Sharp County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 61.4 | 17,968 people · 40th most distressed in Arkansas
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Sharp County, AR registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 61.4 — 722nd 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 40th of 75 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Sharp County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 79.9 — worse than roughly 80% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 79.9
Poverty Rate 85
Income vs. State Median 74
Child Poverty Rate 81
Employment & Wages 71.5
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 68
Business Formation Rate 68
Community Vulnerability 62.0
Uninsured Rate 29
Disability Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 58.6
Debt in Collections 76
Medical Debt 83
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 56
Credit Card Delinquency 77
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 56
Housing Cost Burden 35.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 30
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 30
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 25
Homeownership Rate 21
Rent-to-Income Ratio 69

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Sharp County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Sharp County
Sharp County, AR 61.4 Elevated —
Oregon County, MO 72.5 Serious +11.0
Fulton County, AR 69.4 Serious +8.0
Lawrence County, AR 65.8 Serious +4.3
Izard County, AR 65.2 Serious +3.7
Randolph County, AR 59.9 Elevated -1.6
Independence County, AR 52.4 Elevated -9.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Sharp County
Neshoba County, MS 61.4 Elevated +0.0
Sanders County, MT 61.4 Elevated +0.0
Iron County, MI 61.5 Elevated +0.0
Live Oak County, TX 61.4 Elevated -0.0
Rolette County, ND 61.4 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Sharp 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 Sharp 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 Sharp County, Arkansas?

    Sharp County has a County Distress Index score of 61.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 722nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 40th in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sharp County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sharp County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 79.9 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Sharp County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sharp County (61.4) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Oregon County, MO (72.5); Fulton County, AR (69.4); Lawrence County, AR (65.8).

  • 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 Sharp County?

    Sharp County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 17,968 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.