State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

Nebraska: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each Nebraska county, FY 2026.

18.2%
State avg 2BR burden
0
Counties over 30% (of 93)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about Nebraska

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents — 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom — by Census-reported median household income for each county in Nebraska. Across the 93 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 18.2%, compared with a national average of 21.7% — meaning Nebraska sits 3.5 percentage points lower than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In Nebraska, 0 of 93 counties (0%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Garden County at 25.8%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $961 eats that share of the local median income of $44,777. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability — eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which Nebraska counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between Nebraska and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
18.2%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
0
of 93
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Garden County $732 $961 19.6% 25.8%
2 Hooker County $874 $961 22.9% 25.1%
3 Dawes County $786 $1,031 17.3% 22.8%
4 Cheyenne County $828 $1,086 17.3% 22.6%
5 Brown County $732 $961 17% 22.4%
6 Hitchcock County $732 $961 16.9% 22.2%
7 Hall County $978 $1,215 17.4% 21.6%
8 Sioux County $732 $961 16.2% 21.3%
9 Pawnee County $753 $961 16.5% 21%
10 Douglas County $1,148 $1,368 17.4% 20.8%
11 Richardson County $732 $961 15.8% 20.7%
12 Wheeler County $732 $961 15.7% 20.6%
13 Dundy County $746 $961 15.8% 20.4%
14 Sheridan County $732 $961 15.4% 20.3%
15 Burt County $836 $961 17.5% 20.1%
16 Rock County $732 $961 15.3% 20.1%
17 Franklin County $732 $961 15.2% 20%
18 Johnson County $748 $982 15.1% 19.8%
19 Keith County $760 $961 15.7% 19.8%
20 Boyd County $732 $961 14.9% 19.6%
21 Greeley County $732 $961 14.9% 19.6%
22 Lincoln County $802 $1,052 15% 19.6%
23 Valley County $732 $961 14.9% 19.6%
24 Kimball County $732 $961 14.8% 19.4%
25 Scotts Bluff County $758 $987 14.9% 19.4%
26 Cherry County $780 $1,024 14.7% 19.3%
27 Dakota County $925 $1,154 15.5% 19.3%
28 Morrill County $789 $961 15.8% 19.3%
29 Loup County $732 $961 14.6% 19.2%
30 McPherson County $747 $980 14.6% 19.2%
31 Nemaha County $732 $961 14.6% 19.2%
32 Red Willow County $732 $961 14.6% 19.2%
33 Hayes County $732 $961 14.6% 19.1%
34 Keya Paha County $732 $961 14.6% 19.1%
35 Dodge County $861 $1,130 14.5% 19%
36 Furnas County $859 $961 17% 19%
37 Jefferson County $759 $961 15% 19%
38 Lancaster County $926 $1,141 15.3% 18.9%
39 Blaine County $732 $961 14.3% 18.8%
40 Deuel County $732 $961 14.3% 18.8%
41 Cass County $1,148 $1,368 15.6% 18.6%
42 Sherman County $732 $961 14.2% 18.6%
43 Chase County $738 $961 14.1% 18.4%
44 Madison County $758 $992 14.1% 18.4%
45 Dawson County $881 $995 16.2% 18.3%
46 Merrick County $732 $961 14% 18.3%
47 Thayer County $732 $961 13.9% 18.3%
48 Washington County $1,148 $1,368 15.3% 18.2%
49 Antelope County $732 $961 13.8% 18.1%
50 Gage County $732 $961 13.6% 17.9%
51 Knox County $732 $961 13.6% 17.8%
52 Thurston County $799 $961 14.8% 17.8%
53 Webster County $732 $961 13.5% 17.7%
54 Adams County $811 $961 14.8% 17.6%
55 Nance County $732 $961 13.4% 17.6%
56 Platte County $809 $1,061 13.4% 17.6%
57 Phelps County $760 $961 13.8% 17.5%
58 Custer County $732 $961 13.2% 17.4%
59 Holt County $802 $961 14.3% 17.2%
60 Arthur County $732 $961 13% 17.1%
61 Perkins County $849 $961 15.1% 17.1%
62 Stanton County $849 $1,114 13% 17.1%
63 Wayne County $732 $961 13% 17%
64 Frontier County $732 $961 12.9% 16.9%
65 Howard County $910 $1,049 14.7% 16.9%
66 Box Butte County $732 $961 12.8% 16.8%
67 Garfield County $732 $961 12.8% 16.8%
68 Dixon County $862 $961 15% 16.7%
69 Grant County $732 $961 12.7% 16.7%
70 Buffalo County $863 $1,031 13.9% 16.6%
71 Colfax County $929 $1,094 14% 16.5%
72 Nuckolls County $732 $961 12.5% 16.4%
73 Cuming County $826 $961 14% 16.3%
74 Harlan County $752 $961 12.8% 16.3%
75 York County $766 $1,005 12.4% 16.3%
76 Banner County $732 $961 12.3% 16.2%
77 Boone County $732 $961 12.3% 16.2%
78 Sarpy County $1,148 $1,368 13.6% 16.2%
79 Logan County $732 $961 12.3% 16.1%
80 Polk County $732 $961 12.2% 16.1%
81 Thomas County $732 $961 12.1% 15.9%
82 Cedar County $795 $961 12.9% 15.6%
83 Clay County $759 $961 12% 15.2%
84 Pierce County $810 $961 12.8% 15.2%
85 Fillmore County $877 $961 13.8% 15.1%
86 Kearney County $757 $993 11.5% 15.1%
87 Otoe County $783 $1,028 11.5% 15.1%
88 Saline County $732 $961 11.4% 15%
89 Gosper County $732 $961 11.1% 14.6%
90 Saunders County $956 $1,089 12.8% 14.6%
91 Hamilton County $824 $961 12.4% 14.4%
92 Seward County $756 $967 11.2% 14.3%
93 Butler County $732 $961 10.6% 14%
National burden rankings → All Nebraska rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in Nebraska? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in Nebraska is 18.2% of household income. 0 of 93 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in Nebraska are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Garden County at 25.8% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does Nebraska compare to the national average? ▼
Nebraska's average rent burden is 18.2% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 3.5 percentage points lower than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.