In 2022, Social Security transfers in Mesa County totaled $665.14 million, amounting to $4,193 per capita, or 32.1% of total government transfers, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
Among all government transfer programs, Social Security was the largest contributor in the county. Medicaid was the second largest contributor, totaling $489.44 million, equating to $3,085 per capita and making up 23.6% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Social Security transfers across Colorado amounted to $18.02 billion, ranking highest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $3,086 per capita, or 30.8% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $58.47 billion, accounting for 13.2% of residents’ total income, with an average of $10,012 per resident.
Medicare was the third largest contributor in Mesa County in 2022, accounting for $398.45 million, averaging $2,512 per capita, representing 19.2% of transfers. Income Maintenance transfers provided another $251.07 million, averaging $1,583 per capita and comprising 12.1% of government support, making them the smallest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 21% of the population aged 65 and older, Mesa County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Mesa County, excluding government transfers was $41,573, which is noticeably below the county’s total income of $54,654, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Mesa County saw an increase in its Social Security transfer dependency by 0.4%, reflecting both rising transfer amounts and stagnating or insufficient other sources of income.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Mesa County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 11.4% (or $2,366 per capita) in 1970 to 23.9% (or $13,082 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso County | 1 | 18.7% | 14% | 4.7% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 2.3% | $11,388 |
| Denver County | 2 | 8.3% | 12.6% | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 1.4% | $9,343 |
| Arapahoe County | 3 | 12.5% | 14.5% | 3.8% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 1.8% | $9,566 |
| Jefferson County | 4 | 12.9% | 17.9% | 4.6% | 3.4% | 2.3% | 1.3% | $10,279 |
| Adams County | 5 | 15.8% | 11.3% | 4.2% | 2.8% | 4.4% | 2.8% | $8,626 |
| Larimer County | 6 | 14.2% | 17.3% | 5.1% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 1.6% | $9,605 |
| Weld County | 7 | 14.3% | 12.9% | 4.3% | 3.1% | 3% | 2.2% | $8,392 |
| Boulder County | 8 | 9% | 16.4% | 3.3% | 2.2% | 1.5% | 1% | $8,869 |
| Douglas County | 9 | 7.5% | 13.9% | 3% | 1.9% | 0.8% | 0.7% | $7,413 |
| Pueblo County | 10 | 31.9% | 19.6% | 7.8% | 6.6% | 9% | 4.7% | $15,055 |
| Mesa County | 11 | 23.9% | 21% | 7.7% | 4.6% | 5.6% | 2.9% | $13,081 |
| Fremont County | 12 | 31.4% | 22.7% | 10.5% | 6.9% | 6.8% | 3.6% | $13,363 |
| Montrose County | 13 | 27.6% | 25.9% | 9.6% | 6% | 5.7% | 3.3% | $14,051 |
| Broomfield County | 14 | 9.1% | 15.7% | 3.4% | 2.5% | 1.2% | 1% | $7,937 |
| La Plata County | 15 | 15.2% | 20.8% | 5.7% | 3.4% | 2.5% | 1.7% | $10,437 |
| Garfield County | 16 | 14.2% | 14.6% | 4.3% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 2% | $9,334 |
| Delta County | 17 | 31.8% | 28.1% | 11.3% | 7.1% | 6.1% | 3.7% | $15,151 |
| Montezuma County | 18 | 29.2% | 24.6% | 9.6% | 6.5% | 6.6% | 3.6% | $14,764 |
| Eagle County | 19 | 5.8% | 14.7% | 2.2% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.8% | $6,538 |
| Teller County | 20 | 22.1% | 25.7% | 8.2% | 4.7% | 3.3% | 1.9% | $14,445 |
