#3,095 Top 100 Least Distressed Counties · 2026

Holt County, Nebraska

13.4 · very low county distress 3,095th of 3,144 counties nationally · 10,093 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
7% Holt residents
vs.
8% U.S. median

Near the national median for uninsured rate.

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 34 words · paste-ready

Holt County, Nebraska ranks 3,095th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Holt sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

Key Findings
  • 3,095th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 13.4 · very low county distress, 90th in Nebraska.
  • 7% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 40th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 12 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Default & Legal domain score 7 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Delinquency domain score 7 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Holt County, Nebraska and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Holt and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Holt County ranks 3,095th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 24 words

Holt County has a very low county distress score. The rank and domain mix show where the county still sits in the national cross-section.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 34 words

The CDI gives this county a very low county distress label. The rank is still reported because low score intensity and relative position are different measures. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

2.3% +0.8 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

11.1% -5.2 pp since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

24.0% +12.9 pp since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

14.8% +1.5 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Holt County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Holt County's value shown alongside NE's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Holt County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Holt NE median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 7 · Rank 3,069 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 2% 3% 5% 5th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 1% 4% 5% 5th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 15% 17% 23% 12th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 7 · Rank 3,087 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 11% 14% 23% 5th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 50 116 126 9th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 12 · Rank 3,006 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 18% 19% 21% 16th U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 8% 12% 18% 8th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 5 · Rank 2,994 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 2% 2% 4% 5th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 35 · Rank 2,180 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 14% 13% 18% 32nd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 13% 14% 16% 27th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 12% 11% 14% 36th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 7% 7% 8% 40th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 35
Weight 20% · Rank 2,180 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 12
Weight 20% · Rank 3,006 of 3,144
Default & Legal 7
Weight 20% · Rank 3,087 of 3,144
Delinquency 7
Weight 20% · Rank 3,069 of 3,144
Labor 5
Weight 20% · Rank 2,994 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Holt County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/31089/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Holt County, NE — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 125-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 125 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

O'NEILL, Neb. — Holt County ranks 3,095th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 13.4 out of 100 gives Holt a very low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 3,094 counties rank more distressed. Within Nebraska, Holt ranks 90th of 93 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Holt sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Holt County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Holt County scores 13.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label very low county distress. It ranks 3,095th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 90th of 93 Nebraska counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Holt County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 35. Uninsured rate ranks at the 40th percentile nationally.

How does Holt County compare to its neighbors?

Holt County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Loup County (39.10, low-moderate county distress). Lowest: Knox County (19.45, very low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

Read more
from Ross →