About one in 13 people in Juab County, Utah, lives below the poverty line
In Juab County, 7.7% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Juab County's score
In Juab County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 45.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 15.2. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 16.9% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Juab 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.
Juab County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 45.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment 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 working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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- 34.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.7% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people138.2 · 202555th percentile
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- 16.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.6% · second quarter of 202611th percentile
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- 16.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.7% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.7% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability12.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$96,740 · 20246th percentile
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- 15.2 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 rent11.7% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202712th 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 Juab 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 Juab County, 12.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Juab County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Juab County rose most sharply from its first year (11.7% in 1969) to 15.8% in 1974.
In Juab County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 19.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Juab County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Juab County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 2011 to 11.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Juab County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 5.4% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Juab County, Utah.
How Juab County has changed
Juab County's population tripled to 13,297, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 13,297. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Juab County, Utah.
The number of jobs located in Juab County had its largest rise in the last span, from 3,868 in 2020 to 4,675 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Juab County tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,675, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 3,135. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Juab County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.8% | 2024 7.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,262 | 2024 $96,740 |
The table uses 3.5% 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 Juab County's history
1852
Created March 3, 1852 from Utah County with Salt Creek designated as the county seat. Wikipedia
1869
Mining of precious metals began 1869 in Tintic region, productive by 1889. Wikipedia
1950
Mining subsided after mid-twentieth century as dominant economic driver. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 11,786, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Juab County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Juab County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Juab County, in Utah and Nevada, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Juab County ranks 4th of the six; Sanpete County is highest, at 24.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Pine County, NV | 48 | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| Sanpete County, UT | 24 | 12.2% | 24.7% |
| Utah County, UT | 16 | 9.0% | 11.4% |
| Tooele County, UT | 16 | 6.2% | 14.7% |
| Millard County, UT | 13 | 10.3% | 21.5% |
| Juab County, UT | 11 | 7.7% | 19.6% |
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 Juab County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Juab County's poverty rate was 7.7% in 2024, 23rd 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, Juab County ranks 24th of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Juab 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 Juab County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.