Rio Grande County, Colorado

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.4 | 11,188 people · 8th most distressed in Colorado
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Rio Grande County, CO registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.4 — 806th 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 8th 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. Rio Grande County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 83.4 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 83.4
Poverty Rate 77
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 78
Community Vulnerability 73.0
Uninsured Rate 84
Disability Rate 61
Housing Cost Burden 56.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 39
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 58
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 40
Homeownership Rate 76
Rent-to-Income Ratio 71
Employment & Wages 45.7
Unemployment Rate 55
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 64
Business Formation Rate 18
Debt & Delinquency 43.0
Debt in Collections 35
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 94
Auto Loan Delinquency 36
Credit Card Delinquency 46
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 40

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Rio Grande County
Rio Grande County, CO 60.4 Elevated —
Alamosa County, CO 60.6 Elevated +0.2
Conejos County, CO 58.7 Elevated -1.7
Saguache County, CO 58.4 Elevated -2.0
Mineral County, CO 53.7 Elevated -6.6
Archuleta County, CO 44.0 Normal -16.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Rio Grande County
Erath County, TX 60.4 Elevated -0.0
Jefferson County, OR 60.3 Elevated -0.0
Wyoming County, WV 60.3 Elevated -0.0
Alleghany County, NC 60.5 Elevated +0.1
Wood County, TX 60.5 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Rio Grande County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Rio Grande County

Find an Attorney

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

Colorado Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service 303-831-8000

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Rio Grande County residents at no cost.

Colorado Legal Services 303-837-1313 (Denver); 1-866-529-6257 (statewide)
Colorado Volunteer Lawyer Resource (CVLR) 303-722-0300
Colorado Bar Association — Lawyer Referral Service 303-831-8000 (Denver); 1-800-332-6736 (statewide)

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Rio Grande County, Colorado?

    Rio Grande County has a County Distress Index score of 60.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 806th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 8th in Colorado out of 64 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Rio Grande County?

    The primary driver of distress in Rio Grande County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 83.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Rio Grande County compare to neighboring counties?

    Rio Grande County (60.4) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Alamosa County, CO (60.6); Conejos County, CO (58.7); Saguache County, CO (58.4).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Rio Grande County?

    Rio Grande County, Colorado has a population of approximately 11,188 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.