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 77 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, La Junta is the poorest place in Colorado for 2026.
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 2026
1. La Junta
/10
Population: 7,140
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $52,315 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.4% (highest)
People In Poverty: 1,958
More on La Junta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
La Junta, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Colorado thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 7,140 people averages the 5th lowest median household income in Colorado and the 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. Delta
/10
Population: 9,421
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $45,250 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.5% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,928
More on Delta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The second poorest city in Colorado is Delta.
The city ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 47th highest in the Centennial State.
3. Sterling
/10
Population: 13,172
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 5)
Median Income: $43,283 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.0% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,503
More on Sterling: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Placing as the third poorest city, Sterling’s median income ranks as the 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 19.01% 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. Federal Heights
/10
Population: 14,125
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $56,597 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.2% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 3,422
More on Federal Heights: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Federal Heights ranks as the fourth poorest place in Colorado.
The town ranks as having the 8th lowest median household income and the 2nd 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. Trinidad
/10
Population: 8,286
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $52,273 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.1% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,745
More on Trinidad: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The fifth poorest city in Colorado is Trinidad.
The city ranks as having the 4th 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 6th highest in Colorado.
Still not the best news for Trinidad.
6. Lamar
/10
Population: 7,611
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 3)
Median Income: $53,188 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.3% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,623
More on Lamar: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Lamar ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Centennial State.
It ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty and the 27th highest unemployment rate.
7. Gunnison
/10
Population: 6,766
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 4)
Median Income: $62,189 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.1% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,495
More on Gunnison: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Gunnison places as the seventh poorest city in Colorado.
The city of over 6,766 ranks as having the 3rd 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. Alamosa
/10
Population: 9,879
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 4)
Median Income: $49,688 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 15.9% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,567
More on Alamosa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Alamosa 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. Pueblo
/10
Population: 111,561
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $56,664 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.5% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 19,545
More on Pueblo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Pueblo couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Colorado; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 9th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Pueblo ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Colorado.
10. Cortez
/10
Population: 8,976
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $54,247 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 15.1% (15th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,350
More on Cortez: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Colorado is Cortez.
