In Marion County, Arkansas, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2016
In 2024, 42 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marion County's score
In Marion County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.9. Unemployment averaged 6.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 93% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 76.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marion 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.
Marion County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.8%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (74.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working30.4% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
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- 76.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.8% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability24.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$48,458 · 202493rd percentile
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- 50.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.7% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.4% · second quarter of 202661st percentile
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- 41.4 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 rent10.8% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.7% · fiscal year 202768th percentile
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- 41.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.9% · August 202560th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people74.2 · 202521st 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 Marion 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 Marion County, 29.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marion County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Marion County had its largest rise, from 30.8% in 2004 to 40.9% in 2009.
In Marion County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Arkansas
In Marion County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.0% in 2011 to 13.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Marion County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 9.1% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marion County, Arkansas.
How Marion County has changed
Marion County's population more than doubled to 17,593, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 11,366. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marion County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Marion County rose most sharply from its first year (2,733 in 1990) to 3,781 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Marion County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 4,068 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marion County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 6.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.2% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,318 | 2024 $48,458 |
The table uses 6.2% for 2025; the score uses 6.0% 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 Marion County's history
1961
A tornado in May 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in November 1985 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A flash flood in January 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 16,826, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A tornado in May 2024 killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marion County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marion County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Marion County, in Arkansas and Missouri, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marion County ranks 3rd of the six; Searcy County is highest, at 48.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taney County, MO | 76 | 13.6% | 29.2% |
| Marion County, AR | 68 | 16.4% | 41.9% |
| Baxter County, AR | 66 | 14.0% | 39.4% |
| Searcy County, AR | 65 | 21.0% | 48.8% |
| Ozark County, MO | 57 | 19.4% | 43.5% |
| Boone County, AR | 55 | 11.8% | 32.4% |
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 Marion County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Marion County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 46th 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, Marion County ranks 58th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marion 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 Marion 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 Marion County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.