In Rio Grande County, Colorado, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Rio Grande County, 24.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 80% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 58% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rio Grande County's score
In Rio Grande County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 69.1. Income and the safety net comes next, at 65.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rio Grande 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.
Rio Grande County does better than most counties on two measures: people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (19.1%, August 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (4.3%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.1 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 rent19.4% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.5% · fiscal year 202780th percentile
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- 65.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.7% · 202462nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.7% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- People without health insurance10.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,812 · 202471st percentile
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- 63.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202659th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.6% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.0% · second quarter of 202649th percentile
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- 37.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.1% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people107.3 · 202539th 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 Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rio Grande County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rio Grande County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Rio Grande County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rio Grande County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 11.0% in 2010 to 15.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Rio Grande County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 17.0%
Low on the chart: 11.0% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Rio Grande County, Colorado.
How Rio Grande County has changed
Rio Grande County's population had its largest rise, from 11,267 in 1994 to 12,258 in 1999.
Rio Grande County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 12,328 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rio Grande County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Rio Grande County rose 15% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2010 to 2015, reaching 3,890. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rio Grande County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.9% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.4% | 2024 14.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,032 | 2024 $59,812 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Rio Grande County's history
1873
Gold and silver mining near Summitville in San Juan Mountains after Brunot Treaty 1873. Wikipedia
1893
After Sherman Act repeal 1893 mining operations became unprofitable and ceased. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 12,832. The 2020 Census counted 11,539, 90% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
A wildfire in June 2002 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in July 2002 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rio Grande County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Rio Grande County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Rio Grande County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Rio Grande County ranks 4th of the six; Conejos County is highest, at 35.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saguache County, CO | 72 | 23.7% | 29.2% |
| Alamosa County, CO | 66 | 17.9% | 30.1% |
| Rio Grande County, CO | 58 | 14.7% | 28.8% |
| Conejos County, CO | 57 | 17.1% | 35.3% |
| Mineral County, CO | 44 | 9.5% | 20.5% |
| Archuleta County, CO | 23 | 10.5% | 26.2% |
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 Rio Grande County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Rio Grande County's poverty rate was 14.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Rio Grande County ranks 15th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rio Grande 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.
Download the CSV for Rio Grande 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 Rio Grande County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.