Nevada ranks second of the 50 states and D.C. on financial distress, with a score of 98
Each state is shaded by how distressed its households are, from green (least) to red (most), with data through September 2026. Nevada scores 98 out of 100.
By yearly averages, Nevada's unemployment rate was the highest of any state's, or tied for it, in ten of the 16 years from 2010 to 2025. Its rate was 4.8% in August 2026, the lowest since February 2020 but still the 8th highest nationally. At the end of 2025, a larger share of Nevada's credit card balances was 90 or more days late than any other state's: 16.3%. Nye County and Clark County, home to Las Vegas, top the state's county list, and Douglas County, near Lake Tahoe, has the state's lowest distress.
- Score
- 98/100
- Data through
- September 2026
- Edition
- October 2026
Next edition expected March 2027
How Nevada ranks among the states
Nevada ranks second of the 50 states and D.C. on financial distress, though it isn’t poor (see why). What sets it apart is housing and jobs: in 2024 Nevada had the 2nd highest share of renters paying half or more of their income for housing (U.S. Census Bureau), and it had the 8th highest unemployment rate in August 2026. Debt is a third strain: at the end of 2025, more of Nevada’s credit card debt was 90 or more days late than any other state’s (Federal Reserve Bank of New York).
What drives the score
The score has four parts. Each part is built from one to three measures, each ranked against the other states on a scale of 0 to 100. The score isn’t the average of the parts: Nevada’s average of the four, 83, is higher than 98% of the other states’ averages, so its score is 98.
- Renters’ housing costs74In 2024, 29.4% of renter households paid half or more of their income for housing, against 26.1% for the U.S.
- Collections and bankruptcy87In 2025, Nevadans filed 287.9 bankruptcy cases for every 100,000 residents, the 4th highest rate. In early 2025, 17.3% of Nevadans had a debt in collections.
- Jobs85Unemployment averaged 5.0% from June through August 2026, against 4.1% for the U.S. The separate August rate was 4.8%.
- Late payments84In early 2025, 20.8% of Nevadans had a debt 90 or more days late, against 17.2% for the U.S.
Beside its neighbors
Nevada scores higher than all five of its neighbors. Arizona comes closest; Utah scores lowest.
- Nevada 98
- California 78
- Arizona 88
- Oregon 64
- Idaho 26
- Utah 24
State Distress Index score, 0 to 100. Nevada’s typical household income, $81,129 in 2024, is close to Arizona’s ($81,404) and Idaho’s ($80,852), yet Arizona scores 88 and Idaho 26. Renters are one difference: 25.1% of Arizona renters and 23.4% of Idaho renters paid half or more of their income for housing, against 29.4% in Nevada (Census Bureau, 2024).
Which way it’s heading
At its worst
Most distressed of the 50 states and D.C. in ten quarters since 2006: once in the third quarter of 2013, and in every quarter from mid-2022 to early 2025 but two, late 2023 and early 2024, when it ranked second. It ranks 2nd today.
Its least distressed point
21st most distressed in the third quarter of 2006, where the chart begins, before the housing crash.
Two crises, two causes
At the end of 2010, after the housing crash, late payments scored 99 and jobs 99, while renters’ housing costs scored 28. By early 2025, renters’ costs had risen to 95, jobs were still high at 95, and late payments had eased to 87, where the history ends. With newer figures, today they score 74, 85 and 84. Renters’ costs moved most: the Census Bureau’s 2025 survey put the share of Nevada renters paying half or more of their income for housing at 26.6%, down from 29.4% in 2024.
Nevada went from 21st most distressed in mid-2006 to the most distressed in all but two quarters from mid-2022 to early 2025
State Distress Index score, 0 to 100, each quarter, third quarter of 2006 to first quarter of 2025.
Is Nevada expensive to live in?
