Baca County, Colorado
Above the national median for child poverty rate — and 9.4× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Douglas County, CO — 3%).
Main Findings
Baca County, Colorado ranks 1,857th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 29% of children live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 18%.
- 1,857th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 27th in Colorado.
- 29% of children live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 18%). Child poverty rate at the 89th percentile nationally.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 25% — national median 21%, ranked at the 78th percentile.
- Credit card delinquency at 9% — national median 5%, ranked at the 88th percentile.
- Default & Legal domain score 34 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span five CDI distress fifths. The 44-point drop to Morton County, KS marks a cross-border distress gradient.
"Baca County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
29% of children under 18 in Baca County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
The Indicators Behind Baca County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Baca County's value shown alongside CO's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Baca | CO median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 49 · Rank 1,592 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 3% | 5% | 22nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 4% | 5% | 88th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 21% | 19% | 23% | 37th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 34 · Rank 2,245 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 17% | 15% | 23% | 26th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 113 | 113 | 126 | 42nd | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 62 · Rank 1,034 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 25% | 23% | 21% | 78th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 17% | 20% | 18% | 46th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 5 · Rank 2,966 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 2% | 3% | 4% | 5th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 77 · Rank 525 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 29% | 16% | 18% | 89th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 17% | 12% | 16% | 60th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 11% | 14% | 87th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 36% | 22% | 27% | 84th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 8% | 8% | 46th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
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), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Baca County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 154-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
SPRINGFIELD, Colo. — Baca County ranks 1,857th 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 46 out of 100 places Baca in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,856 counties rank more distressed. Within Colorado, Baca ranks 27th of 64 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Baca. 29% of children live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 18%.
"Baca County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Baca County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Baca County's distress score?
How does Baca County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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