In Uintah County, Utah, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Uintah County, 15.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Uintah County's score
In Uintah County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 67.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 6.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Uintah 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, Uintah County is worse off than most counties on adults 25 to 54 not working (29.9%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (13.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.6 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 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.9% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
-
- 59.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people185.4 · 202571st percentile
-
- 42.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.5% · 202444th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance13.1% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,128 · 202421st percentile
-
- 35.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.6% · August 202555th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.9% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
-
- 6.4 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 rent8.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.4% · fiscal year 20274th percentile
-
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 Uintah 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 Uintah County, 11.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Uintah County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Uintah County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 19.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Uintah County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Uintah County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.0% in 2018 to 12.6% in 2019.
The share of households in Uintah County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 13.2%
Low on the chart: 5.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Uintah County, Utah.
How Uintah County has changed
Uintah County's population tripled to 38,307, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 25,961. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Uintah County, Utah.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Uintah County more than doubled to 15,608, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 15,608. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Uintah County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.6% | 2024 12.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,305 | 2024 $79,128 |
The table uses 3.7% 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 Uintah County's history
1880
1880: created from Sanpete, Summit, and Wasatch counties. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 35,620, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Uintah County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Uintah County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Uintah County, in Utah and Colorado, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Uintah County ranks 6th of the eight; Carbon County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon County, UT | 53 | 13.5% | 29.9% |
| Grand County, UT | 47 | 10.3% | 17.5% |
| Uintah County, UT | 36 | 12.5% | 19.5% |
| Moffat County, CO | 36 | 10.1% | 25.0% |
| Duchesne County, UT | 30 | 9.4% | 20.5% |
| Daggett County, UT | 24 | 8.1% | 24.1% |
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 17 | 10.9% | 22.0% |
| 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 Uintah County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Uintah County's poverty rate was 12.5% in 2024, 5th 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, Uintah County ranks 6th of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Uintah 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.
-
Utah Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Uintah 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 Uintah County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.