Colorado County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 64 counties in Colorado, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 41.9. 10counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Colorado Snapshot
64 Counties Scored
41.9 Mean Score
37.1 Median Score
81.2 Costilla County Most Distressed
21.9 Custer County Least Distressed
4 Most distressed fifth6 Second-most distressed fifth17 Middle fifth14 Second-least distressed fifth23 Least distressed fifth
Quintile Distribution Colorado County Map
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Least distressed fifth Second-least distressed fifth Middle fifth Second-most distressed fifth Most distressed fifth
All 64 Colorado counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Colorado's 64 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Colorado Counties
64 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 110 | Costilla County | 81.2 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 2 | 315 | Pueblo County | 73.6 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 3 | 317 | Las Animas County | 73.6 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 4 | 576 | Otero County | 68.1 | Most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 5 | 795 | Huerfano County | 64.0 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 6 | 806 | Alamosa County | 63.8 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 7 | 929 | Bent County | 61.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 8 | 1,070 | Adams County | 59.2 | Second-most distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 1,088 | Fremont County | 58.9 | Second-most distressed fifth | Labor |
| 10 | 1,180 | Crowley County | 57.4 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 11 | 1,272 | Saguache County | 55.9 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 12 | 1,282 | Montezuma County | 55.6 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 13 | 1,341 | Delta County | 54.6 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 14 | 1,361 | Sedgwick County | 54.3 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 15 | 1,448 | Rio Grande County | 52.8 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 16 | 1,463 | Mineral County | 52.4 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 17 | 1,560 | Denver County | 50.7 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 18 | 1,574 | Prowers County | 50.5 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 19 | 1,575 | Arapahoe County | 50.5 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 20 | 1,580 | Morgan County | 50.4 | Middle fifth | Delinquency |
| 21 | 1,638 | Lincoln County | 49.3 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 22 | 1,653 | Weld County | 49.1 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 23 | 1,668 | El Paso County | 48.7 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 24 | 1,672 | Dolores County | 48.6 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 25 | 1,756 | Conejos County | 47.3 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 26 | 1,856 | Moffat County | 45.6 | Middle fifth | Labor |
| 27 | 1,857 | Baca County | 45.5 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 28 | 1,895 | Mesa County | 44.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 29 | 2,014 | Logan County | 42.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 30 | 2,151 | Montrose County | 40.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 31 | 2,300 | San Miguel County | 37.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 32 | 2,309 | Kiowa County | 37.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 33 | 2,329 | Teller County | 36.8 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 34 | 2,337 | Larimer County | 36.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 35 | 2,346 | San Juan County | 36.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 36 | 2,352 | Lake County | 36.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 37 | 2,378 | Washington County | 35.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 38 | 2,380 | Gilpin County | 35.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 39 | 2,423 | Jefferson County | 34.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 40 | 2,428 | Ouray County | 34.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 41 | 2,461 | Boulder County | 34.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 42 | 2,533 | Pitkin County | 32.3 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 43 | 2,537 | Eagle County | 32.2 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 2,539 | Kit Carson County | 32.1 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 45 | 2,540 | Clear Creek County | 32.1 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 46 | 2,569 | Park County | 31.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 47 | 2,601 | La Plata County | 30.9 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 48 | 2,643 | Broomfield County | 30.1 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 49 | 2,648 | Cheyenne County | 29.8 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 50 | 2,675 | Gunnison County | 29.2 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 51 | 2,682 | Chaffee County | 28.9 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 52 | 2,690 | Hinsdale County | 28.7 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 53 | 2,708 | Garfield County | 28.3 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 54 | 2,769 | Routt County | 26.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 55 | 2,782 | Yuma County | 26.2 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 56 | 2,803 | Rio Blanco County | 25.7 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 57 | 2,805 | Archuleta County | 25.6 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 58 | 2,809 | Elbert County | 25.5 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 59 | 2,848 | Phillips County | 24.3 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 60 | 2,870 | Summit County | 23.7 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 61 | 2,886 | Jackson County | 23.3 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 62 | 2,887 | Douglas County | 23.3 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 63 | 2,911 | Grand County | 22.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 64 | 2,934 | Custer County | 21.9 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Most distressed fifth — 4 Colorado counties
Second-most distressed fifth — 6 Colorado counties
Middle fifth — 17 Colorado counties
Second-least distressed fifth — 14 Colorado counties
Least distressed fifth — 23 Colorado counties