About one in five people in Sebastian County, Arkansas, has a disability
In Sebastian County, 22.4% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sebastian County's score
In Sebastian County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 75.8. About one in three people with a credit file (32.1%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 79% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 71.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sebastian 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.
Sebastian County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.9%, fiscal year 2027) and children below the poverty line (16.3%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.1% · August 202579th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people189 · 202572nd percentile
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- 71.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.2% · August 202575th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.2% · August 202563rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.8% · second quarter of 202674th percentile
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- 63.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.9% · 202447th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability22.4% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- People without health insurance10.5% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,153 · 202463rd percentile
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- 57.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.7% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 44.7 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th 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 Sebastian 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 Sebastian County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sebastian County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sebastian County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 26.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Sebastian County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sebastian County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.2% in 2012 to 15.0% in 2013.
The share of households in Sebastian County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 11.6%
Low on the chart: 10.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sebastian County, Arkansas.
How Sebastian County has changed
Sebastian County's population had its largest rise, from 78,174 in 1969 to 86,735 in 1974.
Sebastian County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 130,035, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 127,823. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sebastian County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Sebastian County had its largest rise, from 61,920 in 1990 to 70,347 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Sebastian County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 75,144 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sebastian County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.2% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.0% | 2024 12.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,055 | 2024 $62,153 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Sebastian County's history
1811
Cherokee relocated to Sebastian County area after 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes. Wikipedia
1836
Fort Smith served as western end of Trail of Tears during Indian removal. Wikipedia
1968
A tornado in April 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed 14 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1986
A thunderstorm in May 1986 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A tornado in April 1996 did $0.15 billion in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in August 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 127,799, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sebastian County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sebastian County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Sebastian County, in Arkansas and Oklahoma, three score higher. Of the group, Sebastian County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Logan County gets the largest, at 39.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoyah County, OK | 92 | 19.6% | 38.9% |
| Le Flore County, OK | 88 | 19.2% | 37.4% |
| Scott County, AR | 88 | 20.3% | 33.6% |
| Crawford County, AR | 71 | 14.1% | 30.9% |
| Sebastian County, AR | 71 | 12.9% | 26.2% |
| Logan County, AR | 69 | 15.4% | 39.4% |
| Franklin County, AR | 64 | 13.7% | 32.6% |
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 Sebastian County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Sebastian County's poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, 69th 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, Sebastian County ranks 53rd of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sebastian 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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Crawford Sebastian Community Development Council
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 Sebastian 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 Sebastian County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.