In Arapahoe County, Colorado, benefit checks make up only 13 cents of every dollar of income
In Arapahoe County, 12.8% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Arapahoe County's score
In Arapahoe County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 87.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 19.2. The typical household earns $103,442 a year (2024), more than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Arapahoe 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.
Even so, Arapahoe County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.2%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.1 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 rent26.2% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.2% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 50.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.2% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167.4 · 202565th percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 33.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 19.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.8% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.4% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability10.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$103,442 · 20244th 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 Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe County, 14.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Arapahoe County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Arapahoe County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 12.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Arapahoe County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 12.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Arapahoe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.4% in 2011 to 6.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Arapahoe County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 7.7%
High on the chart: 7.9% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Arapahoe County, Colorado.
How Arapahoe County has changed
Arapahoe County's population had its largest rise, from 278,330 in 1979 to 357,164 in 1984.
Arapahoe County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 666,918, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 666,918. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Arapahoe County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Arapahoe County doubled to 340,945, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 283,927. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Arapahoe County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.6% | 2024 7.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $38,768 | 2024 $103,442 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Arapahoe County's history
1861
Arapahoe County was created on November 1, 1861 as an original county of Colorado Territory. Wikipedia
2009
Hail in June 2009 did $161 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
Hail in June 2012 did $161.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Hail in September 2014 did $213.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Hail in June 2018 did $276.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 655,070, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Arapahoe County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Arapahoe County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Arapahoe County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Arapahoe County ranks 5th of the eight; Lincoln County is highest, at 29.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, CO | 57 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Denver County, CO | 46 | 12.2% | 8.6% |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 43 | 7.8% | 12.8% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 41 | 16.9% | 29.6% |
| Washington County, CO | 23 | 12.8% | 27.3% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
| Elbert County, CO | 7 | 5.7% | 12.8% |
| Douglas County, CO | 5 | 4.3% | 8.2% |
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 Arapahoe County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Arapahoe County's poverty rate was 7.8% in 2024, 54th 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, Arapahoe County ranks 22nd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Arapahoe 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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NSC (NACA Counseling Subsidiary) - Denver, Co
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.
Download the CSV for Arapahoe County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Arapahoe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.