Like all states, Colorado has certain places that are going on hard times. These Colorado places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Colorado.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 79 cities in Colorado with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
What’s the poorest city in Colorado? According to the facts, Lamar is the poorest place in Colorado for 2024.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Colorado reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Colorado
- Cheapest Places To Live In Colorado
- Most Dangerous Cities In Colorado
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Colorado For 2024
1. Lamar
/10
Population: 7,667
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 2)
Median Income: $48,422 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.2% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,622
More on Lamar: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Lamar, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Colorado thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 7,667 people averages the 4th lowest median household income in Colorado and the 3rd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. La Junta
/10
Population: 7,244
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $50,799 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 23.1% (highest)
People In Poverty: 1,676
More on La Junta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Colorado is La Junta.
The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 6th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 10th highest in the Centennial State.
3. Delta
/10
Population: 9,137
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 5)
Median Income: $45,950 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.4% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,865
More on Delta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Delta’s median income ranks as the 2nd lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 20.42% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Centennial State.
4. Trinidad
/10
Population: 8,334
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 3)
Median Income: $47,908 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.1% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,675
More on Trinidad: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Trinidad ranks as the fourth poorest place in Colorado.
The town ranks as having the 3rd lowest median household income and the 7th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Pueblo
/10
Population: 111,430
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $52,794 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.6% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 22,954
More on Pueblo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Colorado is Pueblo.
The city ranks as having the 8th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 5th highest in Colorado.
Still not the best news for Pueblo.
6. Alamosa
/10
Population: 9,792
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Income: $50,239 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 18.3% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,789
More on Alamosa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Alamosa ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Centennial State.
It ranks as having the 9th highest incidence of poverty and the 43rd highest unemployment rate.
7. Gunnison
/10
Population: 6,629
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 5)
Median Income: $63,229 (15th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.6% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,366
More on Gunnison: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Gunnison places as the seventh poorest city in Colorado.
The city of over 6,629 ranks as having the 4th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Sterling
/10
Population: 13,466
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Median Income: $44,556 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 13.1% (2highest)
People In Poverty: 1,765
More on Sterling: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Sterling ranks as the eighth poorest city in Colorado.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Federal Heights
/10
Population: 14,173
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $56,316 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.5% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,481
More on Federal Heights: Data | Cost Of Living
Federal Heights couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Colorado; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 12th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Federal Heights ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Colorado.
10. Craig
/10
Population: 9,013
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Median Income: $52,443 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 14.8% (16th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,337
More on Craig: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Colorado is Craig.