For renters, yes. In 2024, 29.4% of Nevada renter households paid half or more of their income for rent and utilities, the 2nd highest share of the 50 states and D.C., against 26.1% nationwide (Census Bureau). Rent itself is high but not extreme: the median, $1,597 a month from 2020 to 2024, was the 11th highest. And Nevada has the 4th lowest share of homes lived in by their owners, so more households rent. We don’t measure the prices of food and other everyday goods, so we can’t rank the overall cost of living.
Renters paying half or more of income on housing
29.4%
U.S. 26.1%
2nd highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2024
Median rent, a month
$1,597
U.S. $1,413
11th highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2020 to 2024
Homes lived in by their owners
60.0%
U.S. 65.2%
4th lowest of the 50 states and D.C., 2020 to 2024
Through 2019, Nevada never ranked higher than 13th for renters paying half or more of their income for housing; by 2024 it was 2nd highest
Share of renter households spending half or more of their income on rent and utilities, Nevada and the United States, each year from 2005 to 2024. There is no 2020 figure: the Census Bureau didn’t publish one.
What it takes to get by in Nevada
MIT’s Living Wage Calculator estimates that a single adult with no children needs $50,259 a year before taxes to cover basic costs in Nevada, the 23rd highest of the 50 states and D.C., close to the middle. Two working parents with two children need $121,137 (2025 dollars). The typical rent takes 23.6% of the typical household’s income in Nevada, against 20.8% nationwide (our calculation from Census Bureau figures).
We don’t have price figures for Las Vegas or Reno. Our County Distress Index ranks every Nevada county (see the counties).
Owners and renters spending 30% or more on housing
| Measure | Nevada | U.S. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters spending 30% or more of income on housing 2nd highest | 52.8% U.S. 47.6% | 47.6% | 2nd highest |
| Homeowners spending 30% or more of income on housing 11th highest | 24.7% U.S. 22.5% | 22.5% | 11th highest |
Ranks among the 50 states and D.C., highest first. Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024.
Nevada county map: the poorest and most distressed counties
Pershing County, around Lovelock, has the highest poverty rate of Nevada’s 17 counties, 18.3% in 2024, and Mineral County the lowest typical household income, $58,610 (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). Neither is the most distressed. On our County Distress Index, which scores every U.S. county on household financial distress, Nye County, which takes in Pahrump and Tonopah, ranks first, and Clark County, home to Las Vegas, second. Douglas County, near Lake Tahoe, is the least distressed. Lists built on a different Census survey or older years sometimes name another county as the poorest.
Distress runs highest in Nye, Clark and Esmeralda counties in the south, and lowest near Lake Tahoe and in the north
County Distress Index score, 0 to 100, for Nevada’s 17 counties, data through August 2026.
Loading the county map…
The county map could not be loaded. Every county is in the lists on this page.
Most distressed
| Rank | County | Score | Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nye | 90 | 13.8% |
| 2 | Clark | 87 | 12.5% |
| 3 | Esmeralda | 84 | 14.8% |
| 4 | Mineral | 74 | 17.6% |
| 5 | Eureka | 66 | 11.1% |
| 6 | Storey | 66 | 7.2% |
| 7 | Lyon | 63 | 11.4% |
| 8 | Churchill | 53 | 9.9% |
| 9 | Carson City | 52 | 11.7% |
| 10 | Washoe | 51 | 9.4% |
Least distressed
| Rank | County | Score | Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | White Pine | 48 | 12.6% |
| 14 | Pershing | 44 | 18.3% |
| 15 | Humboldt | 30 | 10.6% |
| 16 | Elko | 27 | 9.5% |
| 17 | Douglas | 23 | 8.2% |
Rank in Nevada, 1 = most distressed. Ranks come from unrounded scores, so counties showing the same score can rank differently. Esmeralda County, the least populated, has so few residents that some of its measures are estimated. Carson City is a city that serves as its own county. Poverty: share of residents in poverty, Census Bureau, 2024.
Every county, by score
Nevada has 3 counties scoring 80 or more, and together they hold 74.9% of Nevadans, almost all of them in Clark County. Washoe County, home to Reno, ranks 10th in Nevada, and Carson City 9th.