The city of 8,976 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 2026
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 2020-2024 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 77 places with more than 5,000 people in Colorado, we ranked each place from 1 to 77 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, La Junta, crowned the “Poorest Place In Colorado For 2026”.
This report has been updated for 2026, which is our eleventh time ranking the poorest places in Colorado.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Colorado For 2026
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: Erie
3rd Richest: Superior
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 | La Junta | 7,140 | 27.4% | $52,315 | 1,958 |
| 2 | Delta | 9,421 | 20.5% | $45,250 | 1,928 |
| 3 | Sterling | 13,172 | 19.0% | $43,283 | 2,503 |
| 4 | Federal Heights | 14,125 | 24.2% | $56,597 | 3,422 |
| 5 | Trinidad | 8,286 | 21.1% | $52,273 | 1,745 |
| 6 | Lamar | 7,611 | 21.3% | $53,188 | 1,623 |
| 7 | Gunnison | 6,766 | 22.1% | $62,189 | 1,495 |
| 8 | Alamosa | 9,879 | 15.9% | $49,688 | 1,567 |
| 9 | Pueblo | 111,561 | 17.5% | $56,664 | 19,545 |
| 10 | Cortez | 8,976 | 15.1% | $54,247 | 1,350 |
| 11 | Fort Morgan | 11,605 | 16.0% | $64,158 | 1,855 |
| 12 | Sheridan | 6,005 | 14.0% | $60,608 | 838 |
| 13 | Greeley | 110,806 | 15.1% | $69,881 | 16,764 |
| 14 | Fort Lupton | 8,897 | 17.6% | $80,889 | 1,569 |
| 15 | Brush | 5,306 | 14.2% | $73,382 | 756 |
| 16 | Boulder | 106,433 | 21.4% | $87,493 | 22,829 |
| 17 | Evans | 22,396 | 13.5% | $75,563 | 3,014 |
| 18 | Grand Junction | 68,142 | 11.8% | $70,080 | 8,068 |
| 19 | Fort Collins | 170,229 | 15.8% | $85,070 | 26,947 |
| 20 | Montrose | 21,044 | 11.6% | $70,386 | 2,434 |
| 21 | Durango | 19,411 | 13.0% | $78,602 | 2,517 |
| 22 | Salida | 5,861 | 11.1% | $70,045 | 648 |
| 23 | Aspen | 6,756 | 10.6% | $74,033 | 718 |
| 24 | Craig | 8,991 | 8.9% | $72,636 | 800 |
| 25 | Northglenn | 38,014 | 10.2% | $84,030 | 3,881 |
| 26 | Avon | 5,972 | 12.2% | $89,027 | 726 |
| 27 | Aurora | 394,432 | 11.9% | $88,368 | 47,095 |
| 28 | Fountain | 29,300 | 10.3% | $86,242 | 3,026 |
| 29 | Golden | 20,417 | 12.6% | $98,582 | 2,568 |
| 30 | Colorado Springs | 487,887 | 9.1% | $84,818 | 44,153 |
| 31 | Wheat Ridge | 32,070 | 11.2% | $90,564 | 3,588 |
| 32 | Denver | 718,877 | 11.2% | $94,718 | 80,801 |
| 33 | Loveland | 78,410 | 8.5% | $84,604 | 6,680 |
| 34 | Estes Park | 5,844 | 8.0% | $85,956 | 469 |
| 35 | Lakewood | 156,583 | 9.2% | $89,792 | 14,358 |
| 36 | Rifle | 10,570 | 6.0% | $80,000 | 636 |
| 37 | Englewood | 34,129 | 7.7% | $86,800 | 2,627 |
| 38 | Longmont | 99,406 | 8.6% | $90,671 | 8,548 |
| 39 | Eaton | 5,867 | 9.6% | $106,294 | 564 |
| 40 | Glenwood Springs | 10,241 | 7.9% | $91,481 | 813 |
| 41 | Carbondale | 6,637 | 10.6% | $108,324 | 700 |
| 42 | Lochbuie | 8,609 | 7.7% | $97,009 | 660 |
| 43 | Brighton | 42,059 | 9.3% | $107,679 | 3,932 |
| 44 | Wellington | 11,798 | 8.8% | $107,017 | 1,037 |
| 45 | Gypsum | 8,941 | 9.6% | $115,564 | 857 |
| 46 | Westminster | 115,484 | 7.3% | $100,272 | 8,441 |
| 47 | Thornton | 144,187 | 7.0% | $103,088 | 10,121 |
| 48 | Littleton | 44,710 | 6.1% | $98,839 | 2,740 |
| 49 | Commerce City | 66,445 | 8.7% | $111,972 | 5,747 |
| 50 | Fruita | 13,691 | 4.1% | $87,184 | 558 |
| 51 | Woodland Park | 7,949 | 5.0% | $99,238 | 401 |
| 52 | Eagle | 7,442 | 6.8% | $110,398 | 504 |
| 53 | Steamboat Springs | 13,433 | 4.7% | $104,964 | 632 |
| 54 | Arvada | 122,634 | 5.8% | $117,348 | 7,112 |
| 55 | Broomfield | 76,304 | 6.2% | $123,874 | 4,707 |
| 56 | Lafayette | 30,602 | 5.6% | $119,040 | 1,713 |
| 57 | Dacono | 6,530 | 3.9% | $104,559 | 254 |
| 58 | Windsor | 37,914 | 6.0% | $127,028 | 2,263 |
| 59 | Lone Tree | 14,147 | 4.9% | $123,741 | 690 |
| 60 | Severance | 10,130 | 5.2% | $124,572 | 527 |
| 61 | Berthoud | 12,411 | 4.6% | $119,385 | 570 |
| 62 | Firestone | 18,049 | 4.6% | $120,150 | 826 |
| 63 | Milliken | 8,871 | 2.4% | $107,500 | 215 |
| 64 | Castle Pines | 13,388 | 6.9% | $191,229 | 918 |
| 65 | Monument | 11,735 | 4.7% | $128,816 | 545 |
| 66 | Parker | 61,783 | 4.4% | $133,369 | 2,743 |
| 67 | Louisville | 20,786 | 4.5% | $147,319 | 939 |
| 68 | John | 18,883 | 3.7% | $128,995 | 693 |
| 69 | Frederick | 16,651 | 3.3% | $129,460 | 546 |
| 70 | Castle Rock | 79,123 | 3.8% | $145,197 | 3,014 |
| 71 | Centennial | 108,201 | 3.3% | $131,928 | 3,559 |
| 72 | Timnath | 8,941 | 4.4% | $178,257 | 395 |
| 73 | Mead | 5,919 | 1.4% | $125,357 | 79 |
| 74 | Greenwood Village | 15,420 | 3.1% | $149,029 | 481 |
| 75 | Superior | 13,305 | 3.2% | $159,434 | 421 |
| 76 | Erie | 33,808 | 2.3% | $173,349 | 784 |
| 77 | Cherry Hills Village | 6,354 | 2.3% | $250,001 | 144 |