Union County, Arkansas
More than double the national median for auto loan delinquency.
Main Findings
Union County, Arkansas ranks 258th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.
- 258th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 76.0 · high county distress, 16th in Arkansas.
- 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 96th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Bankruptcy filing rate at 305 — national median 126, ranked at the 92nd percentile. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 75th percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Poverty rate at 19% — national median 14%, ranked at the 82nd percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023).
Unemployment is 4%, near the national median of 4%, while auto loan delinquency runs at the 96th percentile. Jobs exist; wages don't close the gap.
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 33-point drop to Calhoun County marks where the Arkansas distress corridor ends.
"Union County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position."
"The CDI gives this county a high county distress label. The rank belongs beside the score because the two answer different questions: score intensity and national position. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency."
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Union County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Union County's value shown alongside AR's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Union | AR median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 91 · Rank 176 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 11% | 7% | 5% | 96th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 9% | 8% | 5% | 93rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 34% | 31% | 23% | 85th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 91 · Rank 133 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 37% | 32% | 23% | 90th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 305 | 214 | 126 | 92nd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 57 · Rank 1,207 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 22% | 21% | 61st | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 18% | 17% | 18% | 54th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 75 · Rank 745 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 4% | 4% | 75th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 66 · Rank 956 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 24% | 18% | 77th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 16% | 22% | 16% | 55th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 18% | 14% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 8% | 8% | 27th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Union County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 148-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
EL DORADO, Ark. — Union County ranks 258th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 76.0 out of 100 gives Union a high county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 257 counties rank more distressed. Within Arkansas, Union ranks 16th of 75 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies delinquency as the primary driver in Union. 11% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due — more than double the national median of 5%.
"Union County has a high county distress score. The score label gives the intensity; the rank gives the national position," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Union County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Union County's distress score?
How does Union County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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