In Boulder County, Colorado, benefit checks make up only 10 cents of every dollar of income

In Boulder County, 9.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
45th
of 64 counties in Colorado
18score /100

Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.

What drives Boulder County's score

In Boulder County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 87.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 6.3.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Boulder 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, Boulder County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (32.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (23.6%, fiscal year 2027).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    87.2 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      32.4% · 2020 to 2024
      98th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      23.6% · fiscal year 2027
      75th percentile

  • Jobs

    32.0 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      45th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      15.5% · 2020 to 2024
      18th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    19.1 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      9.8% · August 2025
      3rd percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      97.3 · 2025
      34th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    10.9 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      10.6% · 2024
      27th percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      8.4% · 2024
      7th percentile
    • People with a disability
      9.4% · 2020 to 2024
      2nd percentile
    • People without health insurance
      4.4% · 2020 to 2024
      12th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $103,293 · 2024
      4th percentile

  • Late payments

    6.3 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      2.5% · August 2025
      6th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      2.7% · August 2025
      10th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      22.5% · second quarter of 2026
      1st percentile

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 Boulder 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 Boulder County, 16.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Boulder County

57 33 10

Colorado

63 23 14

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Boulder County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 9.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about six times as much as benefit checks

In Boulder County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 9.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Boulder County, Colorado American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/colorado/boulder-county-co/
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SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.

The share of households in Boulder County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 5.9%, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 2013 to 2014, reaching 5.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Boulder County, Colorado.

0%3%6% 3.1%5.9% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%3%6% 3.1%5.9% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/colorado/boulder-county-co/
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How Boulder County has changed

Boulder County's population more than doubled to 330,262, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 166,449. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Boulder County, Colorado.

0200,000400,000 129,577330,262 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0200,000400,000 129,577330,262 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/colorado/boulder-county-co/
Download data (CSV)

The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.

The number of jobs located in Boulder County nearly doubled to 191,487, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 179,599. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Boulder County, Colorado.

0100,000200,000 117,964191,487 19901995200020052010201520202025 0100,000200,000 117,964191,487 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/colorado/boulder-county-co/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 4.8% 2025 4.0% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 8.9% 2024 10.6% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $34,200 2024 $103,293 Census SAIPE

The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Boulder County's history

  1. 1861

    Created November 1, 1861 as one of the original 17 counties created by the Territory of Colorado. Wikipedia

  2. 2000

    Lightning in July 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  3. 2013

    A flash flood in September 2013 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 2013

    A flood in September 2013 did $297 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 2019

    Lightning in July 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  6. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 330,758, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  7. 2021

    Marshall Fire in December 2021 destroyed 991 homes, killed at least one person, most destructive fire in Colorado history. Wikipedia

  8. Since 1969

    12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Boulder County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA

Boulder County beside its neighbors

Of the six counties that border Boulder County, three score higher. Of the group, Boulder County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Larimer County gets the largest, at 15.1%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Weld County, CO 38 28th of 64 9.6% 15.0%
Larimer County, CO 24 38th of 64 10.5% 15.1%
Jefferson County, CO 20 44th of 64 7.2% 13.3%
Boulder County, CO 18 45th of 64 10.6% 9.7%
Broomfield County, CO 12 53rd of 64 6.0% 10.0%
Grand County, CO 10 56th of 64 8.0% 12.0%
Gilpin County, CO 8 62nd of 64 7.3% 15.1%

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 Boulder County the poorest county in Colorado?

No, Boulder County's poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, 36th 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, Boulder County ranks 45th of 64 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Boulder 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.

Colorado foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Boulder County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Boulder County, Colorado, scores 18 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/colorado/boulder-county-co/

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 Boulder County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.