About one in five people in Cleburne County, Arkansas, has a disability
In Cleburne County, 22.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cleburne County's score
In Cleburne County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 82.0. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (29.2%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 87% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 66.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cleburne 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.
Cleburne County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (4.6%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (7.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 82.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202676th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.2% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 66.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.7% · 202463rd percentile
- People with a disability22.4% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,796 · 202480th percentile
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- 63.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.5% · August 202547th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people220.1 · 202579th percentile
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- 55.1 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 rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.4% · fiscal year 202757th percentile
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- 53.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.5% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.7% · second quarter of 202669th 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 Cleburne 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 Cleburne County, 27.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cleburne County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cleburne County had its largest rise, from 26.2% in 2004 to 32.8% in 2009.
In Cleburne County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 34.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Cleburne County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cleburne County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.1% in 2012 to 9.5% in 2013.
The share of households in Cleburne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 8.6%
Low on the chart: 8.0% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cleburne County, Arkansas.
How Cleburne County has changed
Cleburne County's population had its largest rise, from 10,216 in 1969 to 13,478 in 1974.
Cleburne County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25,646
High on the chart: 25,870 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cleburne County, Arkansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cleburne County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,575, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 6,878 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cleburne County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,615 | 2024 $55,796 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Cleburne County's history
1883
Formed on February 20, 1883 as Arkansas's youngest county at that time. Wikipedia
1976
A tornado in March 1976 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $32 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 25,970. The 2020 Census counted 24,711, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A tornado in March 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cleburne County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cleburne County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Cleburne County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cleburne County ranks 3rd of the six; Stone County is highest, at 45.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren County, AR | 84 | 16.7% | 44.2% |
| White County, AR | 80 | 17.4% | 29.3% |
| Stone County, AR | 74 | 17.7% | 45.5% |
| Cleburne County, AR | 73 | 13.4% | 34.1% |
| Independence County, AR | 65 | 17.0% | 29.8% |
| Faulkner County, AR | 52 | 12.5% | 22.7% |
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 Cleburne County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Cleburne County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 68th 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, Cleburne County ranks 50th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cleburne 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 Cleburne 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 Cleburne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.