The 10 Poorest Cities In Colorado For 2023


The poorest places in Colorado are Trinidad and Gunnison for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

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 78 cities in Colorado with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Here are the ten poorest places in Colorado for 2023:

  1. Trinidad
  2. Gunnison
  3. La Junta
  4. Lamar
  5. Pueblo
  6. Alamosa
  7. Federal Heights
  8. Delta
  9. Craig
  10. Sterling

What’s the poorest city in Colorado? According to the facts, Trinidad is the poorest place in Colorado for 2023.

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:


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Poorest Cities In Colorado For 2023

1. Trinidad

Trinidad, CO

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,318
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $40,746 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 22.4% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,860
More on Trinidad: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Trinidad, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Colorado thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 8,318 people averages the 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. Gunnison

Gunnison, CO

Source: Wikipedia User Orschstaffer | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 6,459
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $46,324 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.2% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 1,625
More on Gunnison: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Colorado is Gunnison.

The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 6th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 2highest in the Centennial State.

3. La Junta

La Junta, CO

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 7,282
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 6)
Median Income: $48,929 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.4% (highest)
People In Poverty: 1,850
More on La Junta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, La Junta’s median income ranks as the 9th 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 25.416963649322877% 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. Lamar

Lamar, CO

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,636
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $43,764 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.3% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,550
More on Lamar: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Lamar ranks as the fourth poorest place in Colorado.

The town ranks as having the 4th lowest median household income and the 6th 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

Pueblo, CO

Source: Wikipedia User John Wark | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 111,424
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Median Income: $46,766 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 21.0% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 23,424
More on Pueblo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Colorado is Pueblo.

The city ranks as having the 7th 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 4th highest in Colorado.

Still not the best news for Pueblo.

6. Alamosa

Alamosa, CO

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 9,704
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 5)
Median Income: $43,153 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 19.9% (8th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,934
More on Alamosa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Alamosa ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Centennial State.

It ranks as having the 8th highest incidence of poverty and the 4th highest unemployment rate.

7. Federal Heights

Federal Heights, CO

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,111
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $51,078 (10th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 20.1% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,838
More on Federal Heights: Data | Cost Of Living

Federal Heights places as the seventh poorest city in Colorado.

The city of over 14,111 ranks as having the 7th 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. Delta

Delta, CO

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 9,036
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 3)
Median Income: $44,551 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 16.3% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,476
More on Delta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Delta ranks as the eighth poorest city in Colorado.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as the 10th highest in the state.

9. Craig

Craig, CO

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,026
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 1)
Median Income: $51,618 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 17.3% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,565
More on Craig: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Craig 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, Craig ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Colorado.

10. Sterling

Sterling, CO

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,976
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $41,234 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 13.0% (2highest)
People In Poverty: 1,820
More on Sterling: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Colorado is Sterling.

The city of 13,976 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 2023

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 2017-2021 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 78 places with more than 5,000 people in Colorado, we ranked each place from 1 to 78 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, Trinidad, crowned the “Poorest Place In Colorado For 2023”.

This report has been updated for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Colorado.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Colorado For 2023

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: Breckenridge
    2nd Richest: Superior
    3rd Richest: Frederick

For more Colorado reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Colorado

