What is the poverty rate in Nebraska?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 10.2% of Nebraska’s population as of 2025. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2025, 200,200 people in Nebraska were considered in poverty.
10.2%
of the population (2025)
200K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, Nebraska's poverty rate hit a peak in 2013 of 13.2%. Its lowest point was in 2019 at 9.9%. The state's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2025, 0.7 percentage points lower than the previous year.
In 2025, 10.2% of Nebraska's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2025, 200,200 people living in Nebraska were in poverty — down 16.4% from the 2013 peak of 239,400.
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In 2025, 200,200 people in Nebraska were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Nebraska?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Nebraska decreased from 16.8% to 12.1%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 12% to 9.8%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 7.4% to 8.8%.
In 2025, 12.1% of children in Nebraska were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in Nebraska?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Nebraska during 2025, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race); some other race; and two or more races
Two had a lower than average poverty rate: White, not Hispanic or Latino; and Asian.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Asian population shifted the most, decreasing from 25.3% in 2015 to 9.8% in 2025.
In Nebraska, the poverty rate for the Asian population decreased from 25.3% in 2015 to 9.8% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in Nebraska have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among Nebraska counties ranged from 4.8% in Howard County to 16.6% in Nance County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Douglas County — was 11.8%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among Nebraska counties ranged from 4.8% to 16.6%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Nance County | 16.6% |
| 2. | Garden County | 16.5% |
| 3. | Sioux County | 14.9% |
| 4. | Cheyenne County | 14.3% |
| 5. | Hall County | 14.1% |
| 6. | Dundy County | 14.0% |
| 7. | Red Willow County | 14.0% |
| 8. | Morrill County | 13.9% |
| 9. | Thurston County | 13.9% |
| 10. | Knox County | 13.7% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
