Newton County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.3 | 7,071 people · 46th most distressed in Arkansas
American Default Research

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Newton County, AR registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.3 — 886th 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 46th of 75 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Newton County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 79.9 — worse than roughly 80% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 79.9
Unemployment Rate 80
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 77
Business Formation Rate 83
Income & Poverty 78.7
Poverty Rate 81
Income vs. State Median 70
Child Poverty Rate 85
Community Vulnerability 55.6
Uninsured Rate 30
Disability Rate 81
Debt & Delinquency 43.9
Debt in Collections 53
Medical Debt 50
Student Loan Delinquency 61
Auto Loan Delinquency 7
Credit Card Delinquency 86
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 7
Housing Cost Burden 38.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 23
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 11
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 30
Homeownership Rate 60
Rent-to-Income Ratio 66

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Newton County
Newton County, AR 59.3 Elevated —
Johnson County, AR 65.7 Serious +6.4
Searcy County, AR 61.0 Elevated +1.8
Madison County, AR 54.4 Elevated -4.9
Pope County, AR 53.5 Elevated -5.8
Carroll County, AR 53.0 Elevated -6.3
Boone County, AR 52.2 Elevated -7.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Newton County
Concho County, TX 59.3 Elevated +0.1
Northwest Arctic Borough, AK 59.2 Elevated -0.1
Warren County, GA 59.4 Elevated +0.1
Hamilton County, TX 59.0 Elevated -0.2
Graham County, NC 59.6 Elevated +0.4

Download Data

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

Find Help in Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton County, Arkansas?

    Newton County has a County Distress Index score of 59.3 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 886th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 46th in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Newton County?

    The primary driver of distress in Newton County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 79.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Newton County compare to neighboring counties?

    Newton County (59.3) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Johnson County, AR (65.7); Searcy County, AR (61.0); Madison County, AR (54.4).

  • 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 Newton County?

    Newton County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 7,071 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.