| Morgan County | 21 | 21.8% | 16.2% | 6% | 5.3% | 5.5% | 3.3% | $11,054 |
| Otero County | 22 | 39.9% | 21.2% | 9% | 8% | 11.4% | 6.3% | $16,549 |
| Las Animas County | 23 | 39.5% | 26.3% | 11% | 7.6% | 10.8% | 5% | $17,582 |
| Chaffee County | 24 | 19.3% | 26% | 7.8% | 5.1% | 2.5% | 1.8% | $12,448 |
| Elbert County | 25 | 11.7% | 18.8% | 4.9% | 2.6% | 1.3% | 1.2% | $8,884 |
| Logan County | 26 | 23.7% | 19.6% | 6.9% | 6.1% | 5.2% | 3.3% | $11,801 |
| Routt County | 27 | 7.3% | 18.8% | 2.9% | 1.6% | 1% | 0.7% | $8,675 |
| Alamosa County | 28 | 29.7% | 15.2% | 6.6% | 5.6% | 8.6% | 6% | $12,782 |
| Archuleta County | 29 | 26.1% | 28.6% | 10.4% | 6.2% | 3.6% | 2.5% | $14,359 |
| Park County | 30 | 17.8% | 23.8% | 7.2% | 3.9% | 2.4% | 1.8% | $10,909 |
| Summit County | 31 | 6.7% | 15.6% | 2.7% | 1.4% | 0.8% | 0.9% | $6,351 |
| Rio Grande County | 32 | 29.2% | 22.3% | 8.8% | 6% | 6.7% | 5% | $15,912 |
| Prowers County | 33 | 31.1% | 18.4% | 7.1% | 6.8% | 8.5% | 5.8% | $14,078 |
| Moffat County | 34 | 26.4% | 17.2% | 7.5% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 3.5% | $12,562 |
| Pitkin County | 35 | 4.3% | 23.1% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 0.3% | $9,234 |
| Gunnison County | 36 | 12.9% | 14.7% | 4% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 1.4% | $8,461 |
| Grand County | 37 | 12.6% | 21% | 4.9% | 3.1% | 1.5% | 1.4% | $8,551 |
| Huerfano County | 38 | 38.3% | 31.9% | 11.8% | 8.7% | 8.1% | 5.3% | $18,915 |
| Conejos County | 39 | 34.8% | 20.6% | 8.6% | 7.1% | 9.3% | 6.8% | $15,068 |
| Yuma County | 40 | 24.6% | 18.1% | 7.4% | 7% | 4.8% | 3.7% | $11,074 |
| Kit Carson County | 41 | 28.4% | 21.3% | 8.3% | 8.8% | 5.4% | 3.8% | $12,418 |
| Rio Blanco County | 42 | 23.1% | 18.3% | 6.5% | 8.2% | 3.6% | 2.3% | $13,073 |
| Clear Creek County | 43 | 11.7% | 23% | 5.2% | 2.2% | 1.6% | 1.4% | $9,031 |
| Custer County | 44 | 30.7% | 34.1% | 13.6% | 7.3% | 2.6% | 2.6% | $15,566 |
| Saguache County | 45 | 31.3% | 26.4% | 9.4% | 7.1% | 6.8% | 5.1% | $11,649 |
| Bent County | 46 | 40.4% | 20.5% | 8.8% | 8.3% | 11.6% | 7.1% | $13,317 |
| Costilla County | 47 | 48.3% | 28% | 13.9% | 9.6% | 11.4% | 8.4% | $19,118 |
| Lake County | 48 | 16.9% | 15.3% | 5.1% | 3.8% | 3% | 2.9% | $8,758 |
| Phillips County | 49 | 28.5% | 21.9% | 7.6% | 11% | 4.8% | 3.1% | $13,689 |
| Ouray County | 50 | 13.5% | 31.5% | 6.6% | 3.1% | 1% | 1.1% | $11,899 |
| Lincoln County | 51 | 31.5% | 18.6% | 8.8% | 8.6% | 7% | 4.3% | $10,939 |
| Washington County | 52 | 28% | 22.5% | 8.7% | 7.6% | 5.7% | 3.5% | $12,085 |
| San Miguel County | 53 | 5.2% | 18.1% | 2% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 0.7% | $7,219 |
| Baca County | 54 | 36.6% | 25.4% | 9.3% | 10.5% | 10.1% | 4.4% | $16,728 |
| Gilpin County | 55 | 14.3% | 21% | 5.9% | 3.1% | 1.9% | 1.7% | $9,466 |
| Crowley County | 56 | 43.8% | 14.4% | 10% | 9% | 12.9% | 7.7% | $9,745 |
| Sedgwick County | 57 | 38.9% | 31.3% | 12.4% | 12.2% | 6.9% | 4% | $17,119 |
| Dolores County | 58 | 32.6% | 23.6% | 10.2% | 9.6% | 6% | 3.4% | $12,693 |
| Cheyenne County | 59 | 25.9% | 22% | 7.3% | 7.5% | 6.5% | 3.2% | $13,615 |
| Kiowa County | 60 | 29.9% | 26.1% | 8.1% | 11.1% | 6% | 3.4% | $15,475 |
| Jackson County | 61 | 19.7% | 27.4% | 6.9% | 5.1% | 3.1% | 2.6% | $12,495 |
| Mineral County | 62 | 19.7% | 30.3% | 9.1% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 1.5% | $13,363 |
| Hinsdale County | 63 | 24.1% | 34.8% | 10% | 7% | 2.7% | 1.8% | $14,737 |
| San Juan County | 64 | 18% | 23.2% | 7.4% | 3.2% | 2.5% | 2.7% | $9,570 |
