In Van Buren County, Arkansas, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2016
In 2024, 44 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Van Buren County's score
In Van Buren County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 85.4. About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 (28.8%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 86% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 78.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Van Buren 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.
Van Buren County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (17.9%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.7%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202683rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 78.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.7% · 202474th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.5% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability24.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$52,814 · 202486th percentile
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- 70.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.0% · August 202584th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202553rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.1% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 69.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.6% · August 202572nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people167.3 · 202565th percentile
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- 49.1 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 rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202749th 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County, 27.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Van Buren County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Van Buren County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Arkansas
In Van Buren County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Van Buren County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 14.8% in 2018 to 12.2% in 2019.
The share of households in Van Buren County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 10.7%
Low on the chart: 9.1% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Van Buren County, Arkansas.
How Van Buren County has changed
Van Buren County's population had its largest rise, from 10,515 in 1974 to 13,185 in 1979.
Van Buren County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16,152
High on the chart: 17,293 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Van Buren County, Arkansas.
The number of jobs located in Van Buren County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 3,928 in 2015 to 3,329 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Van Buren County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 3,705
High on the chart: 3,928 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Van Buren County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.0% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.4% | 2024 16.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,998 | 2024 $52,814 |
The table uses 5.2% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Van Buren County's history
1984
A tornado in March 1984 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
EF4 tornado on February 5, 2008 killed three people and destroyed many homes and businesses. Wikipedia
2008
A tornado in February 2008 did $22.75 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in May 2008 did $10 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 17,295. The 2020 Census counted 15,796, 91% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
A tornado in April 2010 did $4 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Van Buren County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Van Buren County beside its neighbors
Van Buren County scores higher than all six counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Van Buren County ranks 3rd of the seven; Searcy County is highest, at 48.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren County, AR | 84 | 16.7% | 44.2% |
| Stone County, AR | 74 | 17.7% | 45.5% |
| Cleburne County, AR | 73 | 13.4% | 34.1% |
| Conway County, AR | 71 | 14.3% | 29.8% |
| Pope County, AR | 66 | 16.9% | 28.5% |
| Searcy County, AR | 65 | 21.0% | 48.8% |
| Faulkner County, AR | 52 | 12.5% | 22.7% |
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 Van Buren County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, Van Buren County's poverty rate was 16.7% in 2024, 45th 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, Van Buren County ranks 34th of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Van Buren 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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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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.