About one in seven people with a credit file in Platte County, Wyoming, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Platte County, 13.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Platte County's score
In Platte County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 50.5. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 9.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 35.1 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Platte 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, Platte County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (21.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.2% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance21.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,034 · 202443rd percentile
-
- 39.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.0% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
-
- 33.0 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 rent18.1% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
-
- 10.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.2% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
-
- 9.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.5% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people35.1 · 20255th or lower 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 Platte 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 Platte County, 27.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Platte County
Wyoming
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Platte County had its largest rise, from 8.4% in 1979 to 15.4% in 1984.
In Platte County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 28.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Platte County, Wyoming, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Platte County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 8.3% in 2023 to 4.9% in 2024.
The share of households in Platte County getting SNAP food aid fell by about half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 4.9%, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 3.6% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Platte County, Wyoming.
How Platte County has changed
Platte County's population had its largest rise, from 6,992 in 1974 to 10,361 in 1979.
Platte County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 10,361 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Platte County, Wyoming.
The number of jobs located in Platte County had its largest rise, from 2,999 in 1995 to 3,331 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Platte County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 3,692 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Platte County, Wyoming.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.4% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,322 | 2024 $69,034 |
The table uses 4.1% 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 Platte County's history
1883
Irrigation system constructed 1883 with tunnel to divert water for Wheatland flats development. Wikipedia
1911
February 21, 1911 (authorized) 1913 (organized). Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 11,975. The 2020 Census counted 8,605, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 2000
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Platte County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Platte County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Platte County, four score higher. Of the group, Platte County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (28.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niobrara County, WY | 30 | 15.2% | 25.7% |
| Goshen County, WY | 25 | 15.4% | 26.6% |
| Laramie County, WY | 21 | 8.4% | 19.9% |
| Albany County, WY | 19 | 15.9% | 16.7% |
| Platte County, WY | 14 | 10.7% | 28.0% |
| Converse County, WY | 9 | 9.8% | 17.8% |
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 Platte County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Platte County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 9th highest of 23 in Wyoming (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Albany County, at 15.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Platte County ranks 13th of 23 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Platte 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.
-
Legal Aid of Wyoming, Inc.
Legal aid
-
Equal Justice Wyoming
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 Platte 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 Platte County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.