Union Parish, Louisiana

County Distress Index: Elevated · 59.7 | 20,650 people · 36th most distressed in Louisiana
American Default Research

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Union Parish, LA registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 59.7 — 849th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Louisiana, it ranks 36th of 64 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Union Parish's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 73.0 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 73.0
Poverty Rate 79
Income vs. State Median 52
Child Poverty Rate 88
Debt & Delinquency 67.4
Debt in Collections 75
Medical Debt 67
Student Loan Delinquency 63
Auto Loan Delinquency 47
Credit Card Delinquency 53
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 99
Employment & Wages 67.0
Unemployment Rate 76
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 76
Business Formation Rate 49
Community Vulnerability 53.6
Uninsured Rate 50
Disability Rate 57
Housing Cost Burden 37.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 35
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 39
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 4
Homeownership Rate 41
Rent-to-Income Ratio 69

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Union Parish compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Union Parish
Union Parish, LA 59.7 Elevated —
Morehouse Parish, LA 70.3 Serious +10.5
Ashley County, AR 68.8 Serious +9.1
Ouachita Parish, LA 64.2 Elevated +4.5
Claiborne Parish, LA 63.7 Elevated +3.9
Lincoln Parish, LA 59.6 Elevated -0.1
Union County, AR 58.4 Elevated -1.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Union Parish
Metcalfe County, KY 59.7 Elevated 0.0
Attala County, MS 59.7 Elevated -0.0
Chowan County, NC 59.7 Elevated -0.0
Henry County, MO 59.8 Elevated +0.0
Morgan County, OH 59.7 Elevated -0.0

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Union Parish as a CSV file.

Find Help in Union Parish

Find an Attorney

Louisiana State Bar Association Lawyer Referral offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

Louisiana State Bar Association Lawyer Referral 1-800-421-5722

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Union Parish residents at no cost.

Southeast Louisiana Legal Services 504-529-1000
Acadiana Legal Service Corporation 1-800-256-1175
Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corporation (504) 529-1000

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 Union Parish, Louisiana?

    Union Parish has a County Distress Index score of 59.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 849th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 36th in Louisiana out of 64 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Union Parish?

    The primary driver of distress in Union Parish is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 73.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Union Parish compare to neighboring counties?

    Union Parish (59.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Morehouse Parish, LA (70.3); Ashley County, AR (68.8); Ouachita Parish, LA (64.2).

  • 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 Union Parish?

    Union Parish, Louisiana has a population of approximately 20,650 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.