About one in 10 people in Garfield County, Colorado, has a disability
In Garfield County, 9.7% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Garfield County's score
In Garfield County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 53.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 13.8. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (13.4%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Garfield 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, Garfield County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (15.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.6 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 rent15.4% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 24.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.5% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.8% · 202412th percentile
- People with a disability9.7% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
- People without health insurance15.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$91,858 · 20249th percentile
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- 24.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.8% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.3% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
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- 16.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.4% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people63.8 · 202516th percentile
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- 13.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.4% · 2020 to 20249th 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 Garfield 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 Garfield County, 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Garfield County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Garfield County had its largest rise, from 7.7% in 1979 to 10.2% in 1984.
In Garfield County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 14.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Garfield County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Garfield County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.6% in 2011 to 5.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Garfield County getting SNAP food aid tripled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 8.6%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 8.6% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Garfield County, Colorado.
How Garfield County has changed
Garfield County's population had its largest rise, from 48,193 in 2004 to 57,089 in 2009.
Garfield County's population rose 344% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 57,749. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Garfield County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Garfield County more than doubled to 27,898, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 19,308. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Garfield County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.3% | 2024 7.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,277 | 2024 $91,858 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Garfield County's history
1883
Created on February 10, 1883. Wikipedia
1896
Vulcan Mine explosion killed 49 workers and started coal fire still burning. Wikipedia
1913
Vulcan Mine explosion 1913 killed 37 workers. Wikipedia
1994
South Canyon Fire killed 14 firefighters, deadliest in Colorado history. Wikipedia
1997
A flash flood in July 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Lightning in July 2003 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 61,685, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A debris flow in July 2021 did $125 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A debris flow in July 2021 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Garfield County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Garfield County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Garfield County, in Colorado and Utah, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Garfield County ranks 5th of the eight; Mesa County is highest, at 25.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand County, UT | 47 | 10.3% | 17.5% |
| Mesa County, CO | 37 | 10.3% | 25.2% |
| Uintah County, UT | 36 | 12.5% | 19.5% |
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 17 | 10.9% | 22.0% |
| Eagle County, CO | 14 | 7.9% | 5.8% |
| Garfield County, CO | 12 | 7.5% | 14.0% |
| Pitkin County, CO | 11 | 6.9% | 3.9% |
| 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 Garfield County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Garfield County's poverty rate was 7.5% in 2024, 56th 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, Garfield County ranks 54th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Garfield 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.
Download the CSV for Garfield 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 Garfield County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.