In Morgan County, Colorado, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Morgan County, 21.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 59% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Morgan County's score
In Morgan County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 74.5. About one in four renters (25.8%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 88% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 53.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Morgan 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.
Morgan County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (11.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.5 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 rent25.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.7% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 53.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.1% · August 202542nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people162.6 · 202564th percentile
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- 53.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.8% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score39.9% · second quarter of 202648th percentile
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- 51.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.6% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
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- 49.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.0% · 202456th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance12.2% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,828 · 202441st 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 Morgan 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 Morgan County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Morgan County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Morgan County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 16.8% in 2004 to 21.3% in 2009.
In Morgan County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 21.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Morgan County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.0%; 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 Morgan County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 16.0%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 16.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Morgan County, Colorado.
How Morgan County has changed
Morgan County's population rose by more than half to 30,300, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 26,796. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Morgan County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in Morgan County had its largest rise, from 7,926 in 1990 to 10,360 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Morgan County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 13,229, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 11,342. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Morgan County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.6% | 2024 14.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,728 | 2024 $69,828 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Morgan County's history
1997
A flash flood in July 1997 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Hail in May 1998 did $2.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flood in September 2013 did $30.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 29,111, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Morgan County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Morgan County beside its neighbors
Morgan County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Morgan County ranks 3rd of the five; Washington County is highest, at 27.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan County, CO | 59 | 14.0% | 21.0% |
| Adams County, CO | 57 | 9.8% | 15.6% |
| Logan County, CO | 42 | 17.0% | 22.7% |
| Weld County, CO | 38 | 9.6% | 15.0% |
| Washington County, CO | 23 | 12.8% | 27.3% |
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 Morgan County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Morgan County's poverty rate was 14.0% in 2024, 21st 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, Morgan County ranks 14th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Morgan 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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Northeast Colorado Housing, Inc.
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 Morgan 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 Morgan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.