Howard County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Serious · 69.9 | 12,533 people · 13th most distressed in Arkansas
American Default Research

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Howard County, AR shows significant household financial distress with a score of 69.9 — 214th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Debt & Delinquency, where residents carry heavy debt burdens with elevated delinquency and collections rates. Within Arkansas, it ranks 13th of 75 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Howard County's primary driver is Debt & Delinquency at 75.3 — worse than roughly 75% of U.S. counties.

Debt & Delinquency Primary driver 75.3
Debt in Collections 87
Medical Debt 94
Student Loan Delinquency 61
Auto Loan Delinquency 83
Credit Card Delinquency 80
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 47
Employment & Wages 75.0
Unemployment Rate 87
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 43
Business Formation Rate 94
Community Vulnerability 73.8
Uninsured Rate 75
Disability Rate 72
Income & Poverty 71.5
Poverty Rate 77
Income vs. State Median 66
Child Poverty Rate 72
Housing Cost Burden 54.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 82
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 50
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 11
Homeownership Rate 65
Rent-to-Income Ratio 62

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Howard County
Howard County, AR 69.9 Serious —
Montgomery County, AR 70.5 Serious +0.6
Hempstead County, AR 66.3 Serious -3.6
Pike County, AR 63.8 Elevated -6.1
Polk County, AR 62.8 Elevated -7.2
Sevier County, AR 61.7 Elevated -8.2
Little River County, AR 58.3 Elevated -11.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Howard County
Haywood County, TN 69.8 Serious -0.1
Candler County, GA 69.8 Serious -0.1
Torrance County, NM 69.8 Serious -0.1
Danville city, VA 70.0 Serious +0.1
Elbert County, GA 69.8 Serious -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County, Arkansas?

    Howard County has a County Distress Index score of 69.9 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 214th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 13th in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Howard County?

    The primary driver of distress in Howard County is Debt & Delinquency, where the county scores 75.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Debt in Collections, Medical Debt, Student Loan Delinquency.

  • How does Howard County compare to neighboring counties?

    Howard County (69.9) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Montgomery County, AR (70.5); Hempstead County, AR (66.3); Pike County, AR (63.8).

  • 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 Howard County?

    Howard County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 12,533 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.