Food Insecurity, Poverty and Housing Costs in Denver County, Colorado: 2024 Data

In Denver County, 11.2% of residents live below the federal poverty line, higher than the Colorado rate (9.4%) and lower than the national rate (12.5%). Since 2015-2019, median household income rose 12.5% after adjusting for inflation, and the poverty rate fell from 12.9% to 11.2%. Among renter households, 47.6% spend 30% or more of their income on housing, lower than the Colorado rate of 52.9%, and 8.8% of households receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), about the same as the Colorado rate of 8.5%.

Population 718,877. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, released January 2026.

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Food insecurity and food access in Denver County

Feeding America estimates that 15.5% of Denver County residents, about 111,400 people, were food insecure in 2024, meaning they did not have reliable access to enough food, higher than the Colorado rate of 13.3%; among children, the rate was 20.8%. About 50.6% of food-insecure residents had incomes low enough for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (200% of the federal poverty level or less in Colorado), while 49.4% had incomes above that limit, likely too high to qualify. In 2019, 10.8% of Denver County residents lived far from a supermarket or large grocery store, lower than the Colorado rate of 21.5%; 4.3% of residents were both low income and far from one. In 2023, the county had 0.53 stores accepting SNAP benefits for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the Colorado rate of 0.53.

Sources: Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap 2026 (2024 estimates; Colorado figures from Feeding America's state estimates). U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Economic Research Service, Food Environment Atlas, released July 2025 (Colorado and U.S. figures calculated from county data).

Food insecurity rate

15.5%

Data year 2024

Colorado: 13.3%
Rank in Colorado: 21st highest of 64

Modeled estimate; not compared with earlier years because methods change

Estimated share of residents who did not have reliable access to enough food for an active, healthy life, 2024.

Child food insecurity rate

20.8%

Data year 2024

Colorado: 18.1%
Rank in Colorado: 30th highest of 64

Modeled estimate; not compared with earlier years because methods change

Estimated share of children under 18 living in food-insecure households, 2024.

Food-insecure people with incomes low enough for SNAP

50.6%

Data year 2024

Colorado: 49.4%
Rank in Colorado: 47th highest of 64

Modeled estimate; not compared with earlier years because methods change

Share of food-insecure people whose household income is at or below the state's income limit for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, 2024. The rest earn too much to qualify for SNAP.

Average cost of a meal

$4.15

Data year 2024

Colorado: $3.80
Rank in Colorado: 28th highest of 64

Modeled estimate; not compared with earlier years because methods change

Average amount food-secure residents spend on one meal, 2024.

Residents far from a supermarket

10.8%

Data year 2019

Colorado: 21.5%
United States: 22.2%
Rank in Colorado: 52nd highest of 64

No comparable earlier figure

Share of residents living more than 1 mile (in cities and towns) or more than 10 miles (in rural areas) from a supermarket or large grocery store, 2019.

Low-income residents far from a supermarket

4.3%

Data year 2019

Colorado: 5.0%
United States: 6.1%
Rank in Colorado: 40th highest of 64

No comparable earlier figure

Share of all residents who have low incomes and also live far from a supermarket or large grocery store, 2019.

Stores accepting SNAP per 1,000 residents

0.53

Data year 2023

Colorado: 0.53
United States: 0.76
Rank in Colorado: 48th highest of 64

About the same as in 2017 (0.48)

Stores authorized to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, such as supermarkets, grocery and convenience stores, per 1,000 residents, 2023.

Food insecurity, 2024 (percent, Feeding America estimates)

All residents

Denver CountyDenver15.5%

ColoradoCO13.3%

Children

Denver CountyDenver20.8%

ColoradoCO18.1%

Share of residents far from a supermarket, 2019 (percent)

All residents

Denver CountyDenver10.8%

ColoradoCO21.5%

United StatesU.S.22.2%

Low-income residents

Denver CountyDenver4.3%

ColoradoCO5.0%

United StatesU.S.6.1%

Stores accepting SNAP per 1,000 residents, 2023

Stores accepting SNAP per 1,000 residents

Denver CountyDenver0.53

ColoradoCO0.53

United StatesU.S.0.76

Key indicators

Poverty rate

11.2%

Margin of error ±0.5 points

Colorado: 9.4%
United States: 12.5%
Rank in Colorado: 30th highest of 64

Down from 12.9% in 2015-2019

Share of residents whose household income is below the federal poverty line.

Children in poverty

16.0%

Margin of error ±1.5 points

Colorado: 11.1%
United States: 16.1%
Rank in Colorado: 27th highest of 64

Down from 18.2% in 2015-2019

Share of children under 18 living in households below the federal poverty line.

Households receiving SNAP

8.8%

Margin of error ±0.5 points

Colorado: 8.5%
United States: 12.1%
Rank in Colorado: 37th highest of 64

No statistically clear change since 2015-2019 (was 8.3%)

Share of households that received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, often called food stamps, in the past 12 months.

Uninsured rate

9.0%

Margin of error ±0.4 points

Colorado: 7.7%
United States: 8.4%
Rank in Colorado: 28th highest of 64

No statistically clear change since 2015-2019 (was 9.3%)

Share of the civilian, non-institutionalized population with no health insurance.

