About one in four people in Bradley County, Arkansas, has a disability
In Bradley County, 23.1% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bradley County's score
In Bradley County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 95.0. People with a credit card behind: 13.4%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 89.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bradley 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.
Bradley County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind13.4% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind12.8% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score59.7% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 89.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202689th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.4% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 87.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.6% · 202488th percentile
- Children below the poverty line27.3% · 202487th percentile
- People with a disability23.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance12.5% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,808 · 202490th percentile
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- 81.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.8% · August 202589th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people197.9 · 202574th percentile
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- 34.5 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 rent9.4% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.5% · fiscal year 202758th 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 Bradley 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 Bradley County, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bradley County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bradley County had its largest rise, from 28.6% in 2004 to 39.8% in 2009.
In Bradley County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Bradley County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Bradley County getting SNAP food aid fell by about a quarter to 17.5%, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2021 and 2022
High on the chart: 24.4% 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, Bradley County, Arkansas.
How Bradley County has changed
Bradley County's population had its largest drop, from 13,081 in 1984 to 12,012 in 1989.
Bradley County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 29% since
High on the chart: 14,036 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bradley County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Bradley County had its largest drop in the last span, from 3,625 in 2020 to 3,401 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Bradley County fell 12% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 4,076 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bradley County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.4% | 2025 6.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.4% | 2024 20.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,672 | 2024 $50,808 |
The table uses 6.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Bradley County's history
1840
Formed on December 18, 1840. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 18,097. The 2020 Census counted 10,545, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1975
A tornado in March 1975 did $25 million in property damage and killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in April 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in September 2008 did $1.54 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bradley County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bradley County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Bradley County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bradley County ranks 2nd of the six; Ashley County is highest, at 39.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| Cleveland County, AR | 73 | 14.0% | 30.0% |
| Calhoun County, AR | 61 | 14.6% | 30.5% |
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 Bradley County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Bradley County's poverty rate was 20.6% in 2024, 18th 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, Bradley County ranks 18th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bradley 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 Bradley 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 Bradley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.