About one in 23 people in Douglas County, Colorado, lives below the poverty line
In Douglas County, 4.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 44.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 1.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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.
Douglas 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.
- 44.4 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 rent22.4% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202713th percentile
-
- 30.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.4% · August 20252nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people144.3 · 202557th percentile
-
- 23.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.1% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
-
- 4.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score19.8% · second quarter of 20260th percentile
-
- 1.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line4.3% · 20240th percentile
- Children below the poverty line3.6% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability8.1% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$152,657 · 20240th percentile
-
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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Douglas County had its largest rise, from 4.0% in 2004 to 5.8% in 2009.
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 8.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about nine times as much as benefit checks
In Douglas County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 8.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 1.4% in 2010 to 2.2% in 2012, 0.4 points each year.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 2.1%
Low on the chart: 1.2% 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, Douglas County, Colorado.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population had its largest rise, from 89,796 in 1994 to 162,866 in 1999.
Douglas County's population grew to more than forty times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 393,995, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 13,119. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County had its largest rise, from 25,884 in 1995 to 56,656 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County grew to more than ten times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 149,592, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 89,826. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 2.5% | 2024 4.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $51,202 | 2024 $152,657 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Douglas County's history
1861
Created November 1, 1861 as one of the original 17 counties created in the Colorado Territory. Wikipedia
1997
A thunderstorm in July 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Hail in June 1999 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in July 2006 did $13.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Lightning in May 2017 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 357,978, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1965
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Douglas County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Douglas County score higher than it does. Of the group, Douglas County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Teller County gets the largest, at 23.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arapahoe County, CO | 43 | 7.8% | 12.8% |
| El Paso County, CO | 41 | 8.7% | 18.9% |
| Teller County, CO | 26 | 8.2% | 23.8% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
| Elbert County, CO | 7 | 5.7% | 12.8% |
| Douglas County, CO | 5 | 4.3% | 8.2% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 4.3% in 2024, the lowest 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, Douglas County ranks 64th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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.
-
Douglas County Housing Partnership
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Colorado Legal Services
Legal aid
-
Colorado Bar Association — Find a Lawyer directory
Find a lawyer
-
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 Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.