Lee County, Arkansas
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Lee County, Arkansas ranks 33rd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 28% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 33rd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 86.3 · very high county distress, 4th in Arkansas.
- 28% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 94th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Auto loan delinquency at 12% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Unemployment at 5% — national median 4%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Child poverty rate at 46% — national median 18%, ranked at the 95th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Lee 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 Debt Burden (housing basis).
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), Lee County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 35th percentile. American Default Research's CDI places every other indicator in the Safety Net & Buffer domain at or above the 95th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and disability rate. Worth a call to the source agency or a local subject-matter contact in Marianna.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023), 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.
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 90 · Rank 242 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 7% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 8% | 5% | 91st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 31% | 23% | 82nd | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 77 · Rank 516 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 49% | 32% | 23% | 95th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 146 | 214 | 126 | 59th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 94 · Rank 81 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 29% | 22% | 21% | 93rd | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 28% | 17% | 18% | 94th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 89 · Rank 342 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 4% | 4% | 89th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 83 · Rank 270 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 46% | 24% | 18% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 25% | 22% | 16% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 39% | 18% | 14% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 8% | 8% | 35th | 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 Lee County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 133-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
MARIANNA, Ark. — Lee County ranks 33rd 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 86.3 out of 100 gives Lee a very high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, only 32 rank more distressed. Within Arkansas, Lee ranks fourth 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 debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Lee. 28% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
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 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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