Desha County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.8 | 10,479 people · 10th most distressed in Arkansas
American Default Research

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Desha County, AR shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.8 — 171st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Arkansas, it ranks 10th 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. Desha County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 90.8 — worse than roughly 91% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 90.8
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 82
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 78.9
Debt in Collections 94
Medical Debt 86
Student Loan Delinquency 9
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 71.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 46
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 78
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 64
Homeownership Rate 93
Rent-to-Income Ratio 76
Community Vulnerability 69.4
Uninsured Rate 54
Disability Rate 85
Employment & Wages 44.0
Unemployment Rate 95
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 24
Business Formation Rate 13

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Desha County
Desha County, AR 70.8 Serious —
Phillips County, AR 79.2 Serious +8.4
Bolivar County, MS 76.5 Serious +5.7
Chicot County, AR 72.6 Serious +1.8
Drew County, AR 66.9 Serious -4.0
Arkansas County, AR 61.6 Elevated -9.3
Lincoln County, AR 56.7 Elevated -14.2

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Desha County
Greene County, NC 70.9 Serious +0.0
Campbell County, TN 70.9 Serious +0.0
Martin County, NC 70.8 Serious -0.0
Hampton County, SC 70.9 Serious +0.1
Decatur County, GA 70.7 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Desha 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 Desha 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 Desha County, Arkansas?

    Desha County has a County Distress Index score of 70.8 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 171st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 10th in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Desha County?

    The primary driver of distress in Desha County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 90.8 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Desha County compare to neighboring counties?

    Desha County (70.8) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Phillips County, AR (79.2); Bolivar County, MS (76.5); Chicot County, AR (72.6).

  • 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 Desha County?

    Desha County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 10,479 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.