1 score 70–79
4 score 30–49
Poorest isn’t the same as most distressed
Our county score has five equal parts, and only one of them is poverty, income and health insurance. The other four are late payments, collections and bankruptcy, jobs, and housing costs. Pershing County has the highest poverty rate in Nevada. Yet Pershing ranks 14th of 17 on distress: few of its renters pay half or more of their income for housing, and few residents file for bankruptcy, though late payments there score high. Storey County, home to Virginia City, shows the reverse. Its poverty rate, 7.2%, is the lowest in the state. Yet it is the 6th most distressed county in Nevada, with renters’ housing costs and late payments on cards and car loans all scoring high.
E Street, the main road through Hawthorne, the Mineral County seat, photographed in 2015. Mineral County’s unemployment rate was 7.0% in August 2026, not adjusted for seasonal swings: the highest of Nevada’s counties and tied for 55th highest of the 3,143 U.S. counties with an August rate (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Its typical household earned $58,610 in 2024, the lowest in the state (Census Bureau). When the new SNAP work rules began in May 2026, it was the only Nevada county where they didn’t apply, because its jobless rate was high enough for an exemption (The Nevada Independent).
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Census Bureau; The Nevada Independent. Photo: Famartin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How are Nevada’s economy and jobs doing?
Better than a year ago, but unemployment is still above the nation’s. Nevada’s rate fell to 4.8% in August 2026, the lowest since February 2020, from 5.2% a year earlier. The U.S. rate was 4.1%, and Nevada’s was the 8th highest of the 50 states and D.C. (Bureau of Labor Statistics). In Clark County, home to Las Vegas, the rate was 4.8%, not adjusted for seasonal swings.
Unemployment rate
4.8%
U.S. 4.1%
8th highest of the 50 states and D.C., August 2026
Income per person
$69,805
U.S. $73,204
26th highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2024
Las Vegas visitors
About 3.03 million
August 2026, down 4.3% from August 2025, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
Nevada’s unemployment rate has been above the nation’s every month since May 2007
Unemployment rate, Nevada and the United States, each month, January 1990 to August 2026. No figures for October 2025, during the federal shutdown.
The highest jobless rate of any state in most years since 2010
By the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ yearly averages, Nevada had the highest unemployment rate among the 50 states and D.C., or tied for it, in ten of the 16 years from 2010 to 2025. Those years followed the housing crash, included the pandemic year of 2020, and ran from 2022 to 2024. Its yearly average in 2024 was 5.4%.
Is Nevada still growing?
Yes. Nevada had 3,282,188 residents in 2025 and has grown 5.3% since 2020, tied for 10th highest among the 50 states and D.C. (Census Bureau). We don’t track why people move.
What Nevadans earn
Income per person, which counts wages, business income, investments and benefit checks, is a little below the national figure (Bureau of Economic Analysis). Investments make up a larger share of that income in Nevada than nationwide, 24.7% against 21.0%, the 5th highest share of the 50 states and D.C. We don’t track average pay by job.
Jobless rates in selected counties
| County | Rate |
|---|---|
| Mineral | 7.0% |
| Nye | 5.7% |
| Esmeralda | 5.3% |
| Clark (Las Vegas) | 4.8% |
| Washoe (Reno) | 3.4% |
| Carson City | 3.4% |
| Elko | 2.8% |
Unemployment rate in selected counties, August 2026, not adjusted for seasonal swings. The first three are the highest in Nevada; Elko and Humboldt counties tied for the lowest, 2.8%. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For the size of Nevada’s economy, its gross domestic product, see the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Unemployment benefit claims are filed with Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
What changed in Nevada in the past year
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August 2026
Fewer Las Vegas visitors in August, a flat year so far
Las Vegas had about 3.03 million visitors in August, 4.3% fewer than a year earlier, and hotel occupancy fell to 74.1% from 77.5%. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which makes the count, points to a lighter calendar of events and to Labor Day weekend, which fell mostly in August last year. From January to August, the number of visitors was down 0.1% from 2025.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Executive Summary, August 2026
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May 1, 2026
Work rules for SNAP food help take effect
Under the federal budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, adults without dependents who get SNAP must work, volunteer or train at least 20 hours a week unless they qualify for an exemption. Benefits ended for roughly 28,000 Nevadans when the rules began, by the state’s count. For two decades the rules hadn’t applied in Nevada because its unemployment rate was higher than average (see the jobless rate).
