2018 State Report for County-Level Data: Poverty

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Deb Brucker, Erin Dame, Kate Filanoski, Adam Lavoie, Kim Phillips, and Karen Volle.

Funding for this publication is made possible by:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RTGE0001-01-00; and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC), also funded by NIDILRR, grant number 90RT5037-03-00. The information developed by the StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).

The StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC are part of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

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2018 Colorado Report for County-Level Data: Poverty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on

Disability Statistics and Demographics

A NIDILRR-Funded Center

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Introduction

The State Reports for County-Level Data on Poverty are designed to provide the users of disability statistics with the number and percentage in poverty for civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, for any given state and county in the United States (U.S.). This report is intended to be an online complement to Section 3: Poverty of the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, providing greater detail within each state. The State Reports for County-Level Data on Poverty can be used to compare county-level statistics between counties in any given state or states. The following report provides county-level statistics for Colorado.

The proportion of the civilian non-institutionalized population with disabilities in poverty, also called the poverty rate, presented in the State Reports for County-Level Data is a useful tool for advocates, researchers, and policy-makers to plan and provide services and supports for people with disabilities experiencing poverty. In this report, poverty of people with disabilities is presented as the number of civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, in a given state and county per total state and county populations, respectively. Counts and percentages (the poverty rate) are provided in tables and maps.

The data for this report come from the American Community Survey 5-year data. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a national survey developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide information on a number of topics about social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. ACS 5-year data is collected over a longer period of time than 1-year data, providing larger sample sizes and increased reliability for less populated areas and small population subgroups. All of the statistics in this report use the ACS 5-year data which includes data the year of this report and data from the four previous years. In the ACS, people are identified as having a disability based on responses to a series of six questions asking about having difficulties with vision, hearing, ambulation, cognition, self-care, and independent living (see glossary for further details). 

Poverty is defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and set as a dollar threshold by the U.S. Census Bureau (see the glossary for further details).

 

Specific to Colorado, the state chosen for this report, sentences providing interpretation and context for poverty statistics are included on the following page. A short glossary of terms is also provided at the end of the report explaining the statistics that are illustrated in each sentence.

Additional Resources. The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and its complement, the Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, are summaries of statistics about people with disabilities, available both in hard copy and online at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org

Help navigating any of the resources described here can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org/faq. Assistance interpreting and locating additional statistics is available via our toll-free number, 866.538.9521, or by email, disability.statistics@unh.edu. For more information about our research projects, please visit https://www.researchondisability.org.

Suggested Citation. Boege, S.L., Lauer, E.A., & Houtenville, A.J., 2020. 2018 State Report for Colorado County-Level Data: Poverty. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2018 county-level poverty statistics from Colorado that are presented:

 

  • For people with disabilities: 

    • The poverty rate for people with disabilities in Colorado was 23.2%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of poverty rates for people with disabilities across Colorado counties was 58.9%.
      • The county with the greatest poverty rate for people with disabilities was Mineral (67.2%).
      • The county with the smallest poverty rate for people with disabilities was Douglas (8.3%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, poverty rate for people with disabilities across all counties in Colorado was 23.7%.

 

