Benefit checks make up 39 cents of every dollar of income in Logan County, Arkansas
In Logan County, 39.4% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Logan County's score
In Logan County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 70.9. About one in four adults aged 25 to 54 (26.2%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 78% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 68.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Logan 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.
Logan County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.5%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 70.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202663rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
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- 68.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.4% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.0% · 202464th percentile
- People with a disability21.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,845 · 202480th percentile
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- 67.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.3% · August 202569th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people168.2 · 202566th percentile
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- 65.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.1% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.9% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 35.6 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 rent15.5% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th 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 Logan 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 Logan County, 19.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Logan County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Logan County had its largest rise, from 35.3% in 2014 to 41.7% in 2019.
In Logan County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 39.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Logan County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 39.4%; 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 Logan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 9.9%
Biggest drop: 2018 to 2019, reaching 14.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Logan County, Arkansas.
How Logan County has changed
Logan County's population had its largest rise, from 16,749 in 1969 to 18,701 in 1974.
Logan County's population rose 28% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 22,682 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Logan County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Logan County had its largest rise, from 5,334 in 1990 to 6,178 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Logan County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 6,178 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Logan County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.0% | 2024 15.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,093 | 2024 $55,845 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.3% 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 Logan County's history
1871
Defined by Arkansas General Assembly March 22, 1871, as the state's 64th county, incorporating parts of Scott, Yell, and Pope counties (later adding part of Franklin County). Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 26,350. The 2020 Census counted 21,131, 80% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A tornado in February 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in March 2008 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A thunderstorm in March 2008 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A thunderstorm in June 2008 did $2.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Logan County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Logan County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Logan County, three score higher. Of the group, Logan County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (39.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, AR | 88 | 20.3% | 33.6% |
| Johnson County, AR | 83 | 18.8% | 35.9% |
| Sebastian County, AR | 71 | 12.9% | 26.2% |
| Logan County, AR | 69 | 15.4% | 39.4% |
| Pope County, AR | 66 | 16.9% | 28.5% |
| Franklin County, AR | 64 | 13.7% | 32.6% |
| Yell County, AR | 58 | 15.9% | 30.7% |
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 Logan County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Logan County's poverty rate was 15.4% in 2024, 55th 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, Logan County ranks 56th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Logan 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.
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 Logan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.