About one in nine people in Larimer County, Colorado, has a disability
In Larimer County, 10.7% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Larimer County's score
In Larimer County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 79.8. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 14.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Larimer 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, Larimer County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.8 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 rent26.9% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.6% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 33.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.0% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people138.9 · 202555th percentile
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- 28.5 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 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 17.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.2% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 14.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.0% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$93,518 · 20248th 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 Larimer 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 Larimer County, 17.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Larimer County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Larimer County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 15.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Larimer County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.1%; 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 Larimer County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 7.7%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2022 to 2023, reaching 7.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Larimer County, Colorado.
How Larimer County has changed
Larimer County's population had its largest rise, from 81,438 in 1969 to 119,945 in 1974.
Larimer County's population grew to about five times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 374,574, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 374,574. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Larimer County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Larimer County had its largest rise, from 94,896 in 1995 to 119,093 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Larimer County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 171,281, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 126,653. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Larimer County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,245 | 2024 $93,518 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Larimer County's history
1861
Created in 1861, named after General William Larimer. Wikipedia
1997
A flash flood in July 1997 did $190 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in September 2013 did $109 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 359,066, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in July 2021 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A flash flood in July 2022 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Larimer County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Larimer County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Larimer County, in Colorado and Wyoming, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Larimer County ranks 4th of the seven; Laramie County is highest, at 19.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weld County, CO | 38 | 9.6% | 15.0% |
| Jackson County, CO | 25 | 13.0% | 18.2% |
| Larimer County, CO | 24 | 10.5% | 15.1% |
| Laramie County, WY | 21 | 8.4% | 19.9% |
| Albany County, WY | 19 | 15.9% | 16.7% |
| Boulder County, CO | 18 | 10.6% | 9.7% |
| Grand County, CO | 10 | 8.0% | 12.0% |
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 Larimer County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Larimer County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 37th 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, Larimer County ranks 38th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Larimer 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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Neighbor to Neighbor
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 Larimer 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 Larimer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.