  • For people without disabilities: 
    • The poverty rate for people without disabilities in Colorado was 9.6%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of poverty rates for people without disabilities across Colorado counties was 24.5%.
      • The county with the greatest poverty rate for people without disabilities was Crowley (27.6%).
      • The county with the smallest poverty rate for people without disabilities was San Juan (3.1%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, poverty rate for people without disabilities across all counties in Colorado was 10.9%.
Civilians with and without Disabilities in Poverty Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Colorado, by County: 2018
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2] Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2]
 Colorado   298,736 69,451 23.2 3,121,275 298,141  9.6    Grand        368     40 10.9     9,574   1,131 11.8
   Adams     29,107  6,085 20.9   280,872  25,926  9.2  Gunnison       698    191 27.4    10,149   1,579 15.6
  Alamosa     1,886    817 43.3     7,535   1,654 22.0  Hinsdale       100     23 23.0       398      44 11.1
 Arapahoe    29,957  5,713 19.1   371,056  28,261  7.6  Huerfano       563    160 28.4     2,857     365 12.8
 Archuleta      847    160 18.9     6,627     673 10.2   Jackson        32     13 40.6       723      84 11.6
   Baca         250    102 40.8     1,595     243 15.2  Jefferson   26,391  4,704 17.8   333,320  21,877  6.6
   Bent         532    204 38.3     1,639     307 18.7    Kiowa         80     15 18.8       667      46  6.9
  Boulder    13,227  3,532 26.7   192,882  26,181 13.6 Kit Carson      375     70 18.7     3,528     287  8.1
Broomfield    2,375    280 11.8    39,383   1,973  5.0  La Plata     2,398    407 17.0    31,857   2,776  8.7
  Chaffee     1,276    240 18.8     9,088     959 10.6    Lake         581    211 36.3     4,736     674 14.2
 Cheyenne       141     26 18.4       953     106 11.1   Larimer    15,965  3,602 22.6   197,072  26,113 13.3
Clear Creek     482     46  9.5     5,540     308  5.6 Las Animas    1,472    404 27.4     6,241   1,074 17.2
  Conejos       774    276 35.7     3,654     705 19.3   Lincoln       163     69 42.3     1,430     154 10.8
 Costilla       533    274 51.4     1,496     345 23.1    Logan      1,382    563 40.7    11,279   1,407 12.5
  Crowley       560    203 36.3     2,484     685 27.6    Mesa      10,748  3,469 32.3    76,922  10,602 13.8
  Custer        312     57 18.3     1,830     336 18.4   Mineral        64     43 67.2       431      42  9.7
   Delta      2,244    461 20.5    13,452   2,253 16.7   Moffat        722    291 40.3     7,058     759 10.8
  Denver     35,466 10,429 29.4   429,752  47,224 11.0  Montezuma    2,248    465 20.7    12,448   1,744 14.0
  Dolores       139     28 20.1       875     105 12.0  Montrose     3,108    908 29.2    19,635   2,847 14.5
  Douglas    10,515    874  8.3   191,971   6,091  3.2   Morgan      1,820    442 24.3    14,522   1,099  7.6
   Eagle      1,259    328 26.1    35,400   2,172  6.1    Otero      1,828    660 36.1     8,355   1,933 23.1
  El Paso    46,888  9,894 21.1   355,204  33,049  9.3    Ouray        247     41 16.6     2,500     330 13.2
  Elbert      1,109    119 10.7    14,783     604  4.1    Park       1,181    213 18.0     9,780     434  4.4
  Fremont     3,240  1,192 36.8    16,405   2,008 12.2  Phillips       194     64 33.0     2,220     117  5.3
 Garfield     2,405    353 14.7    33,522   2,436  7.3   Pitkin        253     24  9.5    11,656     853  7.3
  Gilpin        353     37 10.5     3,701     133  3.6   Prowers     1,081    447 41.4     5,634     760 13.5
Civilians with and without Disabilities in Poverty Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Colorado, by County: 2018
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2] Total Count % [1] Total Count % [2]
  Pueblo     16,583  5,568 33.6    78,534  12,011 15.3                                                       
Rio Blanco      268     37 13.8     3,339     348 10.4                                                       
Rio Grande    1,026    422 41.1     5,460     747 13.7                                                       
   Routt        648    158 24.4    15,856   1,586 10.0                                                       
 Saguache       606    134 22.1     3,049     486 15.9                                                       
 San Juan        30     11 36.7       293       9  3.1                                                       
San Miguel      266     71 26.7     5,220     471  9.0                                                       
 Sedgwick       190     70 36.8     1,006     143 14.2                                                       
  Summit      1,257    165 13.1    20,456   2,013  9.8                                                       
  Teller      1,630    326 20.0    13,110     965  7.4                                                       
Washington      167     42 25.1     2,355     198  8.4                                                       
   Weld      15,675  3,132 20.0   160,876  14,795  9.2                                                       
   Yuma         451     46 10.2     5,030     501 10.0                                                       
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                             
Count of Civilians in Poverty with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Colorado, by County: 2018

Poverty Rate for Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Colorado, by County: 2018

Discussion

There are a number of concepts and factors which complicate the interpretation of the estimates presented in this report. These concerns affect all statistics from population-based surveys. The estimates included in this document should be interpreted the following limitations in mind and generalized with caution. In each point, a link to the U.S. Census Bureau website describing the limitation or concept in greater detail in the ACS has been provided.

Additional links to resources for the ACS:

Glossary

American Community Survey (ACS) — The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multiyear estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses. See the U.S. Census Bureau website for additional details.

The Six Disability Questions in the American Community Survey:

  1. Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing? (yes or no)
  2. Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? (yes or no)
  3. (If person 5 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? (yes or no)
  4. (If person 5 years or old over) Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? (yes or no)
  5. (If person 5 years old or over) Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing? (yes or no)
  6. (If person 15 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? (yes or no)

Average — The sum of all of the values in a sample divided by the number of values in the sample.

Civilian — A person not in active-duty military.

Living in the Community – A person lives in the community, if the person is not living in an institution, such as jail, prison, nursing home, and hospital. A college dormitory is not considered an institution.

Median — The middle-most value of a sample that separates the upper half of the values from the lower half of the values. 

Non-Institutionalized Population — Describes individuals who are residing in the community and who are not living in institutions such as jails, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

 

Population — The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.

Poverty — The U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Statistical Policy, Directive 14 sets the standards for which poverty is calculated. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the dollar value of the appropriate threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered to be in poverty.

Poverty Rate — Percent of the population who are determined to be in poverty.

Range — The difference between the largest and smallest values in a sample. In a sample, when the smallest value is subtracted from the largest value the resulting value is called the range. 

Sampling Variability — The variation of a statistic when estimated from repeated samples.

United States Census Bureau — An agency within the United States Federal Statistical System tasked with producing data about the American people and economy. Their primary task is to conduct the United States Census every ten years.

About the Center

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the StatsRRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: American Association of People with Disabilities, Center for Essential Management Services, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Public Health Institute.

The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RTGE00010100, from 2018–2023.

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EPM-RRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the EPM-RRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: Association of University Centers on Disability, Hunter College, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and the University of Chicago.

The EPM-RRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RT503701, from 2015–2020.

Contact Information
University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03824
Toll-Free Telephone/TTY: 866-538-9521
E-mail: Disability.Statistics@unh.edu
https://www.researchondisability.org