About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in San Juan County, Utah, is not working
In San Juan County, 32.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives San Juan County's score
In San Juan County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.6. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (32.4%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 81.3.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
San Juan County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (4.6%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (48.8, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where San Juan County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 82.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.4% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202671st percentile
-
- 81.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line24.7% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability20.8% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,019 · 202461st percentile
- People below the poverty line19.5% · 202485th percentile
- People without health insurance17.5% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
-
- 59.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.8% · Q4 202563rd percentile
-
- 41.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector30.2% · August 202574th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people48.8 · 20258th percentile
-
- 22.7 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent4.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in San Juan County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
San Juan County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In San Juan County in 2024, pay from work was 54 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 30 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 17 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In San Juan County, benefit checks rose from 17 to 30 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, San Juan County, Utah: 29.6% and 54.2% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.6% of all personal income in San Juan County, Utah (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 San Juan County, 16.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How San Juan County has changed
The number of people living in San Juan County grew by about 57% between 1969 and 2024, from 9,300 to 14,601. The number of jobs located there grew by about 42% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 8.8% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 9,300 | 2024 14,601 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,282 | 2024 4,647 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.8% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 36.4% | 2024 19.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,923 | 2024 $63,019 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 17.1% | 2024 29.6% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in San Juan County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 14,746. The 2020 Census counted 14,518, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
1880
Created February 17, 1880 from Iron, Kane, and Piute counties. Wikipedia
1943
Uranium and vanadium processing began 1943 for Manhattan Engineer District. Wikipedia
1960
Uranium mill closed permanently 1960 by Atomic Energy Commission. Wikipedia
1989
Radioactive material contamination from uranium mill, cleanup 1989-2004. Wikipedia
1996
Flash flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
Flash flood: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
4 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered San Juan County. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
San Juan County beside its neighbors
Of the 12 counties that border San Juan County, in Utah, Arizona and Colorado, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, San Juan County ranks 5th of the 13; Apache County is highest, at 51.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache County, AZ | 90 | 29.3% | 51.0% |
| Navajo County, AZ | 89 | 22.7% | 45.8% |
| Coconino County, AZ | 68 | 15.2% | 20.8% |
| San Juan County, UT | 61 | 19.5% | 29.6% |
| Montezuma County, CO | 61 | 14.8% | 29.9% |
| Grand County, UT | 48 | 10.3% | 17.5% |
| Dolores County, CO | 40 | 15.2% | 31.4% |
| Montrose County, CO | 39 | 12.9% | 27.2% |
| Mesa County, CO | 38 | 10.3% | 25.2% |
| Garfield County, UT | 25 | 9.8% | 25.0% |
| Kane County, UT | 17 | 8.8% | 24.7% |
| San Miguel County, CO | 10 | 8.0% | 5.3% |
| Wayne County, UT | 9 | 10.3% | 23.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 San Juan County the poorest county in Utah?
Yes, San Juan County's poverty rate was 19.5% in 2024, the highest of 29 counties in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, San Juan County ranks 1st of 29 in the state.
San Juan County in photographs
Places in San Juan County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
San Juan County Courthouse, Monticello, Utah, United States.
Schild am Eingang zum San-Juan-County, Utah English: Entrance of San Juan County, Utah.
Photo: R-E-AL ( talk | contribs | Gallery ) (German Wikipedia) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
San Juan County, Utah: common questions
What is the poverty rate in San Juan County, Utah?
19.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in five people. Among children it was 24.7%.
Is San Juan County the poorest county in Utah?
Yes, San Juan County's poverty rate was 19.5% in 2024, the highest of 29 counties in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, San Juan County ranks 1st of 29 in the state.
What is the population of San Juan County, Utah?
About 14,601 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 14,518, 98% of the county's peak of 14,746 in 2010.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in San Juan County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
Utah Legal Services
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 San Juan County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in San Juan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.