In Jackson County, Colorado, benefit checks make up only 18 cents of every dollar of income
In Jackson County, 18.2% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 84% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 71.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 19.7. About one in four people (23.7%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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, Jackson County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.0 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 rent18.9% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.0% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 44.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.0% · 202448th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.6% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,455 · 202444th percentile
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- 23.1 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 202629th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
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- 21.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit 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 people76.4 · 202523rd percentile
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- 19.7 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 score23.7% · 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 32.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jackson County had its largest rise, from 11.0% in 1989 to 13.9% in 1994.
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 18.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.7% in 2019 to 10.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2019, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 4.7% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, Colorado.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest drop in the last span, from 1,388 in 2019 to 1,273 in 2024.
Jackson County's population fell by about a quarter to 1,273, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 1,852 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 557, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 587 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.4% | 2024 13.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,168 | 2024 $68,455 |
The table uses 3.3% 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 Jackson County's history
1909
Created on May 5, 1909. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 1,976. The 2020 Census counted 1,379, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
2024
Lightning in May 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Jackson County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Colorado and Wyoming. Of the group, Jackson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (18.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, CO | 25 | 13.0% | 18.2% |
| Larimer County, CO | 24 | 10.5% | 15.1% |
| Albany County, WY | 19 | 15.9% | 16.7% |
| Carbon County, WY | 18 | 10.8% | 16.6% |
| Grand County, CO | 10 | 8.0% | 12.0% |
| 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 Jackson County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 13.0% in 2024, 24th 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, Jackson County ranks 37th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.