Unemployment in Pueblo County, Colorado, is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Pueblo County, 5.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pueblo County's score
In Pueblo County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 85.8. Jobs come next, at 78.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pueblo 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.
Pueblo County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (5.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.8 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 rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.4% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 78.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.8% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 74.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202572nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.7% · second quarter of 202669th percentile
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- 68.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.6% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people195.4 · 202573rd percentile
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- 57.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.8% · 202469th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.3% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,186 · 202463rd 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 Pueblo 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 Pueblo County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pueblo County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pueblo County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 32.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Pueblo County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pueblo County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 14.6% in 2011 to 17.0% in 2013, 1.2 points each year.
The share of households in Pueblo County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 19.7%
High on the chart: 20.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pueblo County, Colorado.
How Pueblo County has changed
Pueblo County's population rose 44% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 140,184. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pueblo County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pueblo County rose 43% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 54,938. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pueblo County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.3% | 2024 15.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,906 | 2024 $62,186 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Pueblo County's history
1861
Founded November 1, 1861. Wikipedia
1993
Hail in August 1993 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A flash flood in August 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flood in August 1997 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in July 2009 did $90 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 168,162, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pueblo County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pueblo County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Pueblo County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pueblo County ranks 6th of the nine; Las Animas County is highest, at 41.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Animas County, CO | 90 | 19.8% | 41.3% |
| Pueblo County, CO | 87 | 15.8% | 32.5% |
| Otero County, CO | 81 | 19.0% | 40.3% |
| Huerfano County, CO | 72 | 19.2% | 40.0% |
| Fremont County, CO | 70 | 15.3% | 32.8% |
| Crowley County, CO | 62 | 39.0% | 39.1% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 41 | 16.9% | 29.6% |
| El Paso County, CO | 41 | 8.7% | 18.9% |
| Custer County, CO | 22 | 11.6% | 31.4% |
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 Pueblo County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Pueblo County's poverty rate was 15.8% in 2024, 14th 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, Pueblo County ranks 3rd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pueblo 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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Neighborworks Southern 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.
Download the CSV for Pueblo 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 Pueblo County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.