In Izard County, Arkansas, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2017
In 2024, 44 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Izard County's score
In Izard County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 92.3. Unemployment averaged 6.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 93% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 82.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Izard 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.
Izard County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (9.4%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (98.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.1% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 82.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.3% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.9% · 202479th percentile
- People with a disability23.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.4% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,992 · 202494th percentile
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- 81.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.7% · August 202589th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.5% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.5% · second quarter of 202668th percentile
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- 53.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.2% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people98.8 · 202535th percentile
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- 40.0 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 rent9.4% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202769th 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 Izard 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 Izard County, 25.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Izard County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Izard County had its largest rise, from 32.5% in 2004 to 41.9% in 2009.
In Izard County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Arkansas
In Izard County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Izard County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 15.2% in 2017 to 12.8% in 2018; 12.0% in 2023 to 14.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Izard County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 14.4%
Low on the chart: 11.4% 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, Izard County, Arkansas.
How Izard County has changed
Izard County's population doubled to 14,291, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 9,429. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Izard County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Izard County had its largest rise, from 2,620 in 1995 to 3,032 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Izard County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 2,620 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Izard County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 19.3% | 2024 21.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,934 | 2024 $47,992 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% 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 Izard County's history
1825
Formed October 27, 1825; Arkansas's 13th county. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 14,561. The 2020 Census counted 13,577, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Heavy rain in January 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $11.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in March 2008 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Izard County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Izard County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Izard County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Izard County ranks 3rd of the six; Fulton County is highest, at 47.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp County, AR | 84 | 18.9% | 41.7% |
| Izard County, AR | 83 | 21.3% | 44.1% |
| Fulton County, AR | 74 | 16.3% | 47.3% |
| Stone County, AR | 74 | 17.7% | 45.5% |
| Baxter County, AR | 66 | 14.0% | 39.4% |
| 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 Izard County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Izard County's poverty rate was 21.3% in 2024, 14th 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, Izard County ranks 38th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Izard 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 Izard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.