In Adams County, Colorado, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Adams County, 25.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 86% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Adams County's score
In Adams County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 89.8. About one in four renters (27.5%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 60.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Adams County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Adams County does better than most counties on two measures: median household income ($100,686, 2024) and people with a disability (11.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent27.5% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.9% · fiscal year 202786th percentile
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- 60.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people187.9 · 202571st percentile
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- 55.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.4% · second quarter of 202643rd percentile
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- 40.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202657th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 27.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability11.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance11.6% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$100,686 · 20245th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Adams County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Adams County, 11.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Adams County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Adams County had its largest rise, from 11.8% in 2004 to 15.7% in 2009.
In Adams County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 15.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Adams County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Adams County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.4% in 2011 to 8.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Adams County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 10.3%
Low on the chart: 5.6% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Adams County, Colorado.
How Adams County has changed
Adams County's population tripled to 542,973, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 354,146. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Adams County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Adams County had its largest rise, from 147,987 in 2010 to 191,869 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Adams County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 249,734, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 147,987. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Adams County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.3% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,351 | 2024 $100,686 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Adams County's history
1902
Adams County was created on November 15, 1902. Wikipedia
1996
Hail in May 1996 did $0.12 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail in June 2001 did $49 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Hail in May 2010 did $70 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Hail in July 2011 did $164.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 519,572, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Adams County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Adams County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Adams County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Adams County ranks 3rd of the eight; Washington County is highest, at 27.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, CO | 59 | 14.0% | 21.0% |
| Adams County, CO | 57 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Denver County, CO | 46 | 12.2% | 8.6% |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 43 | 7.8% | 12.8% |
| Weld County, CO | 38 | 9.6% | 15.0% |
| Washington County, CO | 23 | 12.8% | 27.3% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
| Broomfield County, CO | 12 | 6.0% | 10.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Adams County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Adams County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 42nd highest of 64 in Colorado (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Crowley County, at 39.0%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Adams County ranks 16th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Adams County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Community Resources and Housing Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Colorado Legal Services
Legal aid
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Colorado Bar Association — Find a Lawyer directory
Find a lawyer
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Adams County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.