About two in five people in Crowley County, Colorado, live below the poverty line
In Crowley County, 39.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crowley County's score
In Crowley County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 84.1. Housing costs come next, at 70.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crowley 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.
Crowley County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (35.5, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line39.0% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line30.2% · 202491st percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance8.1% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$44,379 · 2024top 5%
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- 70.4 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income38.0% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 65.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.7% · August 202593rd 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 score50.8% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not workingnot published for this county; scored at the state median · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.1% · August 202561st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people35.5 · 20255th or lower 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 Crowley 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 Crowley County, 15.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crowley County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Crowley County had its largest rise, from 20.4% in 1989 to 26.0% in 1994.
In Crowley County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 39.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Crowley County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crowley County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2010 low, from 17.2% in 2009 to 13.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Crowley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2023 and has since fallen to 22.4%
Low on the chart: 13.8% 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, Crowley County, Colorado.
How Crowley County has changed
Crowley County's population had its largest rise, from 3,068 in 1984 to 4,054 in 1989.
Crowley County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 6,124 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crowley County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Crowley County rose 43% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 1,132 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crowley County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 33.0% | 2024 39.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,246 | 2024 $44,379 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Crowley County's history
1911
Created May 29, 1911 from the northern portions of Otero County. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 6,383. The 2020 Census counted 5,922, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crowley County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crowley County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Crowley County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crowley County ranks 2nd of the five; Otero County is highest, at 40.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo County, CO | 87 | 15.8% | 32.5% |
| Otero County, CO | 81 | 19.0% | 40.3% |
| Crowley County, CO | 62 | 39.0% | 39.1% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 41 | 16.9% | 29.6% |
| 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 Crowley County the poorest county in Colorado?
Yes, Crowley County's poverty rate was 39.0% in 2024, the highest of 64 counties in Colorado (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Crowley County ranks 11th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crowley 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 Crowley 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 Crowley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.