee’s sale there is no right to buy the home back (76-1010). A lender that wants the leftover balance must sue within three months, and the home’s fair market value at the sale limits what it can collect (76-1013).
- Trustee’s sale without a court
- Allowed
- Window to pay what is due after the notice of default
- One month
- Newspaper notice of the sale
- Five weeks
- Right to buy the home back after the sale
- None
- Lender can seek the balance
- Within three months
What the law says for a trustee’s sale of a home you live in; farm land gets two months to catch up. Sources: Nebraska Revised Statutes 76-1005 to 76-1013; federal rule 12 CFR 1024.41. How foreclosure works in Nebraska →
Nebraska received $50.0 million from the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund and had helped 3,094 households with it by the first quarter of 2026, by the U.S. Treasury’s count. Housing counselors and legal aid for every county are listed in Nebraska’s foreclosure guide.
What do Nebraska homeowners complain to the CFPB about? Payment problems most of all
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau logged 1,237 mortgage complaints from Nebraska from 2012 to mid-October 2026. The most common issue was trouble during the payment process, with 378 complaints. Loan servicing, payments and escrow followed, with 249, then loan modification, collection and foreclosure, with 206.
- Sept. 29, 2026 Guild Mortgage Payment process: trouble reaching the company to fix a problem with the loan In progress
- Sept. 25, 2026 U.S. Bank Payment process: trouble reaching the company to fix a problem with the loan Closed with non-monetary relief
- Sept. 23, 2026 Citizens Financial Payment process Closed with explanation
- Sept. 11, 2026 Dovenmuehle Mortgage Payment process Closed with explanation
- Sept. 9, 2026 U.S. Bank Struggling to pay: trouble reaching the company about a modification, forbearance or foreclosure Closed with monetary relief
- Sept. 9, 2026 Freedom Mortgage Payment process In progress
- Sept. 8, 2026 Shellpoint / NewRez Struggling to pay: applying for a modification, forbearance, short sale or deed-in-lieu Closed with explanation
- Sept. 8, 2026 Lakeview Loan Servicing Struggling to pay: applying for a modification, forbearance, short sale or deed-in-lieu Closed with explanation
- Sept. 5, 2026 PennyMac Struggling to pay: trouble reaching the company about a modification, forbearance or foreclosure Closed with explanation
- Sept. 4, 2026 Ocwen / Onity Group Payment process: escrow, taxes or insurance Closed with explanation
The ten newest Nebraska complaints about making mortgage payments or getting help with them, newest first, from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s public database as of October 2026. New-loan complaints are left out, and complaints that name a credit reporting company are left out. What a person tells the bureau isn’t verified by it, and a complaint doesn’t prove a company did wrong. Every Nebraska mortgage complaint at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau →
What to watch before the next edition
Five dates to mark, nearest first, each taken from the body that set it.
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Nov. 2, 2026
Comments close on Nebraska’s new SNAP request
Nebraska has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop SNAP purchases of soft drinks and energy drinks from Dec. 1, 2026, and of candy from March 1, 2027. Written comments on the request are due by Nov. 2. It is a request, not an approval.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Federal Register notice of Oct. 2, 2026
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Nov. 2, 2026
Lincoln’s city council is set to hear a proposed electric rate increase
Lincoln Electric System has proposed raising its base retail rates 3.5% for 2027. If the utility’s board approves it, the Lincoln City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on it Nov. 2. If approved, new rates would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
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Nov. 20, 2026
October unemployment rates for every state
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to post October jobless rates for the states. Nebraska’s August rate, 2.9%, matched its rate in August 2025.
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Jan. 1, 2027
Nebraska’s minimum wage is set to rise
Under LB258, the state minimum wage is set to go up 1.75% on this date. The law has Nebraska’s labor department publish each new rate by Oct. 15 of the year before.
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Jan. 6, 2027
The Legislature opens its 2027 session
Nebraska’s one-house Legislature begins the first session of its 110th Legislature at 10 a.m., the Capitol’s calendar shows.
