Bent County, Colorado

County Distress Index: Elevated · 63.1 | 5,681 people · 5th most distressed in Colorado
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Bent County, CO registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 63.1 — 612th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Colorado, it ranks 5th of 64 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 3 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bent County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 91.9 — worse than roughly 92% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 91.9
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 86
Community Vulnerability 63.6
Uninsured Rate 51
Disability Rate 76
Employment & Wages 62.9
Unemployment Rate 67
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 51
Business Formation Rate 71
Housing Cost Burden 60.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 86
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 38
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 82
Rent-to-Income Ratio 89
Debt & Delinquency 37.3
Debt in Collections 75
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 39
Auto Loan Delinquency 22
Credit Card Delinquency 33
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 48

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Bent County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bent County
Bent County, CO 63.1 Elevated —
Las Animas County, CO 67.8 Serious +4.7
Otero County, CO 65.1 Serious +1.9
Prowers County, CO 60.2 Elevated -3.0
Baca County, CO 52.2 Elevated -11.0
Kiowa County, CO 39.4 Normal -23.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bent County
Union County, NM 63.1 Elevated -0.0
Lake County, OR 63.0 Elevated -0.1
Caldwell Parish, LA 63.4 Elevated +0.2
Wheeler County, GA 63.4 Elevated +0.3
Ozark County, MO 63.5 Elevated +0.4

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Bent County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Bent County

Find an Attorney

Colorado Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Colorado Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service 303-831-8000

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Bent County residents at no cost.

Colorado Legal Services 303-837-1313 (Denver); 1-866-529-6257 (statewide)
Colorado Volunteer Lawyer Resource (CVLR) 303-722-0300
Colorado Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service 303-831-8000 (Denver); 1-800-332-6736 (statewide)

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Bent County, Colorado?

    Bent County has a County Distress Index score of 63.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 612th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 5th in Colorado out of 64 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bent County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bent County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 91.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Bent County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bent County (63.1) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Las Animas County, CO (67.8); Otero County, CO (65.1); Prowers County, CO (60.2).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Bent County?

    Bent County, Colorado has a population of approximately 5,681 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.