About three in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in White County, Arkansas, are not working
In White County, 29.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives White County's score
In White County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 77.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 251.1 per 100,000 people (2025), higher than in 85% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 76.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in White 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.
White County does better than most counties on two measures: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.8%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.6%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.2% · August 202568th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people251.1 · 202585th percentile
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- 76.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.2% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.0% · August 202574th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 73.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.4% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.7% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability20.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- People without health insurance9.8% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,435 · 202476th percentile
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- 71.7 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 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working29.1% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
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- 40.4 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 rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.8% · fiscal year 202740th 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 White 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 White 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
White County
Arkansas
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in White County had its largest rise, from 22.2% in 2004 to 25.7% in 2009.
In White County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In White County, Arkansas, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in White County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 13.6% in 2012 to 12.5% in 2013.
The share of households in White County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 11.5%
Low on the chart: 11.5% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, White County, Arkansas.
How White County has changed
White County's population doubled to 79,091, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 45,500. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, White County, Arkansas.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in White County nearly doubled to 26,591, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 20,496. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, White County, Arkansas.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.8% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.1% | 2024 17.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,826 | 2024 $57,435 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in White County's history
1835
October 23, 1835, from Independence, Jackson, and Pulaski counties. Wikipedia
1952
A tornado in March 1952 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed 50 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1961
A tornado in May 1961 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in January 1999 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A tornado in January 1999 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 77,076. The 2020 Census counted 76,822, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered White County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
White County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border White County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, White County ranks 6th of the eight; Woodruff County is highest, at 34.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, AR | 95 | 25.1% | 30.2% |
| Woodruff County, AR | 93 | 25.6% | 34.6% |
| White County, AR | 80 | 17.4% | 29.3% |
| Cleburne County, AR | 73 | 13.4% | 34.1% |
| Independence County, AR | 65 | 17.0% | 29.8% |
| Prairie County, AR | 64 | 15.9% | 33.2% |
| Faulkner County, AR | 52 | 12.5% | 22.7% |
| Lonoke County, AR | 51 | 10.0% | 24.7% |
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 White County the poorest county in Arkansas?
No, White County's poverty rate was 17.4% in 2024, 41st 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, White County ranks 41st of 75 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in White 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.
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 White County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.