In Madison County, Arkansas, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Madison County, 25.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 84% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 66.6. About one in eight people (12.6%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a higher share than in 81% of U.S. counties. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 57.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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.
Madison County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.0%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, average over the latest year (3.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 66.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.9% · 202447th percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.6% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability19.9% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- People without health insurance12.6% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,646 · 202471st percentile
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- 57.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people168.8 · 202566th percentile
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- 51.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.5% · second quarter of 202651st percentile
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- 49.8 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 rent11.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.3% · fiscal year 202784th percentile
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- 45.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202624th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.3% · 2020 to 202465th 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Madison County had its largest rise, from 18.9% in 2004 to 28.4% in 2009.
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 27.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.3% in 2010 to 12.8% in 2011.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 11.6%
Low on the chart: 7.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Madison County, Arkansas.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population doubled to 17,865, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 13,257. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Arkansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Madison County nearly doubled to 3,619, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 3,205. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.6% | 2024 12.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,467 | 2024 $59,646 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Madison County's history
1836
Formed September 30, 1836. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 19,864. The 2020 Census counted 16,521, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $1 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in April 2004 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in April 2011 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in April 2017 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Madison County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 6th of the eight; Newton County is highest, at 41.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, AR | 83 | 18.8% | 35.9% |
| Crawford County, AR | 71 | 14.1% | 30.9% |
| Carroll County, AR | 69 | 16.4% | 30.4% |
| Franklin County, AR | 64 | 13.7% | 32.6% |
| Madison County, AR | 56 | 12.9% | 27.1% |
| Newton County, AR | 55 | 19.3% | 41.9% |
| Washington County, AR | 41 | 13.5% | 16.7% |
| Benton County, AR | 14 | 8.4% | 7.6% |
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 Madison County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, 69th 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, Madison County ranks 67th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.