-
March 31, 2026
A new power charge is delayed to January 2027
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada pushed back NV Energy’s new daily demand charge to January 2027 for its Southern Nevada customers. The price of each kilowatt-hour is set to drop to offset it. The commission and NV Energy say most customers should see slightly lower bills; hundreds of customers have told the commission they fear higher ones.
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Feb. 2, 2026
Eviction help for older and disabled renters widens
Clark County’s Eviction Diversion Program, which pairs rental help with a lawyer from the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, expanded from the Las Vegas Justice Court to the Henderson and North Las Vegas courts. It covers tenants 62 or older, or getting SSI for a disability, who face eviction for unpaid rent. The 2025 Legislature paid for the expansion in Assembly Bill 475.
-
Jan. 15, 2026
Fewer sign up for marketplace health plans
Nevada Health Link, the state’s health insurance marketplace, enrolled 104,286 Nevadans in 2026 plans, down from 110,687 a year earlier, a drop of 5.8% (our calculation). It was the first sign-up period for plans without the larger federal premium tax credits, which expired at the end of 2025 (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services). Of those enrolled, 10,762 chose a Battle Born State Plan, the state’s new public option.
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Nov. 5, 2025
SNAP benefits lapse during the federal shutdown
SNAP food benefits lapsed Nov. 1 during the federal government shutdown. After two federal judges ordered the administration to use emergency funds, more than 196,000 Nevada households got partial November benefits on Nov. 5, and about 14,000 got none.
Nevadans are more likely to be behind on their bills than people in most states
In early 2025, 20.8% of Nevadans had a debt 90 or more days late, the 9th highest share of the 50 states and D.C., against 17.2% for the U.S. (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia). The national figure is our population-weighted average of the states. This is household debt, not state government debt.
Ranks among the 50 states and D.C., 1 = highest share: collections 9th, card 7th, auto tied for 10th, mortgage tied for 3rd. The U.S. figure is our population-weighted average of the states.
The share of Nevadans with a debt in collections, 17.3% in early 2025, was higher at the end of 2019: 24.0%. Part of that fall reflects what credit reports count, not fewer Nevadans struggling to pay. In 2022, the three big credit bureaus said they would stop reporting certain medical debts. Nationwide, the share of people with a medical collection on their credit record fell from 14% in March 2022 to 5% in June 2023 (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). In Nevada, the collections share fell from 19.7% to 15.0% over about the same stretch, and has risen since.
Mortgage trouble is far below its 2010 peak
After the housing crash, 15.5% of Nevada mortgage borrowers were 90 or more days late in early 2010, the highest share of any state (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia). In early 2025 it was 1.6%, tied for 3rd highest of the 50 states and D.C., against 1.2% nationwide. Few Nevada homeowners owe more than their homes are worth today: 0.1% of mortgages in the second quarter of 2026 (Federal Housing Finance Agency).
| Measure | Nevada | U.S. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgages with less than 10% equity, 2nd quarter of 2026 13th highest | 5.5% U.S. 4.7% | 4.7% | 13th highest |
| Mortgages 30 to 89 days late, Sept. 2025 Tied for 33rd highest | 1.3% U.S. 1.6% | 1.6% | Tied for 33rd highest |
| People with a credit score under 620, early 2025 10th highest | 16.3% U.S. 13.8% | 13.8% | 10th highest |
Ranks among the 50 states and D.C. Equity is what the home is worth minus what’s owed on it: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Mortgages 30 to 89 days late, an early stage of falling behind: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Credit scores: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; the U.S. figure is our population-weighted average of the states.