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Trinidad 8,318 22.4% $40,746 1,860
2 Gunnison 6,459 25.2% $46,324 1,625
3 La Junta 7,282 25.4% $48,929 1,850
4 Lamar 7,636 20.3% $43,764 1,550
5 Pueblo 111,424 21.0% $46,766 23,424
6 Alamosa 9,704 19.9% $43,153 1,934
7 Federal Heights 14,111 20.1% $51,078 2,838
8 Delta 9,036 16.3% $44,551 1,476
9 Craig 9,026 17.3% $51,618 1,565
10 Sterling 13,976 13.0% $41,234 1,820
11 Cortez 8,742 15.8% $51,924 1,382
12 Sheridan 6,090 13.1% $48,449 800
13 Fort Morgan 11,483 13.6% $51,250 1,561
14 Salida 5,671 17.1% $62,668 970
15 Evans 21,727 17.7% $65,187 3,848
16 Greeley 107,014 15.3% $60,601 16,417
17 Brush 5,323 13.9% $61,750 739
18 Grand Junction 65,067 13.1% $58,892 8,535
19 Montrose 20,098 12.9% $54,260 2,590
20 Boulder 104,930 20.9% $74,902 21,884
21 Fort Collins 166,788 15.7% $72,932 26,120
22 Estes Park 5,942 10.9% $56,166 645
23 Avon 6,209 15.8% $74,450 978
24 Durango 18,953 10.6% $68,550 2,011
25 Edgewater 5,047 9.9% $65,794 497
26 Colorado Springs 475,282 10.9% $71,957 51,854
27 Wheat Ridge 32,340 12.1% $73,231 3,920
28 Fort Lupton 7,947 9.6% $68,295 766
29 Aurora 383,496 10.2% $72,052 39,111
30 Glenwood Springs 10,017 9.0% $69,728 905
31 Fruita 13,296 7.8% $64,029 1,035
32 Denver 706,799 11.6% $78,177 81,990
33 Englewood 33,500 8.9% $72,193 2,988
34 Northglenn 37,899 8.4% $73,163 3,201
35 Carbondale 6,464 12.1% $86,321 780
36 Lakewood 155,608 9.2% $75,343 14,280
37 Golden 20,041 11.4% $83,976 2,277
38 Loveland 75,938 8.0% $73,907 6,062
39 Steamboat Springs 13,193 9.6% $80,660 1,262
40 Fountain 29,495 7.9% $74,621 2,321
41 Rifle 10,325 7.0% $72,935 724
42 Wellington 10,769 11.4% $94,586 1,226
43 Gypsum 8,047 9.2% $83,324 737
44 Commerce City 61,516 9.8% $87,354 6,037
45 Brighton 39,895 7.8% $79,280 3,102
46 Longmont 98,789 8.2% $83,104 8,110
47 Thornton 140,538 8.2% $86,818 11,571
48 Littleton 45,465 7.4% $82,997 3,368
49 Woodland Park 7,854 7.1% $81,919 559
50 Westminster 115,535 6.6% $80,355 7,668
51 Dacono 6,084 6.5% $85,518 396
52 Lochbuie 7,730 3.7% $76,240 282
53 Milliken 8,122 2.7% $73,198 216
54 Arvada 122,903 6.0% $96,677 7,398
55 John 16,596 7.3% $109,395 1,210
56 Eagle 7,420 5.9% $97,724 439
57 Lafayette 30,307 4.4% $95,033 1,325
58 Eaton 5,648 3.7% $93,493 211
59 Broomfield 72,697 4.4% $107,570 3,199
60 Aspen 7,019 3.1% $89,625 215
61 Lone Tree 13,701 4.1% $113,653 561
62 Greenwood Village 15,548 5.8% $129,416 909
63 Louisville 21,091 5.2% $125,124 1,088
64 Firestone 15,949 3.5% $102,165 558
65 Berthoud 10,188 2.9% $95,872 296
66 Windsor 31,972 3.5% $111,477 1,119
67 Monument 10,026 3.2% $102,278 320
68 Castle Pines 11,296 4.5% $186,976 513
69 Timnath 6,289 4.2% $156,738 265
70 Castle Rock 71,037 3.6% $121,388 2,577
71 Erie 29,367 4.0% $140,409 1,176
72 Centennial 107,972 3.3% $114,375 3,594
73 Severance 7,691 0.7% $111,055 55
74 Cherry Hills Village 6,426 3.7% $250,001 235
75 Parker 57,311 3.0% $120,075 1,693
76 Frederick 14,127 2.9% $116,283 406
77 Superior 13,283 3.4% $131,757 446
78 Breckenridge 5,086 1.3% $118,077 67
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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