Perry County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 56.7 | 10,184 people · 55th most distressed in Arkansas
American Default Research

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Perry County, AR registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 56.7 — 1093rd 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 55th 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. Perry County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 78.3 — worse than roughly 78% of U.S. counties.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 78.3
Unemployment Rate 72
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 86
Business Formation Rate 77
Debt & Delinquency 76.0
Debt in Collections 79
Medical Debt 63
Student Loan Delinquency 61
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 79
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 79
Community Vulnerability 56.7
Uninsured Rate 21
Disability Rate 92
Income & Poverty 47.1
Poverty Rate 55
Income vs. State Median 22
Child Poverty Rate 65
Housing Cost Burden 25.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 6
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 10
Homeownership Rate 33
Rent-to-Income Ratio 72

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Perry County
Perry County, AR 56.7 Elevated —
Garland County, AR 67.7 Serious +11.0
Yell County, AR 58.6 Elevated +1.9
Conway County, AR 58.5 Elevated +1.8
Pulaski County, AR 55.2 Elevated -1.5
Faulkner County, AR 50.2 Elevated -6.5
Saline County, AR 36.8 Normal -19.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Perry County
Fayette County, AL 56.7 Elevated -0.0
Covington County, AL 56.7 Elevated -0.0
Lincoln County, AR 56.7 Elevated -0.0
Henry County, KY 56.6 Elevated -0.1
Murray County, GA 56.6 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Perry 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 Perry 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 Perry County, Arkansas?

    Perry County has a County Distress Index score of 56.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,093rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 55th in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Perry County?

    The primary driver of distress in Perry County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 78.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Perry County compare to neighboring counties?

    Perry County (56.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Garland County, AR (67.7); Yell County, AR (58.6); Conway County, AR (58.5).

  • 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 Perry County?

    Perry County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 10,184 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.