A second measure: dollars behind
The New York Fed measures something different: the share of the money owed, not of people, that is 90 or more days late. By that count, Nevada had the largest share of credit card balances seriously behind of any state at the end of 2025, and it was also the highest at the end of 2019.
| Loan type | Nevada | U.S. | Nevada 2019 | U.S. 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card | 16.3% End of 2025 U.S. 12.4% Nevada 2019 11.5% · U.S. 2019 8.1% | 12.4% | 11.5% | 8.1% |
| Auto loan | 6.2% End of 2025 U.S. 5.2% Nevada 2019 5.8% · U.S. 2019 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.8% | 4.9% |
| Mortgage | 0.9% End of 2025 U.S. 0.9% Nevada 2019 1.0% · U.S. 2019 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.0% |
Share of balances 90 or more days past due, end of 2025 and end of 2019. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Consumer Credit Panel / Equifax. It counts dollars, not people, so it can’t be compared with the Philadelphia Fed figures above.
Debt per person with a credit report
Nevadans carried $71,260 in household debt per person with a credit report at the end of 2025, the 10th highest of the 50 states and D.C., against $63,200 nationwide. Of that, $5,060 was credit card debt, the 6th highest (Federal Reserve Bank of New York).
Is Nevada poor?
No. Nevada’s poverty rate, 11.8% in 2024, was a little below the U.S. rate of 12.1%, and its typical household earned $81,129, close to the U.S. median (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). Health coverage is thinner: Nevada has the 5th highest share of residents without health insurance.
Residents in poverty
11.8%
U.S. 12.1%
Tied for 23rd highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2024
Median household income
$81,129
U.S. $81,604
22nd highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2024
Residents without health insurance
11.4%
U.S. 8.4%
5th highest of the 50 states and D.C., 2020 to 2024
Nevada’s poverty rate was below the nation’s in every estimate through 2011; since then the two have run close together
Share of residents in poverty, Nevada and the United States, 1989 to 2024. The Census Bureau’s estimates skip some years before 1997.
A sharp drop in food help that began before the work rules
In June 2026, 11.4% of Nevadans got SNAP food benefits, against 10.7% nationwide and a little below the state’s 2024 poverty rate. The number getting help was down 24.3% from a year earlier, the second-largest drop of any state (U.S. Department of Agriculture). The fall began before the federal work rules took effect on May 1: in April, the count was already down 18.3% from April 2025. The state agency that runs SNAP pointed to broad federal and economic factors and to the federal law’s new limits on noncitizens, which Nevada put in place in October 2025 (The Nevada Independent). Fewer people getting help doesn’t mean less need (see what changed).
| Measure | Nevada | U.S. | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| People getting SNAP, June 2026 | 372,879 | ||
| Children in poverty, 2024 Tied for 20th highest | 15.5% U.S. 15.5% | 15.5% | Tied for 20th highest |
| Adults without a high school diploma, 2020 to 2024 5th highest | 12.5% U.S. 10.4% | 10.4% | 5th highest |
Ranks among the 50 states and D.C. SNAP: USDA Food and Nutrition Administration. Children in poverty: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Schooling: Census Bureau, American Community Survey. To apply for SNAP or Medicaid in Nevada: Access Nevada →
How foreclosure works in Nevada
Foreclosures in Nevada are common and slow. In the first half of 2026, one in every 452 housing units had a foreclosure filing, the 6th highest rate of the 50 states, against one in every 632 nationwide. Homes that finished foreclosure in the second quarter had been in the process 1,507 days on average, against 563 nationwide (ATTOM, a property data company). Most Nevada foreclosures happen without a court, through a trustee’s sale. For a home you live in, the mortgage company must contact you, or try to, about ways to avoid foreclosure before it records a notice of default (NRS 107.510). The sale notice can’t go out until three months after the notice of default is recorded, and it must be posted for 20 days and published once a week for three weeks. For a home you live in, you can catch up on the missed payments and fees until five days before the sale (NRS 107.0805). Within 30 days of being served the notice of default, you can ask the court for mediation with the lender, and the sale waits until it ends (NRS 107.086).
