About one in five people in Independence County, Arkansas, has a disability
In Independence County, 19.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 77% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Independence County's score
In Independence County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 74.6. People with a car or retail loan behind: 8.0%, August 2025, higher than in 83% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 71.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Independence 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.
Independence County does better than most counties on two measures: unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.0% · August 202583rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.7% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
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- 71.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.0% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.7% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance10.0% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,616 · 202479th percentile
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- 61.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.3% · August 202565th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people143.5 · 202557th percentile
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- 48.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202633rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.1% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 41.0 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202739th 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 Independence 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 Independence County, 17.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Independence County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Independence County had its largest rise, from 22.9% in 2004 to 30.0% in 2009.
In Independence County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Independence County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Independence County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.4% in 2017 to 10.7% in 2018.
The share of households in Independence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 13.7%
Low on the chart: 9.6% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Independence County, Arkansas.
How Independence County has changed
Independence County's population nearly doubled to 38,345, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 28,959. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Independence County, Arkansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Independence County rose by about a third to 17,752, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 17,752. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Independence County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 17.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,862 | 2024 $56,616 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Independence County's history
1832
President Andrew Jackson appointed Jesse Bean in 1832 to command a newly formed cavalry company tasked with patrolling the western frontier, known as Bean's Rangers. Wikipedia
1968
A tornado in May 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed seven people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in March 2008 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 37,938, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Independence County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Independence County beside its neighbors
All seven counties that border Independence County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Independence County ranks 7th of the eight; Stone County is highest, at 45.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, AR | 95 | 25.1% | 30.2% |
| Lawrence County, AR | 90 | 21.2% | 39.0% |
| Sharp County, AR | 84 | 18.9% | 41.7% |
| Izard County, AR | 83 | 21.3% | 44.1% |
| 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% |
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 Independence County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Independence County's poverty rate was 17.0% in 2024, 42nd 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, Independence County ranks 61st of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Independence 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 Independence 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 Independence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.