In Duchesne County, Utah, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Duchesne County, 16.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Duchesne County's score
In Duchesne County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 20.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Duchesne 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, Duchesne County is worse off than most counties on adults 25 to 54 not working (26.4%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (12.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 45.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.2% · August 202535th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people136.7 · 202554th percentile
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- 35.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.4% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.2% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,877 · 202422nd percentile
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- 26.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.5% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 20.7 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.8% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.7% · fiscal year 202711th 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 Duchesne 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 Duchesne County, 13.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Duchesne County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Duchesne County had its largest rise, from 12.7% in 2014 to 19.7% in 2019.
In Duchesne County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Duchesne County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Duchesne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 12.9% in 2020 to 10.9% in 2021.
The share of households in Duchesne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 8.6% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Duchesne County, Utah.
How Duchesne County has changed
Duchesne County's population tripled to 20,803, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 12,100. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Duchesne County, Utah.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Duchesne County more than doubled to 9,177, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 9,177. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Duchesne County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.1% | 2024 9.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,271 | 2024 $78,877 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Duchesne County's history
1915
January 4, 1915 (proclaimed in effect). Wikipedia
1948
Oil found in Uintah Basin 1948, developed early 1970s. Wikipedia
1967
Central Utah Project active 1967-1987 providing employment. Wikipedia
1997
Lightning in July 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Lightning in August 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in July 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 19,596, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Duchesne County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Duchesne County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Duchesne County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Duchesne County ranks 3rd of the seven; Carbon County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon County, UT | 53 | 13.5% | 29.9% |
| Uintah County, UT | 36 | 12.5% | 19.5% |
| Duchesne County, UT | 30 | 9.4% | 20.5% |
| Daggett County, UT | 24 | 8.1% | 24.1% |
| Utah County, UT | 16 | 9.0% | 11.4% |
| Summit County, UT | 2 | 5.0% | 3.4% |
| Wasatch County, UT | 2 | 4.8% | 8.5% |
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 Duchesne County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Duchesne County's poverty rate was 9.4% in 2024, 15th highest of 29 in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is San Juan County, at 19.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Duchesne County ranks 9th of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Duchesne 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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Utah Legal Services
Legal aid
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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 Duchesne 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 Duchesne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.