About one in four people in Poinsett County, Arkansas, has a disability
In Poinsett County, 25.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Poinsett County's score
In Poinsett County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 92.5. About two in five people with a credit file (39.2%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 91.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Poinsett 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.
Poinsett County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 92.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector39.2% · August 202593rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people308.1 · 202591st percentile
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- 91.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind12.8% · August 202598th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.5% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 85.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.1% · 202492nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line31.3% · 202493rd percentile
- People with a disability25.5% · 2020 to 202496th percentile
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,688 · 202487th percentile
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- 75.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.5% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
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- 43.0 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 rent15.7% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th 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 Poinsett 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 Poinsett County, 18.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Poinsett County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Poinsett County had its largest rise, from 24.7% in 2004 to 33.9% in 2009.
In Poinsett County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 34.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Poinsett County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Poinsett County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 23.2% in 2015 to 20.9% in 2016.
The share of households in Poinsett County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 19.2%
Low on the chart: 18.2% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Poinsett County, Arkansas.
How Poinsett County has changed
Poinsett County's population had its largest drop, from 27,495 in 1979 to 25,743 in 1984.
Poinsett County's population fell by about a fifth to 22,300, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 27,742 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Poinsett County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Poinsett County had its largest drop, from 6,300 in 2005 to 5,080 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Poinsett County fell by about a fifth from 1990 to 2020, reaching 5,057, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 6,641 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Poinsett County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.7% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.6% | 2024 22.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,666 | 2024 $52,688 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Poinsett County's history
1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 hardest hit county, flooded thousands of fields and destroyed homes. Wikipedia
1935
Southern Tenant Farmers Union founded 1935 in Tyronza, met violent resistance from white planters. Wikipedia
1950
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 39,311. The 2020 Census counted 22,965, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1952
A tornado in March 1952 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1952
A tornado in March 1952 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1968
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Poinsett County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Poinsett County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Poinsett County, three score higher. Of the group, Poinsett County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (34.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crittenden County, AR | 99 | 22.5% | 31.3% |
| Mississippi County, AR | 97 | 20.0% | 28.6% |
| Jackson County, AR | 95 | 25.1% | 30.2% |
| Poinsett County, AR | 92 | 22.1% | 34.8% |
| Craighead County, AR | 88 | 18.4% | 24.3% |
| Cross County, AR | 85 | 18.4% | 33.7% |
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 Poinsett County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Poinsett County's poverty rate was 22.1% in 2024, 12th 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, Poinsett County ranks 19th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Poinsett 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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Southern Bancorp Community Partners
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Poinsett 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 Poinsett County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.