- Goes through a court
- Usually not
- Wait after the notice of default
- At least 3 months
- Catch-up deadline, days before the sale
- 5
- Foreclosure mediation
- Yes, on request
- Right to buy the home back after the sale
- No
- Lender can sue for the balance left after the sale
- Limited
- Home value protected from most creditors (homestead)
- Up to $605,000
What the law says. The homestead protection must be recorded and doesn’t apply to the mortgage. Sources: Nevada Revised Statutes 107.080, 107.0805, 107.086, 107.510, 40.455, 115.010 and 115.020. How foreclosure works in Nevada →
Nevada’s share of the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund, $120.9 million, helped 3,893 households with mortgage and other housing costs (U.S. Treasury, through early 2026).
Bankruptcy filings in Nevada are back to their 2018 level
Nevadans filed 9,408 bankruptcy cases in 2025, up 13.3% from 2024 and about as many as the 9,404 filed in 2018 (U.S. Courts). Filings have risen every year since 2022. The Nevada rate, 287.9 filings for every 100,000 residents, was the 4th highest of the 50 states and D.C., against 167.1 nationwide. Most were Chapter 7 cases, which wipe out debts rather than set up a repayment plan: 83.0%, the 6th highest share.
| Year | Filings |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 9,404 |
| 2019 | 10,046 |
| 2020 | 8,007 |
| 2021 | 6,995 |
| 2022 | 5,523 |
| 2023 | 6,891 |
| 2024 | 8,302 |
| 2025 | 9,408 |
Bankruptcy cases filed in Nevada’s federal court each calendar year. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-2. Bankruptcy filings in every state →
Nevadans’ most common mortgage complaint is trouble with the payment process
Nevadans have sent 5,354 mortgage complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau since 2012. The most common were about trouble during the payment process (1,245); loan modifications, collections and foreclosure (1,216); and loan servicing, payments or escrow (946).
- Oct. 8, 2026 Ocwen / Onity Group Payment process: loan sold or transferred In progress
- Oct. 1, 2026 FCI Lender Services Payment process: trouble fixing a problem with the loan Closed with explanation
- Oct. 1, 2026 Bank of America Payment process: paying off the loan In progress
- Sept. 30, 2026 Carrington Mortgage Payment process: trouble fixing a problem with the loan In progress
- Sept. 28, 2026 Bank of America Payment process: paying off the loan In progress
- Sept. 28, 2026 BSI Financial Struggling to pay: trouble fixing a problem with a modification, forbearance or foreclosure Closed with explanation
- Sept. 25, 2026 Select Portfolio Servicing Payment process: trouble fixing a problem with the loan Closed with explanation
- Sept. 24, 2026 Freedom Mortgage Payment process: releasing the lien Closed with explanation
- Sept. 23, 2026 Shellpoint / NewRez Payment process Untimely response
- Sept. 23, 2026 Shellpoint / NewRez Struggling to pay: trouble fixing a problem with a modification, forbearance or foreclosure In progress
These are the ten most recent Nevada complaints about paying a mortgage or getting help with one. They exclude complaints about getting a new loan. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s public record lists them newest first as of Oct. 14, 2026; same-day complaints are ordered by complaint number. Complaints about credit reports are left out. Each is one person’s account, which the bureau doesn’t verify. See all Nevada mortgage complaints at the CFPB →
What to watch before the next edition
The first is a data release that brings new figures for this page; the rest change health coverage and power bills.
