About one in 16 people in Summit County, Colorado, has a disability
In Summit County, 6.3% 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 Summit County's score
In Summit County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 84.6. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 3.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Summit 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, Summit County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.0%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.6 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 rent22.6% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.0% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
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- 16.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.7% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.6% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability6.3% · 2020 to 20240th percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$118,690 · 20241st percentile
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- 11.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202619th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.1% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
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- 6.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.0% · August 20252nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people52.5 · 202510th percentile
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- 3.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.1% · August 20254th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score20.6% · second quarter of 20260th 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 Summit 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 Summit County, 15.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Summit County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Summit County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 4.1% in 2004 to 6.7% in 2009.
In Summit County, pay from work still brings in about eight times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Summit County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Summit County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 2.8% in 2021 to 1.8% in 2022.
The share of households in Summit County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 1.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Summit County, Colorado.
How Summit County has changed
Summit County's population had its largest rise, from 17,490 in 1994 to 23,069 in 1999.
Summit County's population grew to more than ten times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 30,882
High on the chart: 31,207 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Summit County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Summit County doubled to 22,480, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 15,820. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Summit County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.3% | 2024 7.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,917 | 2024 $118,690 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Summit County's history
1859
Placer gold discoveries and mining along Blue River at Breckenridge, 1859. Wikipedia
1861
November 1, 1861, as one of seventeen original Colorado counties. Wikipedia
1908
Gold dredging operations along Blue River and Swan River revived gold production in 1908. Wikipedia
2004
Lightning in August 2004 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 31,055, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in July 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Summit County. FEMA
Summit County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Summit County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Summit County ranks 5th of the six; Park County is highest, at 18.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, CO | 34 | 11.3% | 15.8% |
| Park County, CO | 17 | 8.1% | 18.7% |
| Eagle County, CO | 14 | 7.9% | 5.8% |
| Clear Creek County, CO | 14 | 8.1% | 12.9% |
| Grand County, CO | 10 | 8.0% | 12.0% |
| Summit County, CO | 10 | 7.7% | 6.6% |
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 Summit County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Summit County's poverty rate was 7.7% in 2024, 55th 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, Summit County ranks 58th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Summit 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 Summit 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 Summit County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.