Ashley County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Serious · 68.8 | 18,262 people · 17th most distressed in Arkansas
American Default Research

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Ashley County, AR shows significant household financial distress with a score of 68.8 — 267th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Arkansas, it ranks 17th of 75 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Ashley County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 87.8 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 87.8
Debt in Collections 89
Medical Debt 94
Student Loan Delinquency 89
Auto Loan Delinquency 78
Credit Card Delinquency 87
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 91
Community Vulnerability 73.8
Uninsured Rate 55
Disability Rate 93
Income & Poverty 71.4
Poverty Rate 80
Income vs. State Median 55
Child Poverty Rate 80
Employment & Wages 56.3
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 14
Business Formation Rate 60
Housing Cost Burden 54.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 49
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 75
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 36
Homeownership Rate 61
Rent-to-Income Ratio 52

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Ashley County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Ashley County
Ashley County, AR 68.8 Serious —
Chicot County, AR 72.6 Serious +3.8
Bradley County, AR 72.4 Serious +3.6
Morehouse Parish, LA 70.3 Serious +1.5
Drew County, AR 66.9 Serious -2.0
Union Parish, LA 59.7 Elevated -9.1
Union County, AR 58.4 Elevated -10.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Ashley County
Natchitoches Parish, LA 68.8 Serious 0.0
Hendry County, FL 68.8 Serious -0.0
Socorro County, NM 68.8 Serious +0.0
Nolan County, TX 68.9 Serious +0.0
Early County, GA 68.8 Serious -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Ashley County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Ashley County

Find an Attorney

Arkansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Arkansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 1-800-609-5668

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Ashley County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of Arkansas 1-800-950-5817
Center for Arkansas Legal Services 1-800-950-5817

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Ashley County, Arkansas?

    Ashley County has a County Distress Index score of 68.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 267th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 17th in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Ashley County?

    The primary driver of distress in Ashley County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 87.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Ashley County compare to neighboring counties?

    Ashley County (68.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Chicot County, AR (72.6); Bradley County, AR (72.4); Morehouse Parish, LA (70.3).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Ashley County?

    Ashley County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 18,262 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.