Unemployment in Desha County, Arkansas, is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Desha County, 7.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Desha County's score
In Desha County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 94.7. People with a credit card behind: 11.0%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 94.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Desha 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.
Desha County does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (7.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 94.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.0% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.7% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score58.2% · second quarter of 202694th percentile
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- 94.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.8% · August 202594th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people572.6 · 2025top 5%
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- 94.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.8% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 84.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.9% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line36.1% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability22.2% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,736 · 2024top 5%
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- 63.8 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 rent18.8% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd 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 Desha 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 Desha County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Desha County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Desha County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 36.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Desha County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Desha County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 27.5% in 2019 to 22.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Desha County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 20.3% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Desha County, Arkansas.
How Desha County has changed
Desha County's population had its largest drop, from 18,793 in 1984 to 17,067 in 1989.
Desha County's population fell by about half to 10,321, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 19,813 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Desha County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Desha County had its largest drop, from 5,083 in 2005 to 4,228 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Desha County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 30% since
High on the chart: 5,667 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Desha County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.4% | 2025 7.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 30.2% | 2024 25.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,801 | 2024 $46,736 |
The table uses 7.2% for 2025; the score uses 7.0% 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 Desha County's history
1838
Created December 12, 1838 from Arkansas County and Chicot County. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 27,160. The 2020 Census counted 11,395, 42% of the peak. Census Bureau
1942
Rohwer War Relocation Center: internment camp for Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans, 1942-1945. Wikipedia
2007
A tornado in February 2007 did $45 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in March 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in April 2008 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in May 2019 did $1,000,000 in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Desha County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Desha County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Desha County, in Arkansas and Mississippi, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Desha County ranks 4th of the seven; Phillips County is highest, at 43.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips County, AR | 99 | 35.8% | 43.4% |
| Bolivar County, MS | 99 | 30.0% | 37.0% |
| Desha County, AR | 98 | 25.9% | 36.7% |
| Chicot County, AR | 97 | 27.9% | 41.3% |
| Arkansas County, AR | 95 | 20.0% | 26.4% |
| Drew County, AR | 91 | 17.8% | 31.4% |
| Lincoln County, AR | 86 | 25.8% | 32.8% |
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 Desha County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Desha County's poverty rate was 25.9% in 2024, 5th 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, Desha County ranks 4th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Desha 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.
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 Desha County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.