Unemployment in Delta County, Colorado, is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties
In Delta County, 5.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Delta County's score
In Delta County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 84.6. Housing costs come next, at 82.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Delta 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.
Delta County does better than most counties on two measures: people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (14.8%, August 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (33.7%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.2% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
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- 82.0 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 rent23.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.1% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 63.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.2% · 202450th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,514 · 202469th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 28.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.8% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people104 · 202538th 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 Delta 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 Delta County, 28.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Delta County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Delta County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Delta County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Delta County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (6.1% in 2009) to 7.8% in 2010.
The share of households in Delta County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 11.3%
Low on the chart: 6.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Delta County, Colorado.
How Delta County has changed
Delta County's population doubled to 32,215, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 20,690. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Delta County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Delta County had its largest rise, from 4,990 in 1990 to 6,217 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Delta County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 8,805, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 8,226. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Delta County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.8% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,217 | 2024 $60,514 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Delta County's history
1883
Created February 11, 1883 from portions of central Gunnison County. Wikipedia
1998
A flash flood in May 1998 did $1.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in August 2010 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 31,196, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A debris flow in May 2023 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Delta County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Delta County beside its neighbors
Delta County scores higher than all three counties that border it. Of the group, Delta County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (31.9%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta County, CO | 63 | 13.0% | 31.9% |
| Montrose County, CO | 40 | 12.9% | 27.2% |
| Mesa County, CO | 37 | 10.3% | 25.2% |
| Gunnison County, CO | 9 | 11.0% | 12.9% |
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 Delta County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Delta County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 24th 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, Delta County ranks 10th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Delta 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 Delta County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.