Colorado County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 64 counties in Colorado, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 42.9. 3 counties score high, very high, or extreme.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Colorado Snapshot
64 Counties Scored
42.9 Mean Score
38.8 Median Score
80.6 Costilla County Most Distressed
21.5 Custer County Least Distressed
1 very high county distress2 high county distress4 moderate-high county distress14 moderate county distress10 moderate-low county distress21 low-moderate county distress12 low county distress
Score Label Distribution Colorado County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 64 Colorado counties colored by county distress score range. 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 | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 133 | Costilla County | 80.6 | very high county distress | Labor |
| 2 | 354 | Las Animas County | 73.7 | high county distress | Labor |
| 3 | 423 | Pueblo County | 71.7 | high county distress | Labor |
| 4 | 592 | Otero County | 68.4 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 5 | 785 | Alamosa County | 64.5 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 6 | 795 | Huerfano County | 64.4 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 7 | 880 | Bent County | 62.8 | moderate-high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 8 | 1,088 | Fremont County | 59.0 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 9 | 1,089 | Adams County | 59.0 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 10 | 1,159 | Saguache County | 57.9 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 11 | 1,191 | Crowley County | 57.2 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 12 | 1,290 | Delta County | 55.5 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 13 | 1,330 | Sedgwick County | 54.8 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 14 | 1,347 | Montezuma County | 54.5 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 15 | 1,398 | Mineral County | 53.5 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 16 | 1,404 | Prowers County | 53.4 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 17 | 1,435 | Rio Grande County | 52.8 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 18 | 1,510 | Lincoln County | 51.5 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 19 | 1,533 | Denver County | 51.2 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 20 | 1,547 | Arapahoe County | 50.8 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 21 | 1,582 | Morgan County | 50.3 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 22 | 1,601 | Weld County | 49.6 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 23 | 1,634 | Conejos County | 49.1 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 24 | 1,667 | El Paso County | 48.5 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 25 | 1,769 | Dolores County | 46.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 26 | 1,835 | Mesa County | 45.7 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 27 | 1,860 | Baca County | 45.4 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 28 | 1,876 | Moffat County | 45.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 29 | 1,895 | Logan County | 44.6 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 30 | 1,936 | Lake County | 43.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 31 | 2,120 | Montrose County | 40.4 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 32 | 2,184 | Eagle County | 39.2 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 33 | 2,228 | San Miguel County | 38.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 34 | 2,253 | Washington County | 37.8 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 35 | 2,274 | Larimer County | 37.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 36 | 2,285 | Kiowa County | 37.3 | low-moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 37 | 2,310 | Teller County | 36.7 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 38 | 2,338 | Pitkin County | 36.1 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 39 | 2,371 | Jefferson County | 35.5 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 40 | 2,380 | Gilpin County | 35.3 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 41 | 2,395 | Boulder County | 34.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 42 | 2,407 | Clear Creek County | 34.8 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 43 | 2,440 | Park County | 34.1 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 2,469 | Kit Carson County | 33.3 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 45 | 2,493 | San Juan County | 33.0 | low-moderate county distress | Delinquency |
| 46 | 2,506 | Summit County | 32.7 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 47 | 2,520 | La Plata County | 32.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 48 | 2,525 | Ouray County | 32.3 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 49 | 2,542 | Gunnison County | 31.8 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 50 | 2,553 | Broomfield County | 31.6 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 51 | 2,588 | Garfield County | 30.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 52 | 2,602 | Cheyenne County | 30.5 | low-moderate county distress | Default & Legal |
| 53 | 2,632 | Routt County | 29.8 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 54 | 2,643 | Chaffee County | 29.5 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 55 | 2,707 | Rio Blanco County | 27.9 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 56 | 2,713 | Hinsdale County | 27.7 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 57 | 2,750 | Archuleta County | 26.5 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 58 | 2,752 | Yuma County | 26.4 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 59 | 2,757 | Grand County | 26.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 60 | 2,770 | Elbert County | 25.9 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 61 | 2,819 | Jackson County | 24.7 | low county distress | Labor |
| 62 | 2,832 | Phillips County | 24.4 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 63 | 2,878 | Douglas County | 23.0 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 64 | 2,928 | Custer County | 21.5 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
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.
extreme county distress — 0 Colorado counties
very high county distress — 1 Colorado county
high county distress — 2 Colorado counties
moderate-high county distress — 4 Colorado counties
moderate county distress — 14 Colorado counties
moderate-low county distress — 10 Colorado counties
low-moderate county distress — 21 Colorado counties
low county distress — 12 Colorado counties
very low county distress — 0 Colorado counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Colorado counties