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Oct. 20, Nov. 20 and Dec. 18, 2026
New state jobless rates
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes state unemployment rates for September on Oct. 20, for October on Nov. 20 and for November on Dec. 18. Nevada’s rate was 4.8% in August.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, release schedule; August 2026 release
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Nov. 1, 2026 to Jan. 15, 2027
Sign-up period for 2027 health plans
Nevada Health Link’s open enrollment for 2027 runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15, with Battle Born State Plans offered again.
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Jan. 1, 2027
Medicaid work rule begins
Many adults ages 19 to 64 who joined Medicaid under Nevada’s expansion must show at least 80 hours a month of work, job training, school or community service, unless they qualify for an exception.
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January 2027
NV Energy’s daily demand charge starts
The delayed charge is scheduled to begin for Southern Nevada customers (see what changed).
Where Nevada ranks highest and lowest
| Measure | Nevada | U.S. | Rank | Latest data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Distress Index score 2nd highest · Aug. 2026 | 98 | 2nd highest | Aug. 2026 | |
| Card balances 90+ days late Highest · End of 2025 | 16.3% U.S. 12.4% | 12.4% | Highest | End of 2025 |
| Renters paying half or more of income on housing 2nd highest · 2024 | 29.4% U.S. 26.1% | 26.1% | 2nd highest | 2024 |
| Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 4th highest · 2025 | 287.9 U.S. 167.1 | 167.1 | 4th highest | 2025 |
| Residents without health insurance 5th highest · 2024* | 11.4% U.S. 8.4% | 8.4% | 5th highest | 2024* |
| Adults without a high school diploma 5th highest · 2024* | 12.5% U.S. 10.4% | 10.4% | 5th highest | 2024* |
| Unemployment rate, three-month average Tied for 5th highest · June–August 2026 | 5.0% U.S. 4.1% | 4.1% | Tied for 5th highest | June–August 2026 |
| People with a debt 90+ days late 9th highest · Early 2025 | 20.8% U.S. 17.2% | 17.2% | 9th highest | Early 2025 |
| People with a debt in collections 9th highest · Early 2025 | 17.3% U.S. 13.2% | 13.2% | 9th highest | Early 2025 |
| Household debt per person with a credit report 10th highest · End of 2025 | $71,260 U.S. $63,200 | $63,200 | 10th highest | End of 2025 |
| Median rent, a month 11th highest · 2024* | $1,597 U.S. $1,413 | $1,413 | 11th highest | 2024* |
| Population growth since 2020 Tied for 10th highest · 2025 | 5.3% | Tied for 10th highest | 2025 | |
| Median household income 22nd highest · 2024 | $81,129 U.S. $81,604 | $81,604 | 22nd highest | 2024 |
| Residents in poverty Tied for 23rd highest · 2024 | 11.8% U.S. 12.1% | 12.1% | Tied for 23rd highest | 2024 |
| Homes lived in by their owners 4th lowest · 2024* | 60.0% U.S. 65.2% | 65.2% | 4th lowest | 2024* |
“Highest” and “lowest” mean among the 50 states and D.C. * Census five-year survey, 2020 to 2024. The U.S. figures for people behind and in collections are our population-weighted averages of the states. Sources for each measure are in Sources and method. Download this table: CSV.
Questions about Nevada
Is Nevada expensive to live in?
For renters, yes. In 2024, 29.4% of Nevada renter households paid half or more of their income for rent and utilities, the 2nd highest share of the 50 states and D.C. (U.S. Census Bureau). The median rent, $1,597 a month from 2020 to 2024, was the 11th highest. We don’t measure prices for food and other goods, so we don’t rank overall living costs.
What salary do you need to live in Nevada?
MIT’s Living Wage Calculator puts the bare minimum to cover basic costs in Nevada at $50,259 a year before taxes for a single adult with no children, and $121,137 for two working parents with two children (2025 dollars). That is a floor, not a comfortable living, which we don’t measure. The typical Nevada household earned $81,129 in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau).
Does Nevada have a high unemployment rate?
