Yell County, Arkansas

County Distress Index: Elevated · 58.6 | 20,044 people · 49th most distressed in Arkansas
American Default Research

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Yell County, AR registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 58.6 — 929th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Arkansas, it ranks 49th of 75 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Yell County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 69.4 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 69.4
Unemployment Rate 64
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 54
Business Formation Rate 90
Debt & Delinquency 66.2
Debt in Collections 71
Medical Debt 61
Student Loan Delinquency 92
Auto Loan Delinquency 55
Credit Card Delinquency 85
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 33
Income & Poverty 62.1
Poverty Rate 70
Income vs. State Median 42
Child Poverty Rate 73
Community Vulnerability 60.0
Uninsured Rate 52
Disability Rate 68
Housing Cost Burden 35.2
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 14
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 7
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 35
Homeownership Rate 79
Rent-to-Income Ratio 43

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Yell County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Yell County
Yell County, AR 58.6 Elevated —
Scott County, AR 70.9 Serious +12.3
Montgomery County, AR 70.5 Serious +11.9
Garland County, AR 67.7 Serious +9.1
Logan County, AR 60.0 Elevated +1.4
Conway County, AR 58.5 Elevated -0.1
Perry County, AR 56.7 Elevated -1.9
Pope County, AR 53.5 Elevated -5.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Yell County
Love County, OK 58.6 Elevated 0.0
Plumas County, CA 58.6 Elevated +0.0
Tippah County, MS 58.6 Elevated -0.0
Ouachita County, AR 58.6 Elevated +0.0
Hill County, TX 58.6 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

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

Find Help in Yell 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 Yell 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 Yell County, Arkansas?

    Yell County has a County Distress Index score of 58.6 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 929th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 49th in Arkansas out of 75 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Yell County?

    The primary driver of distress in Yell County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 69.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Yell County compare to neighboring counties?

    Yell County (58.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Scott County, AR (70.9); Montgomery County, AR (70.5); Garland County, AR (67.7).

  • 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 Yell County?

    Yell County, Arkansas has a population of approximately 20,044 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.