About one in 13 people in Hinsdale County, Colorado, has a disability
In Hinsdale County, 7.5% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hinsdale County's score
In Hinsdale County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 53.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 12.3. About one in 10 adults aged 25 to 54 (9.8%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hinsdale 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, Hinsdale County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (261.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 53.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people261.4 · 202586th percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent3.3% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th percentile
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- 28.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.5% · 202411th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.3% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability7.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance9.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,437 · 202430th percentile
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- 21.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.6% · second quarter of 20269th percentile
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- 12.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.8% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Hinsdale 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 Hinsdale County, 30.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hinsdale County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hinsdale County had its largest drop, from 9.1% in 1969 to 4.2% in 1974.
In Hinsdale County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 21.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Hinsdale County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Hinsdale County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 0.0% 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, Hinsdale County, Colorado.
How Hinsdale County has changed
Hinsdale County's population had its largest rise, from 607 in 1994 to 793 in 1999.
Hinsdale County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 834 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hinsdale County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Hinsdale County rose most sharply from its first year (154 in 1990) to 250 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Hinsdale County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 328 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hinsdale County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.2% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.4% | 2024 8.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,826 | 2024 $74,437 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Hinsdale County's history
1874
Created on February 10, 1874. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 1,609. The 2020 Census counted 788, 49% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
A flood in June 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hinsdale County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hinsdale County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Hinsdale County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hinsdale County ranks 3rd of the eight; Saguache County is highest, at 29.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saguache County, CO | 72 | 23.7% | 29.2% |
| Mineral County, CO | 44 | 9.5% | 20.5% |
| San Juan County, CO | 38 | 11.7% | 19.2% |
| Archuleta County, CO | 23 | 10.5% | 26.2% |
| La Plata County, CO | 21 | 10.4% | 15.2% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 15 | 8.5% | 21.8% |
| Ouray County, CO | 15 | 7.1% | 15.8% |
| Gunnison County, CO | 9 | 11.0% | 12.9% |
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 Hinsdale County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Hinsdale County's poverty rate was 8.5% in 2024, 47th 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, Hinsdale County ranks 48th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hinsdale 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 Hinsdale 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 Hinsdale County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.