About one in nine people in Park County, Colorado, has a disability
In Park County, 10.9% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Park County's score
In Park County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 67.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 13.8. The typical household earns $98,187 a year (2024), more than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Park 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, Park County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.6 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 rent17.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.5% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 32.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202646th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.4% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
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- 21.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.4% · August 202512th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people88.3 · 202530th 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 behind3.5% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.5% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 13.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.1% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.4% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability10.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$98,187 · 20246th 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 Park 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 Park County, 23.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Park County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Park County had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 2004 to 13.9% in 2009.
In Park County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 18.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Park County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Park County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.0% in 2010 to 7.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Park County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 2.3% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Park County, Colorado.
How Park County has changed
Park County's population grew to about nine times its 1969 size, reaching 18,316, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 13,987. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Park County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Park County more than tripled to 3,117, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 1,617. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Park County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.0% | 2024 8.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $32,912 | 2024 $98,187 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Park County's history
2003
Lightning in August 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 17,390, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Park County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Park County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Park County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Park County ranks 4th of the eight; Fremont County is highest, at 32.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County, CO | 70 | 15.3% | 32.8% |
| Lake County, CO | 34 | 11.3% | 15.8% |
| Teller County, CO | 26 | 8.2% | 23.8% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
| Park County, CO | 17 | 8.1% | 18.7% |
| Chaffee County, CO | 14 | 9.6% | 19.9% |
| Clear Creek County, CO | 14 | 8.1% | 12.9% |
| 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 Park County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Park County's poverty rate was 8.1% in 2024, 49th 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, Park County ranks 46th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Park 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 Park County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.