About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Kiowa County, Colorado, have a job
In Kiowa County, 10.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Kiowa County's score
In Kiowa County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 54.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 7.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Kiowa 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, Kiowa County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.7% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability12.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance8.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,052 · 202464th percentile
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- 51.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.0% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people144.5 · 202558th percentile
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- 45.3 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 rent2.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.5% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
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- 30.9 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 score37.3% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 7.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.2% · 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 Kiowa 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 Kiowa County, 22.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Kiowa County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Kiowa County rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 5.2% in 1974 to 14.3% in 1979.
In Kiowa County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 23.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Kiowa County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 23.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Kiowa County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.2% in 2021 to 17.1% in 2022.
The share of households in Kiowa County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 15.7%
Low on the chart: 7.8% 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, Kiowa County, Colorado.
How Kiowa County has changed
Kiowa County's population had its largest drop, from 1,639 in 1999 to 1,457 in 2004.
Kiowa County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 1,392
High on the chart: 2,058 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Kiowa County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Kiowa County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 490, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 499 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Kiowa County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,465 | 2024 $62,052 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Kiowa County's history
1889
Established in 1889, taking its name from the Kiowa Indians who lived in eastern Colorado before the Europeans arrived. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 3,786. The 2020 Census counted 1,446, 38% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Kiowa County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Kiowa County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Kiowa County, in Colorado and Kansas, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Kiowa County ranks 6th of the eight; Otero County is highest, at 40.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bent County, CO | 82 | 28.9% | 38.7% |
| Otero County, CO | 81 | 19.0% | 40.3% |
| Crowley County, CO | 62 | 39.0% | 39.1% |
| Prowers County, CO | 62 | 19.0% | 31.0% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 41 | 16.9% | 29.6% |
| Kiowa County, CO | 29 | 14.7% | 23.8% |
| Cheyenne County, CO | 27 | 13.2% | 21.0% |
| Greeley County, KS | 11 | 9.9% | 11.1% |
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 Kiowa County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Kiowa County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Kiowa County ranks 33rd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Kiowa 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.
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 Kiowa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.