In Benton County, Arkansas, benefit checks make up only 8 cents of every dollar of income

In Benton County, 7.6% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
75th
of 75 counties in Arkansas
14score /100

Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.

What drives Benton County's score

In Benton County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 45.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.5. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 16.4% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Benton 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.

Benton County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    Biggest factor
    45.0 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      20.1% · August 2025
      38th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      128.6 · 2025
      51st percentile

  • Late payments

    36.3 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      4.9% · August 2025
      39th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      4.8% · August 2025
      44th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      33.7% · second quarter of 2026
      24th percentile

  • Jobs

    25.2 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      21st percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      17.3% · 2020 to 2024
      28th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    19.3 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      8.4% · 2024
      10th percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      8.8% · 2024
      8th percentile
    • People with a disability
      10.1% · 2020 to 2024
      4th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      9.5% · 2020 to 2024
      62nd percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $92,077 · 2024
      9th percentile

  • Housing costs

    14.5 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      12.2% · 2020 to 2024
      19th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      16.4% · fiscal year 2027
      9th percentile

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 Benton 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 Benton County, 13.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Benton County

38 55 8

Arkansas

53 24 23

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Benton County, pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks, and benefit checks' share of income is smaller than in 1969

In Benton County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income fell from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Benton County, Arkansas American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/arkansas/benton-county-ar/
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The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 6.4% in 2010 to 7.5% in 2011; 7.8% in 2015 to 6.7% in 2016.

The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half

Biggest drop: 2015 to 2016, reaching 6.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Benton County, Arkansas.

0%5%9% 5.7%3.9% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%5%9% 5.7%3.9% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/arkansas/benton-county-ar/
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How Benton County has changed

Benton County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 277,645 in 2019 to 321,566 in 2024.

Benton County's population grew to about seven times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 321,566, with no dip in any year shown

Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 84,046. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Benton County, Arkansas.

0200,000400,000 49,171321,566 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0200,000400,000 49,171321,566 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/arkansas/benton-county-ar/
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The number of jobs located in Benton County had its largest rise in the last span, from 123,031 in 2020 to 150,665 in 2025.

The number of jobs located in Benton County more than tripled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 150,665, with no dip in any year shown

Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 91,502. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Benton County, Arkansas.

0100,000200,000 43,922150,665 19901995200020052010201520202025 0100,000200,000 43,922150,665 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/arkansas/benton-county-ar/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 3.6% 2025 3.2% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 8.9% 2024 8.4% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $24,715 2024 $92,077 Census SAIPE

Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.

Dated events in Benton County's history

  1. 1836

    Created from neighboring Washington County by the Arkansas General Assembly on September 30, 1836. Wikipedia

  2. 1901

    Benton County became leading apple-producing county in nation. Wikipedia

  3. 2011

    A flash flood in April 2011 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 2011

    A flash flood in May 2011 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 284,333, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  6. 2022

    A flash flood in August 2022 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  7. 2024

    A tornado in May 2024 did $80 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  8. Since 1969

    25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Benton County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA

Benton County beside its neighbors

All seven counties that border Benton County, in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, score higher than it does. Of the group, Benton County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Adair County gets the largest, at 38.5%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Adair County, OK 95 2nd of 77 22.4% 38.5%
Delaware County, OK 84 18th of 77 18.3% 35.9%
McDonald County, MO 69 30th of 115 18.0% 26.9%
Carroll County, AR 69 57th of 75 16.4% 30.4%
Madison County, AR 56 67th of 75 12.9% 27.1%
Barry County, MO 55 47th of 115 15.7% 29.7%
Washington County, AR 41 73rd of 75 13.5% 16.7%
Benton County, AR 14 75th of 75 8.4% 7.6%

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 Benton County the poorest county in Arkansas?

No, Benton County's poverty rate was 8.4% in 2024, the lowest 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, Benton County ranks 75th of 75 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Benton 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.

Arkansas foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Benton County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Benton County, Arkansas, scores 14 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/arkansas/benton-county-ar/

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 Benton County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.