In Huerfano County, Colorado, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 40 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Huerfano County's score
In Huerfano County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Unemployment averaged 6.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 74.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Huerfano 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.
Huerfano County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (3.6%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (2.8%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 74.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.2% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line30.8% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability26.1% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance3.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,817 · 202493rd percentile
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- 55.2 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 rent11.9% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.4% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
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- 54.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people170.1 · 202566th percentile
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- 37.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.7% · second quarter of 202652nd 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 Huerfano 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 Huerfano County, 34.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Huerfano County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Huerfano County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Colorado
In Huerfano County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Huerfano County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply after its 2011 high, from 19.1% in 2011 to 14.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Huerfano County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2021, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 12.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Huerfano County, Colorado.
How Huerfano County has changed
Huerfano County's population had its largest rise, from 6,586 in 1994 to 7,879 in 1999.
Huerfano County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 7,879 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Huerfano County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Huerfano County had its largest rise, from 1,575 in 1995 to 2,019 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Huerfano County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 2,019 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Huerfano County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 6.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.4% | 2024 19.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,666 | 2024 $48,817 |
The table uses 6.6% for 2025; the score uses 6.5% 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 Huerfano County's history
1861
One of the original 17 counties created by the Territory of Colorado on November 1, 1861. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 17,062. The 2020 Census counted 6,820, 40% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
Coal mining boom ended after WWII coal demand; economic decline through 2015. Wikipedia
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Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Huerfano County. FEMA
Huerfano County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Huerfano County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Huerfano County ranks 3rd of the seven; Costilla County is highest, at 48.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costilla County, CO | 93 | 22.8% | 48.3% |
| Las Animas County, CO | 90 | 19.8% | 41.3% |
| Pueblo County, CO | 87 | 15.8% | 32.5% |
| Huerfano County, CO | 72 | 19.2% | 40.0% |
| Saguache County, CO | 72 | 23.7% | 29.2% |
| Alamosa County, CO | 66 | 17.9% | 30.1% |
| Custer County, CO | 22 | 11.6% | 31.4% |
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 Huerfano County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Huerfano County's poverty rate was 19.2% in 2024, 6th 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, Huerfano County ranks 6th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Huerfano 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 Huerfano 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 Huerfano County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.