Montgomery County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Serious · 70.5 | 8,620 people · 11th most distressed in Arkansas

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Montgomery County, AR shows significant household financial distress with a score of 70.5 — 186th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Arkansas, it ranks 11th of 75 counties. Among its 8 neighboring counties, 7 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Montgomery County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 86.6 — worse than roughly 87% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 86.6
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 75
Business Formation Rate 91
Community Vulnerability 83.6
Uninsured Rate 72
Disability Rate 95
Income & Poverty 75.6
Poverty Rate 81
Income vs. State Median 58
Child Poverty Rate 88
Debt & Delinquency 58.7
Debt in Collections 58
Medical Debt 65
Student Loan Delinquency 61
Auto Loan Delinquency 32
Credit Card Delinquency 80
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 56
Housing Cost Burden 48.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 34
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 56
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 71
Homeownership Rate 24
Rent-to-Income Ratio 54

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Montgomery County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Montgomery County
Montgomery County, AR 70.5 Serious
Scott County, AR 70.9 Serious +0.4
Howard County, AR 69.9 Serious -0.6
Garland County, AR 67.7 Serious -2.8
Pike County, AR 63.8 Elevated -6.7
Polk County, AR 62.8 Elevated -7.8
Clark County, AR 62.4 Elevated -8.1
Yell County, AR 58.6 Elevated -11.9
Hot Spring County, AR 55.8 Elevated -14.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Montgomery County
Oscoda County, MI 70.5 Serious -0.0
Swisher County, TX 70.4 Serious -0.1
Catahoula Parish, LA 70.4 Serious -0.1
Real County, TX 70.6 Serious +0.1
Hickory County, MO 70.6 Serious +0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Montgomery County

Find an Attorney

Arkansas Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Montgomery County residents at no cost.

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.