New report reveals health gaps in rural Colorado communities

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment (DPHE) released its new rural health report, which shows rural communities in the state continue to see persistent barriers to access in healthcare and other essential services.

The report, which is released as part of a 2021 law to regularly report on the health status of specific populations, covers data from at least 2019-2024. Different indexes look at different years, based on when the data was most readily available.

This year's report, titled "The Well-Being of Place," focuses on how to understand and close the gap for health equity in rural Colorado, according to officials.

DPHE says it collected data from DPHE's Vital Statistics Program, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and Immunization Program. It also used state demography and U.S. Census Bureau data.

The state's Division of Housing is responsible for classifying communities as urban, rural or rural resort. Only 13 counties in Colorado are considered urban, including El Paso, Teller and Pueblo counties. All others are classified as rural or rural resort, according to Colorado's Department of Local Affairs.

According to the report, one in seven Coloradans lives in a rural community, which is around 14% of the state's population.

Southeastern parts of the state, including Pueblo County, have the highest numbers of people on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The report also showed that southern Colorado, specifically Las Animas, Otero and Huerfano counties, has some of the highest shares of people with disabilities.

DPHE's report showed that on the 20 health outcomes the department looked at, rural communities were worse off on 15 of them. The report showed that a closer look at regional data found rural areas in southern and eastern Colorado experienced some of the worst outcomes.

On the other hand, rural resort communities were found to have better outcomes than urban communities on 87% of the indicators. DPHE noted that sometimes county-level data could have the potential to skew results. The department says, though the numbers seemed positive, qualitative analysis, or analysis based on people rather than data, highlighted ongoing issues related to housing costs, mental health, transportation and access to health care in rural resort areas.

When looking at the social aspects of health in rural and rural resort areas, DPHE found that rural communities had less favorable outcomes on over 50% of the indicators compared to urban communities. Rural resort communities fared better on 50% of outcomes, and less favorably on 20% of them.

Rural areas fared particularly worse on premature mortality, heart disease deaths and suicide deaths compared to urban communities, and statewide. For the most part, rural resort communities fared better or equal when compared to urban communities.

The report shows rural residents faced a higher uninsured rate, more economic instability, educational barriers and more significant transportation barriers that limit access to essential services. One major area rural Colorado fared better was in areas of social cohesion, including feeling safer in their communities and having more belonging.

Rural and rural resort communities reported higher social association rates compared to urban communities, highlighting their sense of self in communities.

DPHE ended its report with potential approaches to fix the disparities between rural and urban communities highlighted in the report. Solutions included school-based health centers in rural areas that would expand access to health care and mental health support. There are current sites clustered in the western and central parts of the state.

DPHE also suggests prioritizing participatory policymaking. The department says state and local leaders should start to engage residents in rural areas earlier in the process, address barriers to participation and allow multiple ways to participate.

The full report from 2026 is available on DPHE's website.

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