About one in 13 people in Lake County, Colorado, has a disability
In Lake County, 8.0% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lake County's score
In Lake County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 83.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 26.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 81.5 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lake 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, Lake County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (13.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.7 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 rent27.9% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 40.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability8.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance13.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,314 · 202426th percentile
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- 27.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.2% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.7% · August 202556th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.0% · second quarter of 202612th percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 26.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.1% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people81.5 · 202526th 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 Lake 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 Lake County, 15.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lake County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lake County had its largest rise, from 5.5% in 1979 to 10.9% in 1984.
In Lake County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 15.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Lake County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.0% in 2020 to 5.0% in 2021.
The share of households in Lake County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 2.4% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lake County, Colorado.
How Lake County has changed
Lake County's population fell most sharply after its 1979 high, from 8,844 in 1979 to 6,964 in 1984.
Lake County's population fell 12% from 1969 to 2024, with its low point on the chart in 1989
Low on the chart: 5,953 in 1989. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lake County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lake County rose by more than half to 2,963, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 2,963 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lake County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.6% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,208 | 2024 $76,314 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Lake County's history
1861
One of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature on November 1, 1861. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 18,054. The 2020 Census counted 7,436, 41% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 2002
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lake County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lake County beside its neighbors
Lake County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lake County ranks 3rd of the six; Chaffee County is highest, at 19.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CO | 34 | 11.3% | 15.8% |
| Park County, CO | 17 | 8.1% | 18.7% |
| Chaffee County, CO | 14 | 9.6% | 19.9% |
| Eagle County, CO | 14 | 7.9% | 5.8% |
| Pitkin County, CO | 11 | 6.9% | 3.9% |
| Summit County, CO | 10 | 7.7% | 6.6% |
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 Lake County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Lake County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 33rd 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, Lake County ranks 32nd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lake 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 Lake County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.