About one in four people in Lawrence County, Arkansas, has a disability
In Lawrence County, 24.2% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 87.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 87.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Lawrence County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.2% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.7% · 202486th percentile
- People with a disability24.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,374 · 202489th percentile
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- 87.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.9% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.8% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.1% · second quarter of 202679th percentile
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- 87.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector38.1% · August 202591st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people232.9 · 202582nd percentile
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- 67.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202656th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.0% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 49.5 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 rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.2% · fiscal year 202755th 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Lawrence County had its largest rise, from 29.6% in 2004 to 37.2% in 2009.
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 29% more than benefit checks in 2024
In Lawrence County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.0%; 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 Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16.0%, with most of the change between 2016 and 2017
High on the chart: 19.2% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lawrence County, Arkansas.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population had its largest rise, from 16,431 in 1969 to 17,783 in 1974.
Lawrence County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 18,309 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County had its largest drop, from 4,889 in 2000 to 4,319 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 18% since
High on the chart: 5,030 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 10.7% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.2% | 2024 21.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,719 | 2024 $51,374 |
The table uses 4.2% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Lawrence County's history
1815
Formed January 15, 1815, from New Madrid County and Arkansas County; Arkansas's second county. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 22,651. The 2020 Census counted 16,216, 72% of the peak. Census Bureau
1977
A tornado in September 1977 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in March 2008 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in April 2008 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A thunderstorm in June 2014 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Lawrence County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lawrence County ranks 2nd of the seven; Sharp County is highest, at 41.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, AR | 95 | 25.1% | 30.2% |
| Lawrence County, AR | 90 | 21.2% | 39.0% |
| Craighead County, AR | 88 | 18.4% | 24.3% |
| Greene County, AR | 85 | 14.1% | 30.3% |
| Sharp County, AR | 84 | 18.9% | 41.7% |
| Randolph County, AR | 74 | 18.1% | 36.7% |
| 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 Lawrence County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 21.2% in 2024, 16th 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, Lawrence County ranks 23rd of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.