About one in 10 people in Mesa County, Colorado, lives below the poverty line
In Mesa County, 10.3% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 75% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mesa County's score
In Mesa County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 29.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 3.2%, August 2025, lower than in 81% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mesa 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, Mesa County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.0 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 rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st percentile
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- 47.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.5% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
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- 39.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.9% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124 · 202548th percentile
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- 35.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.6% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance9.9% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,997 · 202431st percentile
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- 29.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202538th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.3% · second quarter of 202630th 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 Mesa 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 Mesa County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mesa County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mesa County had its largest rise, from 19.4% in 2014 to 22.9% in 2019.
In Mesa County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Mesa County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mesa County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.8% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Mesa County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.3%
High on the chart: 11.7% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mesa County, Colorado.
How Mesa County has changed
Mesa County's population tripled to 161,260, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 147,851. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mesa County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Mesa County had its largest rise, from 40,441 in 1995 to 49,911 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Mesa County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 66,902, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 60,563. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mesa County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,726 | 2024 $73,997 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Mesa County's history
1883
Created on February 14, 1883. Wikipedia
2006
Heavy rain in August 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A debris flow in May 2014 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 155,703, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in May 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mesa County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mesa County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Mesa County, in Colorado and Utah, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mesa County ranks 4th of the eight; Delta County is highest, at 31.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta County, CO | 63 | 13.0% | 31.9% |
| San Juan County, UT | 62 | 19.5% | 29.6% |
| Grand County, UT | 47 | 10.3% | 17.5% |
| Montrose County, CO | 40 | 12.9% | 27.2% |
| Mesa County, CO | 37 | 10.3% | 25.2% |
| Garfield County, CO | 12 | 7.5% | 14.0% |
| Pitkin County, CO | 11 | 6.9% | 3.9% |
| Gunnison County, CO | 9 | 11.0% | 12.9% |
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 Mesa County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Mesa County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 40th 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, Mesa County ranks 30th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mesa 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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Housing Resources of Western Colorado
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.
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 Mesa County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.