The city of 9,013 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Centennial State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Colorado for 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 79 places with more than 5,000 people in Colorado, we ranked each place from 1 to 79 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Lamar, crowned the “Poorest Place In Colorado For 2024”.
This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Colorado.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Colorado For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Colorado, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Colorado.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Colorado, according to data:
-
Richest: Cherry Hills Village
2nd Richest: Superior
3rd Richest: Erie
For more Colorado reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Colorado
- Safest Places In Colorado
- Worst Places To Live In Colorado
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Colorado
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Colorado
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamar | 7,667 | 21.2% | $48,422 | 1,622 |
| 2 | La Junta | 7,244 | 23.1% | $50,799 | 1,676 |
| 3 | Delta | 9,137 | 20.4% | $45,950 | 1,865 |
| 4 | Trinidad | 8,334 | 20.1% | $47,908 | 1,675 |
| 5 | Pueblo | 111,430 | 20.6% | $52,794 | 22,954 |
| 6 | Alamosa | 9,792 | 18.3% | $50,239 | 1,789 |
| 7 | Gunnison | 6,629 | 20.6% | $63,229 | 1,366 |
| 8 | Sterling | 13,466 | 13.1% | $44,556 | 1,765 |
| 9 | Federal Heights | 14,173 | 17.5% | $56,316 | 2,481 |
| 10 | Craig | 9,013 | 14.8% | $52,443 | 1,337 |
| 11 | Fort Morgan | 11,501 | 15.7% | $55,407 | 1,801 |
| 12 | Salida | 5,697 | 19.2% | $63,775 | 1,092 |
| 13 | Cortez | 8,832 | 14.8% | $55,962 | 1,304 |
| 14 | Brush | 5,304 | 15.9% | $64,475 | 844 |
| 15 | Greeley | 107,949 | 15.7% | $65,525 | 16,915 |
| 16 | Sheridan | 6,062 | 11.9% | $53,707 | 723 |
| 17 | Boulder | 106,598 | 22.1% | $80,243 | 23,547 |
| 18 | Montrose | 20,394 | 13.0% | $60,132 | 2,645 |
| 19 | Grand Junction | 65,918 | 12.6% | $62,993 | 8,285 |
| 20 | Evans | 22,092 | 15.1% | $75,544 | 3,344 |
| 21 | Fort Collins | 168,758 | 16.2% | $78,977 | 27,423 |
| 22 | Durango | 19,148 | 14.2% | $76,177 | 2,724 |
| 23 | Estes Park | 5,906 | 10.6% | $63,598 | 624 |
| 24 | Fort Lupton | 8,164 | 10.9% | $71,293 | 893 |
| 25 | Wheat Ridge | 32,263 | 11.9% | $79,567 | 3,836 |
| 26 | Avon | 6,115 | 13.2% | $85,817 | 807 |
| 27 | Edgewater | 5,002 | 9.6% | $71,964 | 481 |
| 28 | Aurora | 387,349 | 10.5% | $78,685 | 40,555 |
| 29 | Northglenn | 37,948 | 10.3% | $77,797 | 3,923 |
| 30 | Colorado Springs | 479,612 | 10.4% | $79,026 | 49,927 |
| 31 | Denver | 710,800 | 11.7% | $85,853 | 83,163 |
| 32 | Carbondale | 6,497 | 13.2% | $92,083 | 855 |
| 33 | Englewood | 33,634 | 8.3% | $79,375 | 2,781 |
| 34 | Fountain | 29,498 | 8.5% | $80,311 | 2,504 |
| 35 | Glenwood Springs | 10,100 | 8.5% | $80,806 | 858 |
| 36 | Lakewood | 156,149 | 8.8% | $82,786 | 13,741 |
| 37 | Fruita | 13,462 | 6.2% | $71,550 | 834 |
| 38 | Brighton | 40,569 | 9.1% | $86,975 | 3,708 |
| 39 | Commerce City | 63,050 | 11.6% | $96,484 | 7,288 |
| 40 | Loveland | 76,500 | 7.8% | $81,898 | 5,936 |
| 41 | Golden | 20,461 | 10.3% | $90,990 | 2,105 |
| 42 | Wellington | 11,163 | 11.3% | $101,259 | 1,265 |
| 43 | Rifle | 10,420 | 5.3% | $72,955 | 551 |
| 44 | Longmont | 98,282 | 7.8% | $89,720 | 7,616 |
| 45 | Woodland Park | 7,911 | 7.3% | $89,341 | 579 |
| 46 | Steamboat Springs | 13,251 | 8.1% | $93,280 | 1,078 |
| 47 | Littleton | 45,531 | 7.6% | $90,273 | 3,469 |
| 48 | Thornton | 141,799 | 8.0% | $95,064 | 11,301 |
| 49 | Westminster | 115,502 | 6.5% | $90,651 | 7,449 |
| 50 | Dacono | 6,260 | 7.0% | $94,783 | 435 |
| 51 | Aspen | 6,952 | 6.4% | $94,338 | 447 |
| 52 | Eagle | 7,481 | 7.1% | $101,373 | 531 |
| 53 | Gypsum | 8,291 | 6.2% | $99,726 | 518 |
| 54 | Lochbuie | 7,963 | 3.4% | $84,556 | 271 |
| 55 | John | 17,327 | 7.0% | $120,395 | 1,212 |
| 56 | Eaton | 5,763 | 5.9% | $102,314 | 342 |
| 57 | Monument | 10,548 | 6.2% | $102,969 | 651 |
| 58 | Arvada | 123,066 | 5.8% | $106,014 | 7,187 |
| 59 | Lafayette | 30,295 | 5.5% | $105,819 | 1,660 |
| 60 | Broomfield | 73,946 | 5.0% | $117,541 | 3,704 |
| 61 | Milliken | 8,438 | 3.1% | $96,772 | 264 |
| 62 | Firestone | 16,704 | 4.0% | $106,960 | 674 |
| 63 | Breckenridge | 5,017 | 5.8% | $129,481 | 291 |
| 64 | Lone Tree | 13,993 | 4.3% | $121,066 | 603 |
| 65 | Mead | 5,110 | 3.7% | $120,532 | 187 |
| 66 | Louisville | 20,920 | 5.4% | $135,840 | 1,121 |
| 67 | Greenwood Village | 15,537 | 5.5% | $139,144 | 859 |
| 68 | Berthoud | 10,892 | 2.7% | $101,817 | 289 |
| 69 | Windsor | 33,905 | 3.8% | $121,754 | 1,281 |
| 70 | Severance | 8,526 | 2.8% | $121,047 | 237 |
| 71 | Parker | 58,733 | 3.4% | $126,615 | 1,985 |
| 72 | Castle Pines | 11,811 | 4.5% | $189,280 | 525 |
| 73 | Centennial | 107,702 | 3.1% | $124,617 | 3,327 |
| 74 | Castle Rock | 74,065 | 3.5% | $135,985 | 2,599 |
| 75 | Timnath | 7,122 | 4.0% | $162,976 | 282 |
| 76 | Frederick | 15,037 | 2.6% | $128,078 | 393 |
| 77 | Erie | 30,447 | 3.2% | $154,509 | 974 |
| 78 | Superior | 13,146 | 2.2% | $149,464 | 291 |
| 79 | Cherry Hills Village | 6,405 | 2.7% | $250,001 | 171 |
