Carbon County, Utah

County Distress Index: Elevated · 55.3 | 20,609 people · 3rd most distressed in Utah
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Carbon County, UT registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 55.3 — 1184th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where income and poverty levels indicate moderate economic strain. Within Utah, it ranks 3rd of 29 counties. It scores higher than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Carbon County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 63.3 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 63.3
Poverty Rate 54
Income vs. State Median 91
Child Poverty Rate 45
Housing Cost Burden 62.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 85
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 73
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 30
Homeownership Rate 77
Rent-to-Income Ratio 48
Employment & Wages 56.0
Unemployment Rate 83
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 49
Business Formation Rate 36
Community Vulnerability 55.5
Uninsured Rate 46
Disability Rate 65
Debt & Delinquency 39.0
Debt in Collections 38
Medical Debt 67
Student Loan Delinquency 32
Auto Loan Delinquency 13
Credit Card Delinquency 12
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 73

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Carbon County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Carbon County
Carbon County, UT 55.3 Elevated —
Sanpete County, UT 45.0 Normal -10.3
Duchesne County, UT 42.1 Normal -13.2
Uintah County, UT 41.5 Normal -13.8
Emery County, UT 37.8 Normal -17.5
Utah County, UT 32.5 Healthy -22.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Carbon County
Washington County, TX 55.4 Elevated +0.0
Colusa County, CA 55.2 Elevated -0.1
Custer County, OK 55.2 Elevated -0.1
Baker County, OR 55.2 Elevated -0.2
Coles County, IL 55.1 Elevated -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Carbon County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Carbon County

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Utah State Bar Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Utah State Bar Lawyer Referral Service 801-531-9077

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Carbon County residents at no cost.

Utah Legal Services 1-800-662-4245
Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake 801-328-8849

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Carbon County, Utah?

    Carbon County has a County Distress Index score of 55.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,184th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 3rd in Utah out of 29 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Carbon County?

    The primary driver of distress in Carbon County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 63.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Carbon County compare to neighboring counties?

    Carbon County (55.3) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Sanpete County, UT (45.0); Duchesne County, UT (42.1); Uintah County, UT (41.5).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Carbon County?

    Carbon County, Utah has a population of approximately 20,609 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.