About one in 17 people in Broomfield County, Colorado, lives below the poverty line
In Broomfield County, 6.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Broomfield County's score
In Broomfield County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 3.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Broomfield 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.
Broomfield County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.2 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 rent20.0% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 33.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.1% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people153.5 · 202561st percentile
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- 28.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.3% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
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- 12.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.8% · second quarter of 20263rd percentile
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- 3.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.0% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.8% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability9.2% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$124,435 · 20241st 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 Broomfield 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 Broomfield County, 15.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Broomfield County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Broomfield County had its largest rise, from 5.4% in 2007 to 8.0% in 2012.
In Broomfield County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 2002, reaching 10.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about seven times as much as benefit checks
In Broomfield County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 2002 to 2024, reaching 10.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Broomfield County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2019 low, from 3.1% in 2018 to 2.3% in 2019.
The share of households in Broomfield County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 3.8%
Low on the chart: 2.3% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Broomfield County, Colorado.
How Broomfield County has changed
Broomfield County's population had its largest rise, from 59,473 in 2012 to 69,958 in 2017.
Broomfield County's population doubled from 2002 to 2024, reaching 78,323, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2022 to 2024, reaching 78,323. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Broomfield County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Broomfield County had its largest rise, from 31,904 in 2012 to 37,867 in 2017.
The number of jobs located in Broomfield County nearly doubled from 2002 to 2022, reaching 42,352, then turned down in 2025
High on the chart: 42,352 in 2022. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Broomfield County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 2001 4.2% | 2024 6.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 2001 $65,302 | 2024 $124,435 |
The table uses 3.8% 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 Broomfield County's history
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Since 2003
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Broomfield County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Broomfield County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Broomfield County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Broomfield County ranks 4th of the five; Adams County is highest, at 15.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, CO | 57 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Weld County, CO | 38 | 9.6% | 15.0% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
| Boulder County, CO | 18 | 10.6% | 9.7% |
| Broomfield County, CO | 12 | 6.0% | 10.0% |
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 Broomfield County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Broomfield County's poverty rate was 6.0% in 2024, 62nd 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, Broomfield County ranks 53rd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Broomfield 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.
Download the CSV for Broomfield County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Broomfield County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.