About three in ten people in Bent County, Colorado, live below the poverty line
In Bent County, 28.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bent County's score
In Bent County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 84.4. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 29.4% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 79.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bent 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.
Bent County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (4.5%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (7.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.4 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 rent22.2% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.4% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 79.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line28.9% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line28.3% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability18.6% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,898 · 2024top 5%
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- 74.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202667th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.8% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
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- 61.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.5% · August 202575th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people123.2 · 202548th percentile
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- 45.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.3% · second quarter of 202680th 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 Bent 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 Bent County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bent County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bent County had its largest rise, from 31.2% in 2014 to 35.7% in 2019.
In Bent County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 38.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Bent County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bent County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 29.9% in 2019 to 25.2% in 2020.
The share of households in Bent County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 21.4%
Low on the chart: 16.6% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bent County, Colorado.
How Bent County has changed
Bent County's population had its largest drop, from 5,937 in 1984 to 5,162 in 1989.
Bent County's population fell 13% from 1969 to 2024, with its low point on the chart in 1989
Low on the chart: 5,162 in 1989. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bent County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Bent County had its largest drop, from 1,562 in 2000 to 1,228 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Bent County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,585 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bent County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.9% | 2024 28.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,995 | 2024 $46,898 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Bent County's history
1874
Created February 6, 1874 when Greenwood County was dissolved and divided between Bent and Elbert Counties. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 9,705. The 2020 Census counted 5,650, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A thunderstorm in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Hail in June 2001 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A tornado in June 2004 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bent County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bent County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bent County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bent County ranks 3rd of the six; Las Animas County is highest, at 41.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Animas County, CO | 90 | 19.8% | 41.3% |
| Bent County, CO | 82 | 28.9% | 38.7% |
| Otero County, CO | 81 | 19.0% | 40.3% |
| Prowers County, CO | 62 | 19.0% | 31.0% |
| Baca County, CO | 52 | 18.2% | 35.6% |
| Kiowa County, CO | 29 | 14.7% | 23.8% |
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 Bent County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Bent County's poverty rate was 28.9% in 2024, 2nd 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, Bent County ranks 4th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bent 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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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 Bent County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.