About one in 12 people in Teller County, Colorado, lives below the poverty line
In Teller County, 8.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Teller County's score
In Teller County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 65.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 15.8. About one in four people (24.8%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 96% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Teller 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, Teller County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.7 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 rent24.6% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 41.2 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 working19.3% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
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- 39.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.0% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people174.7 · 202568th percentile
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- 20.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.2% · 20249th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.1% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance6.9% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$87,171 · 202412th percentile
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- 15.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.8% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.8% · second quarter of 20263rd 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 Teller 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 Teller County, 25.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Teller County
Colorado
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Teller County had its largest rise, from 9.7% in 2004 to 15.6% in 2009.
In Teller County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 23.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Teller County, Colorado, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.8%; 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 Teller County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 10.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2020, reaching 10.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Teller County, Colorado.
How Teller County has changed
Teller County's population had its largest rise, from 15,815 in 1994 to 20,294 in 1999.
Teller County's population grew to about eight times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 24,862, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 24,862. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Teller County, Colorado.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Teller County grew to about four times its 1990 size, reaching 8,106, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 5,630. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Teller County, Colorado.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 8.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $31,329 | 2024 $87,171 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Teller County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 29,002. The 2020 Census counted 24,710, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
Lightning in August 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in June 2002 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A wildfire in July 2002 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Lightning in July 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Teller County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Teller County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Teller County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Teller County ranks 2nd of the six; Fremont County is highest, at 32.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont County, CO | 70 | 15.3% | 32.8% |
| El Paso County, CO | 41 | 8.7% | 18.9% |
| Teller County, CO | 26 | 8.2% | 23.8% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 20 | 7.2% | 13.3% |
| Park County, CO | 17 | 8.1% | 18.7% |
| Douglas County, CO | 5 | 4.3% | 8.2% |
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 Teller County the poorest county in Colorado?
No, Teller County's poverty rate was 8.2% in 2024, 48th 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, Teller County ranks 36th of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Teller 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 Teller 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 Teller County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.