In Jefferson County, Colorado, benefit checks make up only 13 cents of every dollar of income
In Jefferson County, 13.3% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 9.3. The typical household earns $109,969 a year (2024), more than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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, Jefferson County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.4%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (23.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.3 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 rent24.4% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.7% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.1% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people141.9 · 202556th percentile
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- 24.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202638th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.4% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
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- 13.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.8% · second quarter of 20266th percentile
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- 9.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.2% · 20244th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.2% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$109,969 · 20243rd 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 13.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Jefferson County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.2% in 2011 to 4.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5.5%
High on the chart: 5.5% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jefferson County, Colorado.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest rise, from 296,783 in 1974 to 369,538 in 1979.
Jefferson County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 578,533
High on the chart: 582,340 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County rose by about half to 247,248, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 228,335. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.2% | 2024 7.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $37,713 | 2024 $109,969 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Jefferson County's history
1996
A flash flood in July 1996 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in August 1997 did $128 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in July 2009 did $350 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Hail in May 2017 did $2.3 billion in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 582,910, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Of the 10 counties that border Jefferson County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jefferson County ranks 5th of the 11; Teller County is highest, at 23.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, CO | 57 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Denver County, CO | 46 | 12.2% | 8.6% |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 43 | 7.8% | 12.8% |
| Teller County, CO | 26 | 8.2% | 23.8% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
| Boulder County, CO | 18 | 10.6% | 9.7% |
| Park County, CO | 17 | 8.1% | 18.7% |
| Clear Creek County, CO | 14 | 8.1% | 12.9% |
| Broomfield County, CO | 12 | 6.0% | 10.0% |
| Gilpin County, CO | 8 | 7.3% | 15.1% |
| Douglas County, CO | 5 | 4.3% | 8.2% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 7.2% in 2024, 58th 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, Jefferson County ranks 44th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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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Brothers Redevelopment, Inc.
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.