About one in 15 people in Eagle County, Colorado, has a disability
In Eagle County, 6.6% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Eagle County's score
In Eagle County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 94.8. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 4.5. About one in five people (22.2%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Eagle 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, Eagle County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (29.2%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.8 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 rent29.2% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.1% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 20.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.7% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
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- 17.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.8% · 20245th percentile
- People with a disability6.6% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$111,517 · 20242nd percentile
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- 4.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.6% · August 20251st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people44.1 · 20257th percentile
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- 4.5 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 behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.2% · second quarter of 20261st 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 Eagle 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 Eagle County, 14.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Eagle County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Eagle County had its largest rise, from 3.0% in 2004 to 5.3% in 2009.
In Eagle County, pay from work still brings in about nine times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Eagle County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Eagle County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 2.5% in 2019 to 4.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Eagle County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 3.8%
Low on the chart: 0.9% 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, Eagle County, Colorado.
How Eagle County has changed
Eagle County's population had its largest rise, from 29,476 in 1994 to 40,443 in 1999.
Eagle County's population grew to about eight times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 54,330
High on the chart: 55,824 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Eagle County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Eagle County more than doubled to 35,602, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 28,194. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Eagle County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.1% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,000 | 2024 $111,517 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Eagle County's history
1883
Created February 11, 1883 from portions of Summit County. Wikipedia
1887
Ground Hog Mine near Red Cliff produced gold and silver in two vertical veins in 1887, one with crystalline gold cemented by iron, other with wire gold. Wikipedia
2019
A flood in June 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 55,731, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flood in June 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flood in June 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A flood in June 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Eagle County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Eagle County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Eagle County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Eagle County ranks 6th of the seven; Lake County is highest, at 15.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CO | 34 | 11.3% | 15.8% |
| Eagle County, CO | 14 | 7.9% | 5.8% |
| Garfield County, CO | 12 | 7.5% | 14.0% |
| Pitkin County, CO | 11 | 6.9% | 3.9% |
| Grand County, CO | 10 | 8.0% | 12.0% |
| Summit County, CO | 10 | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| Routt County, CO | 10 | 6.6% | 7.6% |
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 Eagle County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Eagle County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 53rd 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, Eagle County ranks 51st of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Eagle 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 Eagle County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.