Otero County, Colorado

County Distress Index: Serious · 65.1 | 18,136 people · 3rd most distressed in Colorado

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Otero County, CO shows significant household financial distress with a score of 65.1 — 492nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Colorado, it ranks 3rd of 64 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Otero County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 88.6 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 88.6
Poverty Rate 86
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 85
Housing Cost Burden 72.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 81
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 74
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 70
Homeownership Rate 74
Rent-to-Income Ratio 62
Employment & Wages 57.4
Unemployment Rate 86
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 52
Business Formation Rate 34
Debt & Delinquency 53.9
Debt in Collections 57
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 93
Auto Loan Delinquency 44
Credit Card Delinquency 72
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 50
Community Vulnerability 53.3
Uninsured Rate 41
Disability Rate 66

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Otero County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Otero County
Otero County, CO 65.1 Serious
Las Animas County, CO 67.8 Serious +2.7
Crowley County, CO 65.0 Serious -0.0
Bent County, CO 63.1 Elevated -1.9
Pueblo County, CO 62.1 Elevated -3.0
Kiowa County, CO 39.4 Normal -25.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Otero County
Copiah County, MS 65.0 Serious -0.0
Pointe Coupee Parish, LA 65.0 Serious -0.0
Kay County, OK 65.1 Serious +0.1
Jackson County, TN 65.1 Serious +0.1
Crawford County, KS 65.2 Serious +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Otero County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Otero County

Find an Attorney

Colorado Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Otero County residents at no cost.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.