Van Buren County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Serious · 66.6 | 16,142 people · 22nd most distressed in Arkansas
American Default Research

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Van Buren County, AR shows significant household financial distress with a score of 66.6 — 402nd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where uninsured and disability rates are well above the national average. Within Arkansas, it ranks 22nd of 75 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Van Buren County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 79.6 — worse than roughly 80% of U.S. counties.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 79.6
Uninsured Rate 64
Disability Rate 95
Income & Poverty 65.8
Poverty Rate 70
Income vs. State Median 51
Child Poverty Rate 76
Debt & Delinquency 65.4
Debt in Collections 73
Medical Debt 56
Student Loan Delinquency 61
Auto Loan Delinquency 53
Credit Card Delinquency 85
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 65
Employment & Wages 64.8
Unemployment Rate 82
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 41
Business Formation Rate 71
Housing Cost Burden 57.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 81
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 63
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 64
Homeownership Rate 29
Rent-to-Income Ratio 49

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Van Buren County
Van Buren County, AR 66.6 Serious —
Stone County, AR 66.1 Serious -0.5
Searcy County, AR 61.0 Elevated -5.5
Conway County, AR 58.5 Elevated -8.1
Cleburne County, AR 53.8 Elevated -12.8
Pope County, AR 53.5 Elevated -13.1
Faulkner County, AR 50.2 Elevated -16.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Van Buren County
Aransas County, TX 66.6 Serious 0.0
Upson County, GA 66.6 Serious +0.0
Hale County, AL 66.6 Serious -0.0
Lawrence County, MS 66.6 Serious -0.0
Santa Cruz County, AZ 66.5 Serious -0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Van Buren County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County residents at no cost.

Legal Aid of Arkansas 1-800-950-5817
Center for Arkansas Legal Services 1-800-950-5817

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Van Buren County, Arkansas?

    Van Buren County has a County Distress Index score of 66.6 out of 100, placing it in the Serious zone. It ranks 402nd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 22nd in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Van Buren County?

    The primary driver of distress in Van Buren County is Community Vulnerability, where the county scores 79.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Uninsured Rate, Disability Rate.

  • How does Van Buren County compare to neighboring counties?

    Van Buren County (66.6) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Stone County, AR (66.1); Searcy County, AR (61.0); Conway County, AR (58.5).

  • 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 Van Buren County?

    Van Buren County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 16,142 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.