In Denver County, Colorado, benefit checks make up only 9 cents of every dollar of income
In Denver County, 8.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Denver County's score
In Denver County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 81.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 32.4. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (13.6%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Denver 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, Denver County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.2%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.9 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 rent21.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.2% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 49.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.7% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people154.3 · 202561st percentile
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- 42.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.3% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 34.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.2% · 202441st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance9.0% · 2020 to 202459th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$92,395 · 20249th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.6% · 2020 to 202410th 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 Denver 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 Denver County, 12.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Denver County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Denver County had its largest drop, from 12.9% in 2009 to 9.6% in 2014.
In Denver County, pay from work still brings in about eight times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Denver County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income held level from 1969 to 2024, reaching 8.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Denver County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.5% in 2011 to 9.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Denver County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 6.6% 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, Denver County, Colorado.
How Denver County has changed
Denver County's population had its largest rise, from 589,011 in 2009 to 656,932 in 2014.
Denver County's population rose 43% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 729,019 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Denver County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Denver County rose by about half to 560,990, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 560,990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Denver County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.8% | 2024 12.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,845 | 2024 $92,395 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Denver County's history
1861
November 7, 1861( 1861-11-07 ), as Denver City, Colorado Territory. Wikipedia
1988
A tornado in June 1988 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning in June 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Lightning in July 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
Hail in June 2004 did $146.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 715,522, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Denver County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Denver County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Denver County, one scores higher. Of the group, Denver County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Adams County gets the largest, at 15.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, CO | 57 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Denver County, CO | 46 | 12.2% | 8.6% |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 43 | 7.8% | 12.8% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
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 Denver County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Denver County's poverty rate was 12.2% in 2024, 29th 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, Denver County ranks 20th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Denver 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 Housing and Finance Authority
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Colorado Housing Assistance Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Community Economic Defense Project
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Denver 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 Denver County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.