Where Nebraska ranks highest and lowest
| Measure | Nebraska | U.S. | Rank | Latest data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share of bankruptcy filings under Chapter 13 22nd highest · 2025 | 33.7% U.S. 35.9% | 35.9% | 22nd highest | 2025 |
| Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents (2025 population) 27th highest · 2025 | 138.6 U.S. 166.3 | 166.3 | 27th highest | 2025 |
| Change in bankruptcy filings from 2024 23rd highest · 2025 | 10.4% U.S. 11.1% | 11.1% | 23rd highest | 2025 |
| Mortgages 30 to 89 days late Tied for 30th highest · Sept. 2025 | 1.4% U.S. 1.6% | 1.6% | Tied for 30th highest | Sept. 2025 |
| People with a debt in collections 18th lowest · Early 2025 | 10.2% U.S. 13.2% | 13.2% | 18th lowest | Early 2025 |
| Card borrowers 90+ days late 13th lowest · Early 2025 | 10.0% U.S. 13.5% | 13.5% | 13th lowest | Early 2025 |
| Card dollars 90+ days late Tied for 10th lowest · End of 2025 | 9.8% U.S. 12.4% | 12.4% | Tied for 10th lowest | End of 2025 |
| Household debt per person with a credit report 16th lowest · End of 2025 | $49,530 U.S. $63,200 | $63,200 | 16th lowest | End of 2025 |
| Median rent, a month 17th lowest · 2024* | $1,072 U.S. $1,413 | $1,413 | 17th lowest | 2024* |
| Renters spending 30% or more of income on housing 13th lowest · 2024* | 41.9% U.S. 47.6% | 47.6% | 13th lowest | 2024* |
| Car-loan borrowers 90+ days late Tied for 8th lowest · Early 2025 | 5.1% U.S. 8.5% | 8.5% | Tied for 8th lowest | Early 2025 |
| Renter households spending half or more of income on housing 8th lowest · 2024 | 21.2% U.S. 26.1% | 26.1% | 8th lowest | 2024 |
| Residents getting SNAP food benefits (2025 population) 6th lowest · July 2026 | 5.8% U.S. 10.5% | 10.5% | 6th lowest | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rate, three-month average 6th lowest · June–August 2026 | 2.9% U.S. 4.1% | 4.1% | 6th lowest | June–August 2026 |
Rank among the 50 states and D.C. Each rank says whether it counts down from the highest value or up from the lowest; places with the same printed value share a rank. Rows marked * come from the Census Bureau’s five-year survey, 2020 to 2024. People with a debt in collections and borrowers 90 or more days late: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Card dollars and debt per person: Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Each Nebraska figure in this table is traced to its producer under Sources and method. Get this table as a CSV file.
Questions about Nebraska
How many counties are in Nebraska, and which is the poorest?
Nebraska has 93 counties. By the Census Bureau’s 2024 estimates, Thurston County and Garden County share the highest poverty rate, 16.9%. On our County Distress Index, Johnson County, around Tecumseh, is the most distressed, at 48, and no Nebraska county scores 50 or more. Nebraska’s counties on this page →
Is Nebraska a poor state?
Not by its poverty rate: 10.6% of Nebraskans were below the poverty line in 2024, against 12.1% nationally. Its typical household income, $76,578, was below the U.S. median, though (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). Is Nebraska poor? →
Is Nebraska expensive to live in?
For renters, less than most of the country. Median rent was $1,072 a month over 2020 to 2024, against $1,413 for the U.S. (Census Bureau). The MIT Living Wage Calculator puts basic needs for one adult at $45,241 a year. Cost of living →
What is Nebraska’s minimum wage?
It is $15.00 an hour in 2026, Nebraska’s labor department says. A 2026 state law, LB258, sets it to rise 1.75% on Jan. 1, 2027, and each Jan. 1 after that. Workers aged 14 and 15 may be paid a youth wage of $13.50. What changed →
What is Nebraska’s unemployment rate?
It was 2.9% in August 2026, against 4.1% nationally (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Dawson County, home to Lexington, was far higher, at 16.4%, not adjusted for seasonal swings. Claims are filed with Nebraska’s labor department. Jobs and unemployment →
How does foreclosure work in Nebraska?
