About one in four people in Ashley County, Arkansas, has a disability
In Ashley County, 25.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ashley County's score
In Ashley County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.8. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (31.9%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 89.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ashley County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Ashley County does better than most counties on one measure: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.9% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 89.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.3% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people295.7 · 202590th percentile
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- 85.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.4% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.4% · August 202577th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.9% · second quarter of 202692nd percentile
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- 83.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.0% · 202483rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.0% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability25.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance9.9% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,257 · 202484th percentile
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- 58.3 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.1% · fiscal year 202743rd percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Ashley County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Ashley County, 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ashley County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Ashley County had its largest rise, from 24.6% in 2004 to 33.3% in 2009.
In Ashley County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 39.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Ashley County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ashley County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 19.5% in 2018 to 16.3% in 2019.
The share of households in Ashley County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13.2%
High on the chart: 21.4% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ashley County, Arkansas.
How Ashley County has changed
Ashley County's population had its largest drop, from 26,045 in 1984 to 24,582 in 1989.
Ashley County's population fell by about a quarter to 17,984, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 26,748 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ashley County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Ashley County fell most sharply after its 2000 high, from 9,785 in 2000 to 8,339 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Ashley County fell 37% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 9,785 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ashley County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 6.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.8% | 2024 19.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,764 | 2024 $54,257 |
The table uses 6.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Ashley County's history
1848
Formed November 30, 1848 from portions of Drew, Chicot and Union Counties. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 26,785. The 2020 Census counted 19,062, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
1976
A tornado in February 1976 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in April 1979 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in November 2001 did $2 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in September 2008 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ashley County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ashley County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Ashley County, in Arkansas and Louisiana, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ashley County ranks 3rd of the seven; Morehouse Parish is highest, at 43.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morehouse Parish, LA | 98 | 28.5% | 43.7% |
| Chicot County, AR | 97 | 27.9% | 41.3% |
| Ashley County, AR | 96 | 19.0% | 39.3% |
| Bradley County, AR | 92 | 20.6% | 36.4% |
| Drew County, AR | 91 | 17.8% | 31.4% |
| Union County, AR | 89 | 16.8% | 28.2% |
| Union Parish, LA | 86 | 20.3% | 36.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Ashley County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Ashley County's poverty rate was 19.0% in 2024, 29th highest of 75 in Arkansas (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Lee County, at 41.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Ashley County ranks 9th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ashley County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of Arkansas
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Ashley County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Ashley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.