About two in five people with a credit file in Jefferson County, Arkansas, have unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Jefferson County, 42.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jefferson County's score
In Jefferson County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 96.6. Late payments on loans come next, at 96.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jefferson 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.
Jefferson County does better than most counties on two measures: people without health insurance (5.1%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 96.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector42.5% · August 202596th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people400.6 · 202596th percentile
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- 96.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind13.2% · August 202599th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.9% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score59.4% · second quarter of 202695th percentile
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- 84.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working25.2% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
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- 75.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.3% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.7% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability20.5% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.1% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,205 · 202489th percentile
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- 52.3 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 rent16.2% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jefferson County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Jefferson County had its largest rise, from 23.0% in 2004 to 29.4% in 2009.
In Jefferson County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, but pay from work still brings in 39% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Jefferson County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 36.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Jefferson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Biggest drop: 2020 to 2021, reaching 16.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Jefferson County, Arkansas.
How Jefferson County has changed
Jefferson County's population had its largest drop in the last span, from 68,413 in 2019 to 63,672 in 2024.
Jefferson County's population fell by about a quarter to 63,672, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 89,520 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jefferson County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County had its largest drop, from 32,010 in 2010 to 28,279 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Jefferson County fell by about a quarter to 24,907, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 35,072 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jefferson County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 24.2% | 2024 22.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,779 | 2024 $51,205 |
The table uses 6.0% for 2025; the score uses 6.2% 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 Jefferson County's history
1829
Formed November 2, 1829 from Vaugine Township, Pulaski County and Richland Township, Arkansas County in the Arkansas Territory. Wikipedia
1955
A tornado in April 1955 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 90,718. The 2020 Census counted 67,260, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
Lightning in August 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Heavy rain in September 2009 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A thunderstorm in April 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jefferson County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jefferson County beside its neighbors
Jefferson County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Jefferson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (36.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, AR | 95 | 22.3% | 36.8% |
| Arkansas County, AR | 95 | 20.0% | 26.4% |
| Lincoln County, AR | 86 | 25.8% | 32.8% |
| Pulaski County, AR | 83 | 16.0% | 20.4% |
| Cleveland County, AR | 73 | 14.0% | 30.0% |
| Grant County, AR | 54 | 13.5% | 25.2% |
| Lonoke County, AR | 51 | 10.0% | 24.7% |
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 Jefferson County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Jefferson County's poverty rate was 22.3% in 2024, 11th 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, Jefferson County ranks 11th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.