Lafayette County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Serious · 66.3 | 6,095 people · 23rd most distressed in Arkansas
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Lafayette County, AR shows significant household financial distress with a score of 66.3 — 418th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Arkansas, it ranks 23rd of 75 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Lafayette County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 88.1 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 88.1
Poverty Rate 92
Income vs. State Median 81
Child Poverty Rate 91
Debt & Delinquency 86.3
Debt in Collections 95
Medical Debt 81
Student Loan Delinquency 61
Auto Loan Delinquency 93
Credit Card Delinquency 93
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 74.5
Uninsured Rate 55
Disability Rate 94
Employment & Wages 56.8
Unemployment Rate 88
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 60
Business Formation Rate 22
Housing Cost Burden 25.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 10
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 6
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 34
Rent-to-Income Ratio 75

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Lafayette County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Lafayette County
Lafayette County, AR 66.3 Serious —
Nevada County, AR 71.1 Serious +4.8
Miller County, AR 70.2 Serious +3.8
Webster Parish, LA 66.6 Serious +0.3
Hempstead County, AR 66.3 Serious -0.0
Columbia County, AR 63.9 Elevated -2.4
Bossier Parish, LA 54.8 Elevated -11.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Lafayette County
Greer County, OK 66.3 Serious 0.0
Lafayette County, FL 66.2 Serious -0.1
Coal County, OK 66.4 Serious +0.1
Baylor County, TX 66.1 Serious -0.2
Dallas County, AR 66.0 Serious -0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Lafayette County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Lafayette County

Find an Attorney

Arkansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Arkansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral 1-800-609-5668

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Lafayette County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of Arkansas 1-800-950-5817
Center for Arkansas Legal Services 1-800-950-5817

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Lafayette County, Arkansas?

    Lafayette County has a County Distress Index score of 66.3 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 418th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 23rd in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Lafayette County?

    The primary driver of distress in Lafayette County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 88.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Lafayette County compare to neighboring counties?

    Lafayette County (66.3) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Nevada County, AR (71.1); Miller County, AR (70.2); Webster Parish, LA (66.6).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Lafayette County?

    Lafayette County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 6,095 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.