About one in 56 people in San Juan County, Colorado, has a disability
In San Juan County, 1.8% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives San Juan County's score
In San Juan County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 87.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 20.0. About one in four people (26.7%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in San Juan 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, San Juan 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 (24.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.2 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 income24.7% · fiscal year 202782nd percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.4% · 202462nd percentile
- People with a disability1.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,231 · 202454th percentile
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- 35.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124.7 · 202549th percentile
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- 28.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.9% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
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- 20.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.7% · second quarter of 20265th 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 San Juan 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 San Juan 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
San Juan County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in San Juan County made its largest gain on the way to its 2019 high, from 12.3% in 2014 to 19.3% in 2019.
In San Juan County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In San Juan County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in San Juan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 4.8% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, San Juan County, Colorado.
How San Juan County has changed
San Juan County's population had its largest drop, from 753 in 1989 to 554 in 1994.
San Juan County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 951 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, San Juan County, Colorado.
The number of jobs located in San Juan County had its largest drop, from 447 in 1990 to 238 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in San Juan County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 238 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, San Juan County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.0% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $29,783 | 2024 $65,231 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in San Juan County's history
1903
Western Federation of Miners eight-hour day proposal approved by 72% of Colorado voters; San Juan District Mining Association formed 1903 refused reduction in hours or wage increase, provoked bitter strike. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 3,063. The 2020 Census counted 705, 23% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1970
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered San Juan County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
San Juan County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border San Juan County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, San Juan County ranks 3rd of the six; Dolores County is highest, at 31.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolores County, CO | 40 | 15.2% | 31.4% |
| San Juan County, CO | 38 | 11.7% | 19.2% |
| La Plata County, CO | 21 | 10.4% | 15.2% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 15 | 8.5% | 21.8% |
| Ouray County, CO | 15 | 7.1% | 15.8% |
| San Miguel County, CO | 10 | 8.0% | 5.3% |
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 San Juan County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, San Juan County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 30th 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, San Juan County ranks 29th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in San Juan 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 San Juan 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 San Juan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.