Monroe County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.9 | 6,512 people · 8th most distressed in Arkansas
American Default Research

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Monroe County, AR shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.9 — 164th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Arkansas, it ranks 8th of 75 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 6 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Monroe County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 93.5 — worse than roughly 94% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 93.5
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 90
Child Poverty Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 78.2
Debt in Collections 89
Medical Debt 51
Student Loan Delinquency 61
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 95
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 78
Community Vulnerability 66.4
Uninsured Rate 40
Disability Rate 93
Employment & Wages 60.1
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 54
Business Formation Rate 32
Housing Cost Burden 56.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 58
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 39
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 18
Homeownership Rate 83
Rent-to-Income Ratio 85

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Monroe County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Monroe County
Monroe County, AR 70.9 Serious —
Phillips County, AR 79.2 Serious +8.3
Lee County, AR 78.8 Serious +7.9
St. Francis County, AR 74.9 Serious +4.0
Woodruff County, AR 65.3 Serious -5.6
Arkansas County, AR 61.6 Elevated -9.3
Prairie County, AR 53.4 Elevated -17.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Monroe County
Latimer County, OK 70.9 Serious -0.0
Scott County, AR 70.9 Serious -0.0
Nevada County, AR 71.1 Serious +0.2
Jefferson County, OK 70.7 Serious -0.2
Zavala County, TX 71.1 Serious +0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County, Arkansas?

    Monroe County has a County Distress Index score of 70.9 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 164th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 8th in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Monroe County?

    The primary driver of distress in Monroe County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 93.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Monroe County compare to neighboring counties?

    Monroe County (70.9) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Phillips County, AR (79.2); Lee County, AR (78.8); St. Francis County, AR (74.9).

  • 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 Monroe County?

    Monroe County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 6,512 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.