Searcy County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.0 | 7,806 people · 41st most distressed in Arkansas
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Searcy County, AR registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.0 — 752nd 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 41st of 75 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Searcy County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 88.0 — worse than roughly 88% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 88.0
Poverty Rate 87
Income vs. State Median 90
Child Poverty Rate 87
Employment & Wages 72.7
Unemployment Rate 76
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 75
Business Formation Rate 67
Community Vulnerability 61.0
Uninsured Rate 27
Disability Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 51.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 38
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 39
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 47
Homeownership Rate 46
Rent-to-Income Ratio 85
Debt & Delinquency 32.6
Debt in Collections 42
Medical Debt 42
Student Loan Delinquency 61
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 22
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 24

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Searcy County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Searcy County
Searcy County, AR 61.0 Elevated —
Van Buren County, AR 66.6 Serious +5.5
Stone County, AR 66.1 Serious +5.1
Marion County, AR 60.8 Elevated -0.2
Newton County, AR 59.3 Elevated -1.8
Baxter County, AR 58.8 Elevated -2.2
Pope County, AR 53.5 Elevated -7.6
Boone County, AR 52.2 Elevated -8.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Searcy County
Chautauqua County, KS 61.0 Elevated -0.0
Benton County, MS 61.0 Elevated -0.1
Lincoln County, GA 61.1 Elevated +0.1
Todd County, SD 61.0 Elevated -0.1
Calhoun County, WV 60.9 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Searcy 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 Searcy 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 Searcy County, Arkansas?

    Searcy County has a County Distress Index score of 61.0 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 752nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 41st in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Searcy County?

    The primary driver of distress in Searcy County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 88.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Searcy County compare to neighboring counties?

    Searcy County (61.0) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Van Buren County, AR (66.6); Stone County, AR (66.1); Marion County, AR (60.8).

  • 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 Searcy County?

    Searcy County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 7,806 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.