Phillips County, Arkansas
County Distress Index score and five-domain breakdown for Phillips County. Population: 14,961 (small).
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17
Phillips County, AR shows significant household financial distress with a score of 79.2 — 7th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Arkansas, it ranks 1st of 75 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.
Five-Domain Breakdown
How Phillips County compares to all U.S. counties across five dimensions of financial distress. Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed.
Income & Poverty
Primary DriverDebt & Delinquency
Housing Cost Burden
Community Vulnerability
Employment & Wages
How Phillips County Compares
Neighboring Counties
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips County, AR | 79.2 | Serious Stress | — |
| Lee County, AR | 78.8 | Serious Stress | -0.4 |
| Bolivar County, MS | 76.5 | Serious Stress | -2.7 |
| Tunica County, MS | 75.2 | Serious Stress | -4.1 |
| Coahoma County, MS | 74.9 | Serious Stress | -4.3 |
| Monroe County, AR | 70.9 | Serious Stress | -8.3 |
Population Peers
Counties with similar population (small) and closest distress scores nationally.
| County | Score | Zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoyah County, OK | 79.2 | Serious Stress | -0.0 |
| Mitchell County, GA | 79.6 | Serious Stress | +0.4 |
| Dunklin County, MO | 79.7 | Serious Stress | +0.5 |
| Wayne County, MO | 80.2 | Crisis | +1.0 |
| Gadsden County, FL | 80.3 | Crisis | +1.0 |
Download Data
Export all distress indicators for Phillips County as a CSV file.
Resources
Phillips County scores in the Serious Stress zone. If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardship, free help is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distress score for Phillips County, Arkansas?
Phillips County has a County Distress Index score of 79.2 out of 100, placing it in the Serious Stress zone. It ranks 7th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 1st in Arkansas out of 75 counties.
What drives financial distress in Phillips County?
The primary driver of distress in Phillips County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.
How does Phillips County compare to neighboring counties?
Phillips County (79.2) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Lee County, AR (78.8); Bolivar County, MS (76.5); Tunica County, MS (75.2).
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 Phillips County?
Phillips County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 14,961 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.