In East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2021
In 2024, 45 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 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives East Carroll Parish's score
In East Carroll Parish, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 95.0. About one in three renters (35.7%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 95.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in East Carroll Parish: 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.
East Carroll Parish does better than most counties on one measure: people without health insurance (4.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 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 rent35.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.2% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year11.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working39.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 93.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector41.5% · August 2025top 5%
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people322.2 · 202592nd percentile
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- 90.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind7.8% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.5% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score64.4% · second quarter of 2026top 5%
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- 75.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line44.4% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line50.0% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability21.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$36,713 · 2024top 5%
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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 East Carroll Parish 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 East Carroll Parish, 15.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
East Carroll Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In East Carroll Parish, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Louisiana
In East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 45.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in East Carroll Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 25.6% in 2014 to 32.0% in 2015.
The share of households in East Carroll Parish getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen to 29.6%
Low on the chart: 24.2% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, East Carroll Parish, Louisiana.
How East Carroll Parish has changed
East Carroll Parish's population had its largest drop, from 11,202 in 1984 to 10,054 in 1989.
East Carroll Parish's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 6,892, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2009 to 2014, reaching 7,790. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, East Carroll Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in East Carroll Parish had its largest drop, from 2,353 in 2000 to 1,994 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in East Carroll Parish was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 40% since
High on the chart: 2,353 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, East Carroll Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.6% | 2025 13.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 60.4% | 2024 44.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $11,578 | 2024 $36,713 |
The table uses 13.0% for 2025; the score uses 11.9% 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 East Carroll Parish's history
1877
East Carroll Parish was founded March 26, 1877. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 19,023. The 2020 Census counted 7,459, 39% of the peak. Census Bureau
1971
A tornado in February 1971 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in September 2008 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A thunderstorm in May 2009 did $700 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered East Carroll Parish, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
East Carroll Parish beside its neighbors
East Carroll Parish scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. Of the group, East Carroll Parish gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (45.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Carroll Parish, LA | 99 | 44.4% | 45.3% |
| Madison Parish, LA | 99 | 33.3% | 41.5% |
| Chicot County, AR | 97 | 27.9% | 41.3% |
| Richland Parish, LA | 96 | 26.4% | 38.2% |
| Warren County, MS | 88 | 18.8% | 28.2% |
| Issaquena County, MS | 84 | 55.7% | 31.9% |
| West Carroll Parish, LA | 81 | 19.1% | 43.5% |
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 East Carroll Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
Yes, East Carroll Parish's poverty rate was 44.4% in 2024, the highest of 64 counties in Louisiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, East Carroll Parish ranks 1st of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in East Carroll Parish
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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Acadiana Legal Service Corporation
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 East Carroll Parish · 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 East Carroll Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.