Yes, though it is falling. Nevada’s rate was 4.8% in August 2026, the 8th highest of the 50 states and D.C., against 4.1% nationally. By yearly averages, Nevada had the highest rate of any state, or tied for it, in ten of the 16 years from 2010 to 2025 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Is Las Vegas doing well economically?
The picture is mixed. Las Vegas had about 3.03 million visitors in August 2026, 4.3% fewer than a year earlier, though the count from January to August was down only 0.1% (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority). Unemployment in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, was 4.8% in August 2026, not adjusted for seasonal swings (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). On our County Distress Index, Clark is the second most distressed of Nevada’s 17 counties.
What is the poorest county in Nevada?
Pershing County, around Lovelock, where 18.3% of residents lived in poverty in 2024, the highest rate of Nevada’s 17 counties. Mineral County, around Hawthorne, had the lowest typical household income, $58,610 (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). The most distressed county on our County Distress Index is Nye.
How many counties are in Nevada?
Nevada has 16 counties and Carson City, a city that serves as its own county, 17 in all. Each is scored and ranked on our County Distress Index; see all 17 Nevada counties, ranked, or the county map above.
What is the poverty line in Nevada?
The 2026 federal poverty guideline in Nevada is $15,960 a year for one person and $33,000 for a family of four, the same as in every state but Alaska and Hawaii (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
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State Distress Index
Nevada
2ndmost distressed state
of the 50 states and D.C.
More distressed than 98% of the other states and D.C.
Nevada ranks second of the 50 states and D.C. on the State Distress Index, American Default Research’s measure of household financial distress. Its poverty rate, 11.8% in 2024, was close to the U.S. rate (U.S. Census Bureau). Yet in 2024, 29.4% of Nevada renters paid half or more of their income for housing, the 2nd highest share of any state (U.S. Census Bureau). At the end of 2025, 16.3% of Nevada’s credit card balances were 90 or more days late, the highest share of any state (Federal Reserve Bank of New York).
Questions, interviews or a custom cut of the data: 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
- Late payments, collections, credit scoresFederal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Consumer Credit Explorer2010 to early 2025
- Household debt and dollars behindFederal Reserve Bank of New York, Consumer Credit Panel / Equifaxend of 2019 and end of 2025
- Mortgages with little or no equityFederal Housing Finance Agency, National Mortgage Databasesecond quarter of 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; Oct. 14, 2026; March 2022 to June 2023
- Bankruptcy filingsU.S. Courts, Table F-22018 to 2025
- Unemployment, state, county and nationalU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment StatisticsJan. 1990 to Aug. 2026
- Poverty and incomeCensus Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates1989 to 2024
- Renters paying half or more of income on housingCensus Bureau, American Community Survey, 1-year2005 to 2024
- Rent, homeownership, housing costs, schooling, health insuranceCensus Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year2020 to 2024
- PopulationCensus Bureau, population estimates2020 to 2025
- Income per person and its sourcesBureau of Economic Analysis2024
- SNAPU.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition AdministrationApril 2025 to June 2026
- Cost of getting byMIT Living Wage Calculator2025 dollars
- Las Vegas visitors and hotel occupancyLas Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Executive SummaryAugust 2026
- Marketplace health plan sign-upsNevada Health Link; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026 open enrollment report2025 and 2026 plan years
- Foreclosure filings and timelinesATTOM, U.S. Foreclosure Market Reportfirst half of 2026
- Mortgage help fundU.S. Treasury, Homeowner Assistance Fundthrough early 2026
- Foreclosure lawNevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 107, Chapter 40 and Chapter 115as of 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 watchThe Nevada Independent, FOX5 Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada Health Link, Census Bureau release schedule, Bureau of Labor Statistics release schedule; each item links the page it was read on (see what changed)Nov. 2025 to Jan. 2027
- County photoFamartin, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.02015
The score has four equal parts: late payments; collections and bankruptcy; jobs; and renters’ housing costs. Each measure is ranked against the 50 states and D.C., and the score is the share of the other 50 that Nevada is more distressed than. 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.