Colorado consistently ranks highly on lists of best places for businesses. And the state’s unemployment rate is 3.8 percent, the lowest in eight years and almost two percent lower than the national rate. However, some Coloradans aren’t sharing in the good times, including much of the eastern part of the state. Colorado Public Radio has published an interactive mapthat allows Coloradans to see how well their county is doing compared to neighbors.
The counties in the southeast are among the poorest in the state. Cheyenne is the only county in Eastern Colorado with a median income over $50,000. Nearby Prowers County, for example, has a median income of less than $35,000.
Black and Latino Coloradans have higher unemployment rates than Whites, and have lower median income. Women also bring in less money than men.