Among Colorado counties, Rio Blanco had the highest percentage of property owners with mortgages who owe at least 25 percent more on their loans than their property is worth, according to an analysis by ATTOM Data Solutions looking at home equity at the end of the first quarter.
In Rio Blanco County, 31 percent of all properties with a mortgage were considered “seriously underwater.” Lincoln County had the second-highest rate at 27 percent, while Huerfano County was ranked third with 20 percent. The analysis is based on a home’s estimated market value.
In Colorado, owners of 51,726 properties with mortgages owe at least 25 percent more on their loans than their property is worth. The state ranks 50th in the U.S., with 4 percent of all properties with a mortgage considered “seriously underwater.”
In this analysis, only those counties where sufficient mortgage data was available were ranked.
Counties with highest rates of underwater mortgages
County | Population | Housing Units | Total Seriously Underwater | Percent Seriously Underwater |
Rio Blanco | 6,658 | 3,345 | 285 | 31% |
Lincoln | 5,515 | 1,973 | 143 | 27% |
Huerfano | 6,521 | 5,125 | 195 | 20% |
Las Animas | 14,322 | 8,303 | 310 | 20% |
Otero | 18,440 | 8,895 | 399 | 19% |
Prowers | 12,121 | 5,883 | 190 | 18% |
Pitkin | 17,543 | 13,069 | 746 | 16% |
Alamosa | 16,353 | 6,728 | 258 | 14% |
Yuma | 10,150 | 4,444 | 126 | 14% |
Ouray | 4,651 | 3,179 | 135 | 13% |
Moffat | 13,034 | 6,162 | 233 | 13% |
Custer | 4,375 | 4,245 | 126 | 12% |
Delta | 30,221 | 14,500 | 549 | 12% |
Rio Grande | 11,623 | 6,618 | 206 | 11% |
Montezuma | 26,006 | 12,003 | 380 | 11% |
Gunnison | 15,889 | 11,580 | 318 | 10% |
Archuleta | 12,355 | 8,965 | 205 | 9% |
Montrose | 40,866 | 18,351 | 537 | 9% |
Logan | 21,862 | 8,965 | 244 | 9% |
Eagle | 52,894 | 31,555 | 1,238 | 9% |
Chaffee | 18,507 | 10,348 | 332 | 8% |
Garfield | 57,495 | 23,386 | 1,014 | 8% |
Mesa | 148,166 | 64,219 | 2,788 | 8% |
Pueblo | 162,158 | 70,086 | 2,446 | 7% |
La Plata | 53,994 | 26,582 | 993 | 7% |
Grand | 14,490 | 16,269 | 413 | 7% |
San Miguel | 7,767 | 6,706 | 141 | 7% |
Fremont | 46,835 | 19,280 | 450 | 6% |
Routt | 23,980 | 16,405 | 386 | 6% |
Morgan | 28,288 | 11,474 | 270 | 6% |
Teller | 23,472 | 12,814 | 285 | 4% |
Larimer | 325,228 | 138,763 | 3,244 | 4% |
Elbert | 24,225 | 9,135 | 152 | 4% |
Weld | 278,065 | 100,935 | 2,679 | 4% |
El Paso | 665,171 | 265,480 | 6,257 | 4% |
Park | 16,440 | 14,165 | 205 | 4% |
Denver | 663,303 | 299,338 | 4,834 | 3% |
Douglas | 314,238 | 118,178 | 3,138 | 3% |
Broomfield | 62,449 | 25,543 | 561 | 3% |
Summit | 29,269 | 30,389 | 346 | 3% |
Arapahoe | 617,668 | 242,869 | 4,179 | 3% |
Boulder | 313,961 | 131,042 | 1,997 | 3% |
Adams | 479,977 | 166,058 | 2,899 | 3% |
Jefferson | 558,810 | 233,838 | 4,371 | 3% |