Renters paying 30%+ of income

47.6%

Margin of error ±1.2 points

Colorado: 52.9%
United States: 51.1%
Rank in Colorado: 41st highest of 64

No statistically clear change since 2015-2019 (was 47.1%)

Share of renter households spending 30% or more of household income on rent and utilities, the usual line for being cost burdened.

Renters paying 50%+ of income

22.2%

Margin of error ±0.9 points

Colorado: 25.8%
United States: 25.9%
Rank in Colorado: 42nd highest of 64

No statistically clear change since 2015-2019 (was 22.8%)

Share of renter households spending half or more of household income on rent and utilities, often called severely cost burdened.

Median household income

$94,718

Margin of error ±$1,644

Colorado: $95,470
United States: $80,734
Rank in Colorado: 15th highest of 64

Up 12.5% since 2015-2019 after adjusting for inflation (was $84,162 in 2024 dollars)

Half of households earn more than this and half earn less, in 2024 dollars.

How Denver County compares

Denver County compared with Colorado and the U.S., 2020-2024 (percent)

Poverty rate

Denver CountyDenver11.2%

ColoradoCO9.4%

United StatesU.S.12.5%

Children in poverty

Denver CountyDenver16.0%

ColoradoCO11.1%

United StatesU.S.16.1%

Households receiving SNAP

Denver CountyDenver8.8%

ColoradoCO8.5%

United StatesU.S.12.1%

No health insurance

Denver CountyDenver9.0%

ColoradoCO7.7%

United StatesU.S.8.4%

Renters paying 30%+ on rent

Denver CountyDenver47.6%

ColoradoCO52.9%

United StatesU.S.51.1%

Renters paying 50%+ on rent

Denver CountyDenver22.2%

ColoradoCO25.8%

United StatesU.S.25.9%

Median household income, 2020-2024 (2024 dollars)

Median household income

Denver CountyDenver$94,718

ColoradoCO$95,470

United StatesU.S.$80,734

Show the numbers as a table

Indicator	Denver County	Margin of error	Colorado	United States	Denver County, 2015-2019
Poverty rate	11.2%	±0.5 points	9.4%	12.5%	12.9%
Children in poverty	16.0%	±1.5 points	11.1%	16.1%	18.2%
Households receiving SNAP	8.8%	±0.5 points	8.5%	12.1%	8.3%
Uninsured rate	9.0%	±0.4 points	7.7%	8.4%	9.3%
Renters paying 30%+ of income	47.6%	±1.2 points	52.9%	51.1%	47.1%
Renters paying 50%+ of income	22.2%	±0.9 points	25.8%	25.9%	22.8%
Median household income	$94,718	±$1,644	$95,470	$80,734	$68,592

2015-2019 income is shown in 2019 dollars; the income card adjusts it to 2024 dollars.

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Sources and methodology

Source. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2020-2024 (released January 2026) and 2015-2019. Tables: S1701 (poverty), S2201 (SNAP), S2701 (health insurance), B25070 (rent as a share of income), B19013 (median household income), B01003 (population). About the ACS.
Why five years. Five-year estimates pool survey responses so that every county, including the smallest, has a figure. The year in the title refers to the 2020-2024 period.
Margins of error. Each Census figure is a survey estimate. The margin of error shows the range that contains the true value with 90% confidence. We mark a figure "Use with caution" when its margin of error is large relative to the estimate (a coefficient of variation above 30%).
Comparisons and change. For Census figures, "higher than," "lower than," and "about the same as" come from statistical tests at the 90% confidence level, not from the raw difference. We compare 2020-2024 with 2015-2019 because the Census Bureau advises against comparing overlapping five-year periods. Income is adjusted for inflation with the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Rank. Rank compares Denver County with all Colorado counties that have an estimate, where 1st is the highest value. Nearby ranks may not differ meaningfully once margins of error are considered.
Food insecurity. Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap 2026 (2024 estimates), used with permission. Recommended citation: Ribar, D.C., Harris, V., Dewey, A., Dawes, S., Hilvers, J., and Engelhard, E. (2026). Map the Meal Gap: An Analysis of Local Food Insecurity and Food Costs in the United States in 2024. Feeding America National Organization. These are modeled estimates, not direct counts: Feeding America estimates each county's rate from local unemployment, poverty, income, housing and other factors. Feeding America advises against comparing estimates across years because its methods change, so we show 2024 only. Colorado figures come from Feeding America's state estimates. The income limit for SNAP is the state's gross income limit as a share of the federal poverty level. Explore Map the Meal Gap.
Food access. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Food Environment Atlas (released July 2025). "Far from a supermarket" means more than 1 mile away in cities and towns or more than 10 miles away in rural areas (2019). Stores accepting SNAP are counted per 1,000 residents (2023, compared with 2017). USDA publishes county figures only, so the Colorado and U.S. figures are calculated by adding up county counts and the population behind each county's rate (for a county with a 0% rate, its population comes from the store count instead). These are counts and mapped distances, not survey estimates, so they have no margin of error; we call a difference "about the same" when it is within 10%.
Rent burden. Renter households paying 30% (or 50%) or more of household income on gross rent, out of renter households where the share could be computed.
This page shows public data only. County identifier: Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code 08031.