About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Grand County, Utah, have a job
In Grand County, 9.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grand County's score
In Grand County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 84.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 25.6. About one in four people (26.9%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grand 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, Grand County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.3%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.0%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.5 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 rent26.3% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.0% · fiscal year 202778th percentile
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- 53.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.1% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people144.2 · 202557th percentile
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- 40.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.0% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.9% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,626 · 202431st percentile
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- 39.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
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- 25.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.9% · second quarter of 20266th 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 Grand 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 Grand County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Grand County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grand County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 17.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Grand County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.5%; 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 Grand County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 3.2%
Biggest drop: 2023 to 2024, reaching 3.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Grand County, Utah.
How Grand County has changed
Grand County's population had its largest rise, from 5,907 in 1974 to 8,077 in 1979.
Grand County's population fell to its lowest on the chart in 1974, then climbed past the 1969 level
Low on the chart: 5,907 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grand County, Utah.
The number of jobs located in Grand County had its largest rise, from 2,385 in 1990 to 3,582 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Grand County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,838, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 4,466. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grand County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.3% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,926 | 2024 $73,626 |
The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Grand County's history
1890
Created March 13, 1890 from eastern Emery County. Wikipedia
1920
Uranium mining significant contributor to economy since 1920s exploration. Wikipedia
1996
Lightning in August 1996 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flash flood in September 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 9,669, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A flash flood in October 2022 did $26 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in June 2024 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
4 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grand County. FEMA
Grand County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Grand County, in Utah and Colorado, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grand County ranks 6th of the seven; Carbon County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan County, UT | 62 | 19.5% | 29.6% |
| Carbon County, UT | 53 | 13.5% | 29.9% |
| Grand County, UT | 47 | 10.3% | 17.5% |
| Mesa County, CO | 37 | 10.3% | 25.2% |
| Uintah County, UT | 36 | 12.5% | 19.5% |
| Emery County, UT | 23 | 11.8% | 29.5% |
| Garfield County, CO | 12 | 7.5% | 14.0% |
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 Grand County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Grand County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 8th 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, Grand County ranks 3rd of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grand 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.
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 Grand County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.