About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Jackson County, Arkansas, is not working
In Jackson County, 35.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 92.4. People with a credit card behind: 12.1%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 88.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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.
Jackson County is worse off than the typical U.S. county on every measure in the score.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind12.1% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score53.8% · second quarter of 202687th percentile
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- 88.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.1% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line34.0% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability22.6% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- People without health insurance9.7% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,377 · 202494th percentile
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- 79.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202664th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working35.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 79.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.9% · August 202589th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people178.7 · 202569th percentile
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- 61.9 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 rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.0% · fiscal year 202771st 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jackson County had its largest rise, from 28.0% in 2004 to 35.2% in 2009.
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.7% in 2012 to 23.4% in 2013.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 19.3%
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 20.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jackson County, Arkansas.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest drop, from 20,825 in 1984 to 19,015 in 1989.
Jackson County's population fell by about a fifth to 16,673, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 21,927 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, Arkansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County fell 11% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 5,984 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.4% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.9% | 2024 25.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,763 | 2024 $47,377 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Jackson County's history
1829
Established November 5, 1829. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 27,943. The 2020 Census counted 16,755, 60% of the peak. Census Bureau
1968
A tornado in May 1968 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A tornado in March 1997 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A tornado in March 1997 did $10 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
35 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 19 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Jackson County scores higher than all seven counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jackson County ranks 5th of the eight; Lawrence County is highest, at 39.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, AR | 95 | 25.1% | 30.2% |
| Woodruff County, AR | 93 | 25.6% | 34.6% |
| Poinsett County, AR | 92 | 22.1% | 34.8% |
| Lawrence County, AR | 90 | 21.2% | 39.0% |
| Craighead County, AR | 88 | 18.4% | 24.3% |
| Cross County, AR | 85 | 18.4% | 33.7% |
| White County, AR | 80 | 17.4% | 29.3% |
| 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 Jackson County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 25.1% in 2024, 8th 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, Jackson County ranks 13th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.