Benefit checks make up 42 cents of every dollar of income in Newton County, Arkansas
In Newton County, 41.9% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 55% of U.S. counties.
What drives Newton County's score
In Newton County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 74.9. The typical household earns $49,184 a year (2024), less than in 92% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 73.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Newton 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.
Newton County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (42.4, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (2.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 74.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.3% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.5% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability19.0% · 2020 to 202474th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,184 · 202492nd percentile
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- 73.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.2% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 50.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.4% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.0% · second quarter of 202656th percentile
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- 39.8 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 rent11.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.2% · fiscal year 202764th percentile
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- 29.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.9% · August 202552nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people42.4 · 20256th 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 Newton 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 Newton County, 27.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Newton County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Newton County had its largest rise, from 28.9% in 2004 to 38.0% in 2009.
In Newton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 41.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Newton 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
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Newton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 11.1%
Biggest drop: 2017 to 2018, reaching 11.8%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Newton County, Arkansas.
How Newton County has changed
Newton County's population had its largest rise, from 6,724 in 1974 to 7,681 in 1979.
Newton County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2004 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 8,503 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Newton County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Newton County had its largest rise, from 977 in 1995 to 1,117 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Newton County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 1,126 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Newton County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.0% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.2% | 2024 19.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,500 | 2024 $49,184 |
The table uses 4.9% for 2025; the score uses 5.0% 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 Newton County's history
1842
Formed December 14, 1842; Arkansas's 46th county. Wikipedia
1862
Captains McCoy and Vanderpool escorted 20 wagons of Unionist families from Newton County to Missouri to seek refuge during the Civil War. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 12,538. The 2020 Census counted 7,225, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
2002
Lightning in February 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in April 2011 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in May 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Newton County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Newton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Newton County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Newton County ranks 2nd of the seven; Searcy County is highest, at 48.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, AR | 83 | 18.8% | 35.9% |
| Carroll County, AR | 69 | 16.4% | 30.4% |
| Pope County, AR | 66 | 16.9% | 28.5% |
| Searcy County, AR | 65 | 21.0% | 48.8% |
| Madison County, AR | 56 | 12.9% | 27.1% |
| Boone County, AR | 55 | 11.8% | 32.4% |
| Newton County, AR | 55 | 19.3% | 41.9% |
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 Newton County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Newton County's poverty rate was 19.3% in 2024, 26th 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, Newton County ranks 69th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.