About one in 14 people in Routt County, Colorado, has a disability
In Routt County, 7.4% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Routt County's score
In Routt County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 88.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 1.9. About one in 12 people with a credit file (8.5%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Routt 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, Routt County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (27.1%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.6 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 rent27.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.4% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
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- 16.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.3% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
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- 11.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.6% · 20243rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.5% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability7.4% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$112,777 · 20242nd percentile
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- 4.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.6% · August 20253rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.0% · second quarter of 20260th percentile
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- 2.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.5% · August 20251st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people27.9 · 20252nd 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 Routt 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 Routt County, 18.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Routt County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Routt County had its largest rise, from 4.2% in 2004 to 7.0% in 2009.
In Routt County, pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Routt County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Routt County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.5% in 2020 to 4.8% in 2021.
The share of households in Routt County getting SNAP food aid grew to about four times its 2009 level in 2024, reaching 5.1%
High on the chart: 5.1% 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, Routt County, Colorado.
How Routt County has changed
Routt County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size, reaching 25,243, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 12,963. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Routt County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Routt County doubled to 16,323, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 12,917. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Routt County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.0% | 2024 6.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,187 | 2024 $112,777 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Routt County's history
1864
Placer gold found near Hahns Peak during Colorado Gold Rush. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 24,829, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Routt County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Routt County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Routt County, in Colorado and Wyoming, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Routt County ranks 7th of the eight; Moffat County is highest, at 25.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moffat County, CO | 36 | 10.1% | 25.0% |
| Jackson County, CO | 25 | 13.0% | 18.2% |
| Carbon County, WY | 18 | 10.8% | 16.6% |
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 17 | 10.9% | 22.0% |
| Eagle County, CO | 14 | 7.9% | 5.8% |
| Garfield County, CO | 12 | 7.5% | 14.0% |
| Grand County, CO | 10 | 8.0% | 12.0% |
| Routt County, CO | 10 | 6.6% | 7.6% |
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 Routt County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Routt County's poverty rate was 6.6% in 2024, 61st 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, Routt County ranks 59th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Routt 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 Routt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.