Unemployment in Pope County, Arkansas, is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties
In Pope County, 4.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 78% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pope County's score
In Pope County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 75.9. Income and the safety net comes next, at 65.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pope 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.
Pope County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.5%, fiscal year 2027) and people without health insurance (7.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202678th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.8% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 65.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.9% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.3% · 202473rd percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,509 · 202465th percentile
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- 63.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector26.5% · August 202562nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167.2 · 202565th percentile
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- 55.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.7% · August 202554th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.2% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score43.7% · second quarter of 202662nd percentile
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- 37.8 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 rent18.0% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th 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 Pope 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 Pope County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pope County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pope County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pope County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pope County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.9% in 2021 to 10.0% in 2022.
The share of households in Pope County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 9.9%
Low on the chart: 9.5% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pope County, Arkansas.
How Pope County has changed
Pope County's population had its largest rise, from 27,913 in 1969 to 34,100 in 1974.
Pope County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 64,829, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 63,300. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pope County, Arkansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pope County rose 44% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 22,662. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pope County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.8% | 2024 16.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,707 | 2024 $61,509 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Pope County's history
1829
November 2, 1829, from Crawford County. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in May 1961 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in January 2008 did $3.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $11.5 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in December 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 63,381, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pope County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pope County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Pope County, four score higher. Of the group, Pope County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Searcy County gets the largest, at 48.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren County, AR | 84 | 16.7% | 44.2% |
| Johnson County, AR | 83 | 18.8% | 35.9% |
| Conway County, AR | 71 | 14.3% | 29.8% |
| Logan County, AR | 69 | 15.4% | 39.4% |
| Pope County, AR | 66 | 16.9% | 28.5% |
| Searcy County, AR | 65 | 21.0% | 48.8% |
| Yell County, AR | 58 | 15.9% | 30.7% |
| 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 Pope County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Pope County's poverty rate was 16.9% in 2024, 43rd 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, Pope County ranks 59th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pope 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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Universal Housing Development Corporation
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.
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 Pope County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.