In Costilla County, Colorado, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 48 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (48.3%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Costilla County's score
In Costilla County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.5. Unemployment averaged 7.2%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 86.0.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Costilla County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a subprime credit score (19.7%, Q4 2025) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (110.3, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Costilla County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 91.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.3% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average7.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202695th percentile
-
- 86.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line35.6% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability22.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$43,575 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line22.8% · 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
-
- 76.2 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.9% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.7% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
-
- 70.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a credit card behind11.1% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score19.7% · Q4 202532nd percentile
-
- 59.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.1% · August 202576th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people110.3 · 202541st percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Costilla County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Costilla County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Costilla County in 2024, pay from work was 38 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 48 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 63 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 25 cents.
In Costilla County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2020
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Costilla County, Colorado: 48.3% and 38.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 48.3% of all personal income in Costilla County, Colorado (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Costilla County, 28.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Costilla County has changed
The number of people living in Costilla County grew by about 20% between 1969 and 2024, from 3,081 to 3,686. The number of jobs located there grew by about 34% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 10.5% in 1990 to 6.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 3,081 | 2024 3,686 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 718 | 2024 962 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.5% | 2025 6.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 39.7% | 2024 22.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $11,376 | 2024 $43,575 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 25.4% | 2024 48.3% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Costilla County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 7,533. The 2020 Census counted 3,499, 46% of the peak. Census Bureau
1858
U.S. Army established Fort Massachusetts 1852 and Fort Garland 1858 for settler protection. Wikipedia
1861
Created November 1, 1861 as one of original 17 counties of Colorado Territory. Wikipedia
-
Since 1970
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Costilla County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Costilla County beside its neighbors
Costilla County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Colorado and New Mexico. Of the group, Costilla County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (48.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costilla County, CO | 91 | 22.8% | 48.3% |
| Las Animas County, CO | 88 | 19.8% | 41.3% |
| Huerfano County, CO | 72 | 19.2% | 40.0% |
| Colfax County, NM | 71 | 17.9% | 37.0% |
| Taos County, NM | 70 | 17.2% | 33.9% |
| Alamosa County, CO | 68 | 17.9% | 30.1% |
| Conejos County, CO | 55 | 17.1% | 35.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Costilla County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Costilla County's poverty rate was 22.8% in 2024, 4th 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, Costilla County ranks 1st of 64 in the state.
Costilla County, Colorado: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Costilla County, Colorado?
22.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 35.6%.
Is Costilla County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Costilla County's poverty rate was 22.8% in 2024, 4th 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, Costilla County ranks 1st of 64 in the state.
What is the population of Costilla County, Colorado?
About 3,686 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 3,499, half the county's peak of 7,533 in 1940.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Costilla County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
Colorado Legal Services
Legal aid
-
Colorado Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Costilla County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Costilla County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.