About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Gilpin County, Colorado, have a job
In Gilpin County, 10.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gilpin County's score
In Gilpin County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 48.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 6.0. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.6%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gilpin 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, Gilpin County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 48.5 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 rent7.2% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.9% · fiscal year 202790th percentile
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- 35.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.5% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people168.7 · 202566th percentile
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- 16.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202628th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
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- 10.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.3% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.8% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability13.3% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$96,815 · 20246th percentile
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- 6.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.1% · second quarter of 20265th or lower 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 Gilpin 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 Gilpin County, 22.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gilpin County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gilpin County had its largest rise, from 5.9% in 2004 to 10.8% in 2009.
In Gilpin County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 15.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Gilpin County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gilpin County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (1.6% in 2009) to 6.7% in 2010.
The share of households in Gilpin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.9%
Low on the chart: 1.6% 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, Gilpin County, Colorado.
How Gilpin County has changed
Gilpin County's population had its largest rise, from 3,477 in 1994 to 4,658 in 1999.
Gilpin County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 5,963, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 4,752. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gilpin County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Gilpin County rose most sharply from its first year (392 in 1990) to 5,068 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Gilpin County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 5,503 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gilpin County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.4% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.0% | 2024 7.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,126 | 2024 $96,815 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Gilpin County's history
1859
Gregory Lode gold vein discovered May 6 1859 in Gregory Gulch. Wikipedia
1861
Formed in 1861 while Colorado was still a territory. Wikipedia
1863
Hard rock miners attempted to form union in Central City. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 6,690. The 2020 Census counted 5,808, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1900
Gold mining in Central City district declined rapidly 1900-1920 as veins exhausted. Wikipedia
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Since 1969
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gilpin County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gilpin County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Gilpin County score higher than it does. Of the group, Gilpin County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (15.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
| Boulder County, CO | 18 | 10.6% | 9.7% |
| Clear Creek County, CO | 14 | 8.1% | 12.9% |
| Grand County, CO | 10 | 8.0% | 12.0% |
| Gilpin County, CO | 8 | 7.3% | 15.1% |
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 Gilpin County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Gilpin County's poverty rate was 7.3% in 2024, 57th 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, Gilpin County ranks 62nd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gilpin 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 Gilpin 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 Gilpin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.