About three in ten people in Montgomery County, Arkansas, have a disability
In Montgomery County, 27.9% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 88.6. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (31.9%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 92% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 85.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery 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.
Montgomery County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (4.0%, August 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.9% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 85.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.8% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.1% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability27.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,291 · 202489th percentile
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- 56.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.3% · August 202557th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139.2 · 202555th percentile
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- 55.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.6% · August 202580th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.0% · August 202532nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.3% · second quarter of 202654th percentile
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- 49.5 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 rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County, 27.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montgomery County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Montgomery County had its largest rise, from 27.5% in 2004 to 37.1% in 2009.
In Montgomery County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In Montgomery County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 40.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.7% in 2009 to 13.7% in 2010.
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 10.0%
Biggest drop: 2023 to 2024, reaching 10.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Montgomery County, Arkansas.
How Montgomery County has changed
Montgomery County's population rose most sharply from its first year (5,792 in 1969) to 6,779 in 1974.
Montgomery County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 9,490 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montgomery County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County had its largest rise, from 1,256 in 1990 to 1,507 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,716 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.7% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.3% | 2024 19.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,701 | 2024 $51,291 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Montgomery County's history
1842
Formed December 9, 1842; Arkansas's 45th county. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 12,455. The 2020 Census counted 8,484, 68% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A flash flood in June 2010 did $9 million in property damage and killed 20 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
Heavy rain in April 2017 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Montgomery County, five score higher. Of the group, Montgomery County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (40.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, AR | 93 | 20.4% | 33.7% |
| Scott County, AR | 88 | 20.3% | 33.6% |
| Pike County, AR | 84 | 18.4% | 36.2% |
| Garland County, AR | 83 | 14.2% | 34.7% |
| Hot Spring County, AR | 81 | 15.4% | 35.9% |
| Montgomery County, AR | 79 | 19.8% | 40.5% |
| Polk County, AR | 70 | 17.7% | 37.2% |
| Yell County, AR | 58 | 15.9% | 30.7% |
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 Montgomery County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 19.8% in 2024, 25th 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, Montgomery County ranks 42nd of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.