Lee County, Arkansas
More than double the national median of residents with debt in collections — and 25.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Logan County, ND — 2%).
Main Findings
Lee County, Arkansas ranks 25th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 49% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — more than double the national median of 23%.
- 25th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Crisis zone, 3rd in Arkansas.
- 49% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections (U.S. median 23%). Debt in collections at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Unemployment at 8% — national median 4%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 28% — national median 18%, ranked at the 94th percentile.
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 146 — national median 126, ranked at the 59th percentile.
"Lee County represents a new class of American economic distress — a place where people have jobs, but can't close the gap between what they earn and what they owe."
"What the CDI is seeing in Crisis-zone counties is that unemployment is no longer the driver. It's consumer credit stress showing up in places that look fine on a jobs chart."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Lee County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 35th percentile — while every other indicator in the Consumer Credit Distress domain is above the 82th. The gap stands out against debt in collections and medical debt in collections. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Lee County.
46% of children under 18 in Lee 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.
The Indicators Behind Lee County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Lee County's value shown alongside AR's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Lee | AR median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 87 · Rank 222 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 49% | 32% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Medical debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have medical debt in collections | 13% | 7% | 4% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 7% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 8% | 5% | 91st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 8% | 8% | 35th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 31% | 23% | 82nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 89 · Rank 150 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 37% | 38% | 85th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 28% | 17% | 18% | 94th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 28% | 21% | 24% | 82nd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 61% | 71% | 74% | 9th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 94 · Rank 16 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 8% | 6% | 4% | 95th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 39% | 18% | 14% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 0.73× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 5th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 46% | 24% | 18% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 25% | 22% | 16% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 39% | 34% | 27% | 92nd | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 59 · Rank 1,299 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 146 | 214 | 126 | 59th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 59 · Rank 1,048 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 4.2× | 4.1× | 4.0× | 59th | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 29% | 22% | 21% | 93rd | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 9.9 | 9.2 | 10.0 | 48th | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 3% | 3% | 4% | 41st | FHFA HPI (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is a PCA-weighted composite of five statistically derived factors. Weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance across 3,144 counties.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 represents the national county median; higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from 21 indicators grouped into five statistically derived factors via principal component analysis (PCA); factor weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance (shown in the Five-Domain Breakdown above).
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Lee County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 163-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
LEE, Ark.. — Lee County ranks 25th 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 out of 100 places Lee in the "Crisis" zone, the highest-distress category on the index. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 24 rank worse. Within Arkansas, Lee ranks third of 75 counties.
The index, which draws on 21 indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies consumer credit distress as the primary driver in Lee. 49% of residents with a credit file carry debt in collections — more than double the national median of 23%.
"Lee County represents a new class of American economic distress — a place where people have jobs, but can't close the gap between what they earn and what they owe." said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lee County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Lee County's distress score?
How does Lee County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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