#2,750 Colorado · 2026

Archuleta County, Colorado

26.5 · low county distress 2,750th of 3,144 counties nationally · 14,189 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
12% Archuleta residents
vs.
8% U.S. median

Above the national median for uninsured rate.

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 34 words · paste-ready

Archuleta County, Colorado ranks 2,750th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Archuleta sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

Key Findings
  • 2,750th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 26.5 · low county distress, 57th in Colorado.
  • 12% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 74th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Rent-to-income ratio at 22% — national median 21%, ranked at the 55th percentile. Source: HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
  • Labor domain score 19 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Default & Legal domain score 14 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Archuleta County, Colorado and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Archuleta and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Archuleta County ranks 2,750th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Archuleta County has a low county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 29 words

The CDI gives this county a low county distress label. The score is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.7% -1.4 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

10.5% -8.3 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

26.2% +16.5 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

17.5% -6.8 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Archuleta County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Archuleta County's value shown alongside CO's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Archuleta County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Archuleta CO median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 11 · Rank 2,967 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 1% 3% 5% 5th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 2% 4% 5% 6th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 17% 19% 23% 23rd Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 14 · Rank 2,935 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 12% 15% 23% 9th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 70 113 126 19th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 39 · Rank 2,027 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 22% 23% 21% 55th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 13% 20% 18% 24th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 19 · Rank 2,493 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 4% 4% 19th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 49 · Rank 1,611 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 18% 16% 18% 51st U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 18% 12% 16% 67th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 11% 11% 14% 31st U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 12% 8% 8% 74th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 49
Weight 20% · Rank 1,611 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 39
Weight 20% · Rank 2,027 of 3,144
Labor 19
Weight 20% · Rank 2,493 of 3,144
Default & Legal 14
Weight 20% · Rank 2,935 of 3,144
Delinquency 11
Weight 20% · Rank 2,967 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Archuleta County data — in under 60 seconds.

Embed preview — paste into any CMS <iframe src="https://americandefault.org/embed/county/08007/" width="600" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:8px;" title="Archuleta County, CO — County Distress Index"></iframe>
Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 125-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
DRAFT · 125 words · for immediate release · cleared for reuse with attribution to American Default Research

PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. — Archuleta County ranks 2,750th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 26.5 out of 100 gives Archuleta a low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,749 counties rank more distressed. Within Colorado, Archuleta ranks 57th of 64 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Archuleta sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Archuleta County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Archuleta County scores 26.5 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low county distress. It ranks 2,750th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 57th of 64 Colorado counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Archuleta County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 49. Uninsured rate ranks at the 74th percentile nationally.

How does Archuleta County compare to its neighbors?

Archuleta County's neighbors span 5 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: San Juan County, NM (70.23, high county distress). Lowest: Hinsdale County (27.71, low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

Read more
from Ross →