About one in nine people in La Plata County, Colorado, has a disability
In La Plata County, 10.6% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives La Plata County's score
In La Plata County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 82.5. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 9.5. About one in eight people with a credit file (12.2%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in La Plata 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, La Plata County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.1%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.5 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 rent24.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.6% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 32.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202632nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
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- 22.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.7% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability10.6% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,759 · 202411th percentile
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- 19.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.5% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 9.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.2% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people51.4 · 202510th 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 La Plata 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 La Plata County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
La Plata County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in La Plata County had its largest rise, from 11.1% in 2014 to 14.0% in 2019.
In La Plata County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 15.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In La Plata County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.2%; 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 La Plata County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled to 8.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2021 to 2022, reaching 6.5%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, La Plata County, Colorado.
How La Plata County has changed
La Plata County's population had its largest rise, from 31,695 in 1989 to 37,843 in 1994.
La Plata County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 56,823, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 31,695. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, La Plata County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in La Plata County doubled to 27,353, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 18,267. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, La Plata County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.5% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,765 | 2024 $88,759 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 La Plata County's history
1874
Created on February 10, 1874. Wikipedia
1997
Lightning in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in July 2002 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in July 2002 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 55,638, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
Lightning in June 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered La Plata County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
La Plata County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border La Plata County, in Colorado and New Mexico, four score higher. Of the group, La Plata County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Montezuma County gets the largest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan County, NM | 80 | 18.2% | 29.5% |
| Montezuma County, CO | 60 | 14.8% | 29.9% |
| 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% |
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 La Plata County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, La Plata County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 39th 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, La Plata County ranks 42nd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in La Plata 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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Community Economic Defense Project -cedp-durango, Co
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Housing Solutions for the Southwest
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 La Plata 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 La Plata County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.