When the loan is a deed of trust with a power of sale, a trustee can sell the home without a court, or the lender can choose a court foreclosure (Neb. Rev. Stat. 76-1005). The borrower can stop the sale by paying what is due within one month of the notice of default, and there is no right to buy the home back after it. Foreclosure in Nebraska →
Cite or reuse Nebraska’s data
Quote or reuse any figure on this page, crediting American Default Research.
State Distress Index
Nebraska
46thmost distressed state
of the 50 states and D.C.
More distressed than 10% of the other states and D.C.
Nebraska is the 46th most distressed of the 50 states and D.C. on American Default Research’s State Distress Index, a measure of strain on household finances. None of its 93 counties is in the more distressed half of U.S. counties on our County Distress Index, and 11 rank among the 100 least distressed. In August 2026, Dawson County’s unemployment rate was 16.4%, 4th highest of the 3,143 counties with federal jobless rates (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
For interviews or a custom cut of the data, reporters can write to press@americandefault.org
Sources and method
We gather the data, run the numbers and research each state ourselves.
This edition: October 2026 · Next edition expected March 2027
- People with debts in collections or 90+ days lateFederal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Consumer Credit Explorerend of 2019 to early 2025
- Household debt and dollars behindFederal Reserve Bank of New York, Consumer Credit Panel / Equifaxend of 2019 and end of 2025
- Bankruptcy filingsAdministrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-22001 to 2025
- Unemployment by month and year: Nebraska, its counties, the U.S.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, August 2026 state release and Current Population SurveyJan. 1990 to Aug. 2026
- Poverty rates and median household income, state and countiesCensus Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates1989 to 2024
- Renters paying half their income or more for rent and utilitiesCensus Bureau, American Community Survey, one-year estimates2005 to 2024
- Rent, housing costs and homeownershipCensus Bureau, American Community Survey, five-year estimates2020 to 2024
- PopulationCensus Bureau, population estimates, 2025 release; county populations as our County Distress Index uses them2025
- Personal income per residentU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis2024
- SNAPU.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Administrationthrough July 2026
- Mortgages 30 to 89 days late; mortgage complaints; medical debts on credit reportsConsumer Financial Protection Bureau: Mortgage Performance Trends; complaint database; Recent changes in medical collections on consumer credit recordsSept. 2025; October 2026; March 2022 to June 2023
- Mortgages with little equityFederal Housing Finance Agency, National Mortgage Databasesecond quarter of 2026
- Cost of basic needsMIT Living Wage Calculatorupdated Feb. 15, 2026
- Mortgage help fundU.S. Treasury, Homeowner Assistance Fundthrough early 2026
- Foreclosure lawNebraska Revised Statutes 76-1005 to 76-1013; 12 CFR 1024.41as of 2026
- Property tax rules and creditsNebraska Legislature, Legislative Research Office, The Basics of Nebraska Property Tax; Nebraska Department of Revenue, property tax creditsJanuary 2025; October 2026
- Minimum wageNebraska’s labor department, minimum wage fact sheet; Nebraska Legislature, statute 48-1203July 2026
- Poverty guidelineU.S. Department of Health and Human Services2026
- Housing counselorsU.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentOctober 2026
- What changed and what to watchNebraska’s health and human services department, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Federal Register, U.S. Department of Labor, Omaha Public Power District, Lincoln Electric System, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nebraska State Capitol. Each item links the page it was read on (see what changed)Oct. 2025 to Jan. 2027
- Photo and courthouse historyAmmodramus, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain; Wikipedia, Johnson County Courthouse (Nebraska), citing the National Register of Historic PlacesNov. 8, 2010
The State Distress Index uses seven measures. Three count borrowers 90 or more days behind on cards, car loans and mortgages. The others are unemployment, debts in collections, bankruptcy filings per resident and renters paying half their income for housing. Each measure is ranked against the other states and D.C., and the ranks fill four equally weighted parts; a part with more than one measure averages them. The score is the percentage of the other 50 states and D.C. with a lower four-part average, so 80 means more distressed than 80% of them. The full method →
We write with AI tools, and Ross Kilburn checks and reviews every page before it's published.
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Thanks, that helps.