In Fremont County, Colorado, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Fremont County, 27.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fremont County's score
In Fremont County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 81.8. Jobs come next, at 76.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fremont 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.
Fremont County does better than most counties on two measures: people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (19.1%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (6.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 81.8 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 rent21.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.3% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 76.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.1% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
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- 58.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.3% · 202466th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.8% · 202453rd percentile
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,195 · 202460th percentile
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- 47.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.1% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 43.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.1% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people129.2 · 202551st 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 Fremont 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 Fremont County, 22.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fremont County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fremont County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 32.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Fremont County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fremont County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.3% in 2010 to 10.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Fremont County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 7.3% 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, Fremont County, Colorado.
How Fremont County has changed
Fremont County's population more than doubled to 50,093, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 45,655. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fremont County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Fremont County nearly doubled to 14,577, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 11,217. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fremont County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.4% | 2024 15.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,375 | 2024 $63,195 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Fremont County's history
1997
A flood in August 1997 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in June 2002 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in July 2006 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 48,939, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fremont County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fremont County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Fremont County, two score higher. Of the group, Fremont County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (32.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pueblo County, CO | 87 | 15.8% | 32.5% |
| Saguache County, CO | 72 | 23.7% | 29.2% |
| Fremont County, CO | 70 | 15.3% | 32.8% |
| El Paso County, CO | 41 | 8.7% | 18.9% |
| Teller County, CO | 26 | 8.2% | 23.8% |
| Custer County, CO | 22 | 11.6% | 31.4% |
| Park County, CO | 17 | 8.1% | 18.7% |
| Chaffee County, CO | 14 | 9.6% | 19.9% |
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 Fremont County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Fremont County's poverty rate was 15.3% in 2024, 15th 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, Fremont County ranks 8th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fremont 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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Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments
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 Fremont 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 Fremont County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.