Jefferson County, Arkansas
More than double the national median for credit card delinquency.
Main Findings
Jefferson County, Arkansas ranks 68th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 13% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 68th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 84.1 · very high county distress, 7th in Arkansas.
- 13% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Credit card delinquency at the 99th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Debt in collections at 42% — national median 23%, ranked at the 97th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 6% — national median 4%, ranked at the 93rd percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Poverty rate at 24% — national median 14%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 31-point drop to Grant County marks where the Arkansas distress corridor ends.
Jefferson County has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.
The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023), Jefferson County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 24th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 79th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and median household income. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Pine Bluff.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 32% of children under 18 in Jefferson County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Jefferson County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Jefferson County's value shown alongside AR's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Jefferson | AR median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 97 · Rank 31 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 7% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 13% | 8% | 5% | 99th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 41% | 31% | 23% | 96th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 97 · Rank 13 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 42% | 32% | 23% | 97th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 401 | 214 | 126 | 96th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 58 · Rank 1,171 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 22% | 21% | 65th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 18% | 17% | 18% | 52nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 93 · Rank 197 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 4% | 4% | 93rd | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 76 · Rank 566 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 32% | 24% | 18% | 93rd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 20% | 22% | 16% | 79th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 24% | 18% | 14% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 8% | 8% | 24th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Jefferson County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 133-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Jefferson County ranks 68th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 84.1 out of 100 gives Jefferson a very high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 67 counties rank more distressed. Within Arkansas, Jefferson ranks seventh of 75 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Jefferson. 13% of credit card accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jefferson County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Jefferson County's distress score?
How does Jefferson County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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