Nebraska County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 93 counties in Nebraska, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 32.0.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Nebraska Snapshot
93 Counties Scored
32.0 Mean Score
30.6 Median Score
57.6 Scotts Bluff County Most Distressed
15.5 Boone County Least Distressed
4 Elevated 24 Normal 65 Healthy
Zone Distribution Nebraska County Map
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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis
All 93 Nebraska counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Nebraska's 93 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Nebraska Counties
93 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Zone | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,113 | Scotts Bluff County | 57.6 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 2 | 1,304 | Thurston County | 54.5 | Elevated | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 3 | 1,380 | Hall County | 53.3 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 4 | 1,562 | Dawes County | 50.2 | Elevated | Housing Cost Burden |
| 5 | 1,661 | Dakota County | 48.8 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 6 | 1,663 | Douglas County | 48.7 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 7 | 1,769 | Kimball County | 47.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 8 | 1,823 | Red Willow County | 46.3 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 9 | 1,827 | Johnson County | 46.3 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 10 | 1,852 | Adams County | 45.9 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 11 | 1,883 | Lincoln County | 45.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 12 | 1,950 | Box Butte County | 44.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 13 | 2,055 | Brown County | 42.2 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 14 | 2,113 | Cheyenne County | 41.2 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 15 | 2,181 | Dawson County | 40.2 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 16 | 2,182 | Furnas County | 40.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 17 | 2,212 | Lancaster County | 39.7 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 18 | 2,263 | Keith County | 38.9 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 19 | 2,307 | Jefferson County | 38.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 20 | 2,334 | Dodge County | 37.6 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 21 | 2,341 | Gage County | 37.5 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 22 | 2,351 | Hitchcock County | 37.4 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 23 | 2,352 | Buffalo County | 37.3 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 24 | 2,363 | Boyd County | 37.0 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 25 | 2,371 | Stanton County | 36.9 | Normal | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 26 | 2,391 | Webster County | 36.5 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 27 | 2,432 | Pawnee County | 35.8 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 28 | 2,447 | Garfield County | 35.6 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 29 | 2,484 | Saline County | 34.9 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 30 | 2,487 | Madison County | 34.8 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 31 | 2,510 | Nemaha County | 34.3 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 32 | 2,536 | Morrill County | 33.8 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 33 | 2,567 | Hooker County | 33.4 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 34 | 2,599 | Platte County | 32.7 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 35 | 2,628 | Howard County | 32.4 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 36 | 2,635 | Richardson County | 32.3 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 37 | 2,644 | Deuel County | 32.1 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 38 | 2,649 | Sarpy County | 32.1 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 39 | 2,653 | Logan County | 31.9 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 40 | 2,660 | Sherman County | 31.7 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 41 | 2,666 | Cherry County | 31.6 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 42 | 2,670 | Wayne County | 31.6 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 43 | 2,679 | Arthur County | 31.4 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 44 | 2,687 | Merrick County | 31.3 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 45 | 2,711 | Frontier County | 30.9 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 46 | 2,712 | York County | 30.9 | Healthy | Consumer Credit Distress |
| 47 | 2,729 | Loup County | 30.6 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 48 | 2,731 | Thomas County | 30.6 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 49 | 2,739 | Sioux County | 30.4 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 50 | 2,777 | Valley County | 29.6 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 51 | 2,780 | Garden County | 29.6 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 52 | 2,788 | Banner County | 29.4 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 53 | 2,799 | McPherson County | 29.1 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 54 | 2,807 | Phelps County | 28.9 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 55 | 2,825 | Colfax County | 28.5 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 56 | 2,828 | Blaine County | 28.4 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 57 | 2,836 | Burt County | 28.3 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 58 | 2,837 | Sheridan County | 28.3 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 59 | 2,849 | Keya Paha County | 28.0 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 60 | 2,850 | Hayes County | 28.0 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 61 | 2,851 | Franklin County | 27.9 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 62 | 2,875 | Cass County | 27.3 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 63 | 2,879 | Wheeler County | 27.3 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 64 | 2,882 | Custer County | 27.2 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 65 | 2,883 | Nance County | 27.2 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 66 | 2,899 | Butler County | 26.8 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 67 | 2,921 | Gosper County | 26.3 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 68 | 2,922 | Otoe County | 26.2 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 69 | 2,924 | Seward County | 26.2 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 70 | 2,925 | Grant County | 26.1 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 71 | 2,931 | Chase County | 26.0 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 72 | 2,937 | Antelope County | 25.8 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 73 | 2,942 | Thayer County | 25.6 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 74 | 2,944 | Kearney County | 25.6 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 75 | 2,955 | Rock County | 25.3 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 76 | 2,962 | Fillmore County | 25.2 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 77 | 2,967 | Nuckolls County | 25.1 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 78 | 2,968 | Washington County | 25.0 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 79 | 2,973 | Harlan County | 24.7 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 80 | 2,979 | Pierce County | 24.5 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 81 | 3,007 | Knox County | 23.3 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 82 | 3,008 | Perkins County | 23.3 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 83 | 3,037 | Dundy County | 21.8 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 84 | 3,047 | Greeley County | 21.2 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 85 | 3,055 | Saunders County | 20.8 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 86 | 3,057 | Clay County | 20.8 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 87 | 3,060 | Dixon County | 20.7 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 88 | 3,082 | Polk County | 19.5 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 89 | 3,085 | Cuming County | 19.4 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 90 | 3,106 | Hamilton County | 17.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 91 | 3,108 | Holt County | 17.7 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 92 | 3,114 | Cedar County | 17.3 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 93 | 3,129 | Boone County | 15.5 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties