#2,752 Colorado · 2026

Yuma County, Colorado

26.4 · low county distress 2,752nd of 3,144 counties nationally · 9,862 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
18% Yuma residents
vs.
18% U.S. median

Near the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 34 words · paste-ready

Yuma County, Colorado ranks 2,752nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Yuma sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

Key Findings
  • 2,752nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 26.4 · low county distress, 58th in Colorado.
  • 18% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 51st percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Uninsured rate at 15% — national median 8%, ranked at the 87th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Delinquency domain score 28 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Default & Legal domain score 6 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Yuma County, Colorado and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Yuma and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Yuma County ranks 2,752nd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Yuma County has a low county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 29 words

The CDI gives this county a low county distress label. The score is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).

— American Default Research

Reporter's Notes

Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.

Data anomaly
Disability rate sits well below the rest of the Safety Net & Buffer domain — the one indicator that doesn't fit

According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Yuma County's disability rate indicator is at the 5th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 41st percentile. The gap stands out against uninsured rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Wray.

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

2.5% +0.4 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

13.4% -0.6 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

21.5% +13.2 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

16.8% -2.6 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Yuma County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Yuma County's value shown alongside CO's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Yuma County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Yuma CO median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 28 · Rank 2,340 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 3% 3% 5% 24th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 5% 4% 5% 39th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 17% 19% 23% 20th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 6 · Rank 3,113 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 11% 15% 23% 6th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 30 113 126 5th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 48 · Rank 1,631 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 21% 23% 21% 46th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 18% 20% 18% 51st U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 5 · Rank 2,994 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 2% 4% 4% 5th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 46 · Rank 1,740 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 16% 16% 18% 41st U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 8% 12% 16% 5th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 13% 11% 14% 43rd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 15% 8% 8% 87th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Debt Burden (housing basis) Primary driver 48
Weight 20% · Rank 1,631 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 46
Weight 20% · Rank 1,740 of 3,144
Delinquency 28
Weight 20% · Rank 2,340 of 3,144
Default & Legal 6
Weight 20% · Rank 3,113 of 3,144
Labor 5
Weight 20% · Rank 2,994 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Yuma County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
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WRAY, Colo. — Yuma County ranks 2,752nd among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 26.4 out of 100 gives Yuma a low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,751 counties rank more distressed. Within Colorado, Yuma ranks 58th of 64 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Yuma sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Yuma County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Yuma County scores 26.4 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low county distress. It ranks 2,752nd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 58th of 64 Colorado counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Yuma County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis), at a domain score of 48. Severe rent burden (50%+) ranks at the 51st percentile nationally.

How does Yuma County compare to its neighbors?

Yuma County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Logan County (44.65, moderate-low county distress). Lowest: Dundy County, NE (22.96, low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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