Madison County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 54.4 | 17,775 people · 61st most distressed in Arkansas
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Madison County, AR registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 54.4 — 1255th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Arkansas, it ranks 61st of 75 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Madison County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 76.2 — worse than roughly 76% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 76.2
Uninsured Rate 80
Disability Rate 73
Debt & Delinquency 57.8
Debt in Collections 48
Medical Debt 54
Student Loan Delinquency 74
Auto Loan Delinquency 62
Credit Card Delinquency 42
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 66
Income & Poverty 54.7
Poverty Rate 60
Income vs. State Median 41
Child Poverty Rate 63
Employment & Wages 52.4
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 93
Business Formation Rate 34
Housing Cost Burden 30.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 10
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 8
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 17
Homeownership Rate 24
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Madison County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Madison County
Madison County, AR 54.4 Elevated —
Johnson County, AR 65.7 Serious +11.3
Newton County, AR 59.3 Elevated +4.9
Franklin County, AR 57.5 Elevated +3.1
Crawford County, AR 53.7 Elevated -0.7
Carroll County, AR 53.0 Elevated -1.4
Washington County, AR 47.5 Normal -6.9
Benton County, AR 27.0 Healthy -27.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Madison County
Abbeville County, SC 54.3 Elevated -0.0
Winston County, AL 54.3 Elevated -0.1
Bollinger County, MO 54.3 Elevated -0.1
Starke County, IN 54.3 Elevated -0.1
Montgomery County, NC 54.3 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison County, Arkansas?

    Madison County has a County Distress Index score of 54.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,255th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 61st in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Madison County?

    The primary driver of distress in Madison County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 76.2 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Madison County compare to neighboring counties?

    Madison County (54.4) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Johnson County, AR (65.7); Newton County, AR (59.3); Franklin County, AR (57.5).

  • 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 Madison County?

    Madison County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 17,775 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.