Benefit checks make up 44 cents of every dollar of income in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana
In West Carroll Parish, 43.5% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives West Carroll Parish's score
In West Carroll Parish, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.6. Unemployment averaged 6.7%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in West 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.
West Carroll Parish does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (10.7%, 2020 to 2024) and people with a credit card behind (4.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.6% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
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- 75.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.1% · 202484th percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.1% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability20.6% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,254 · 202491st percentile
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- 73.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.6% · August 202558th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people268.2 · 202587th percentile
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- 68.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score52.1% · second quarter of 202684th percentile
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- 35.3 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 rent10.7% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.3% · fiscal year 202756th 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 West 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 West Carroll Parish, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
West Carroll Parish
Louisiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in West Carroll Parish had its largest rise, from 33.7% in 2014 to 39.4% in 2019.
In West Carroll Parish, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 43.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 43.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in West Carroll Parish getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.9% in 2019 to 16.3% in 2020.
The share of households in West Carroll Parish getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2018, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 11.5% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.
How West Carroll Parish has changed
West Carroll Parish's population fell 29% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2014 to 2019, reaching 10,032. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.
The number of jobs located in West Carroll Parish had its largest rise, from 2,565 in 1995 to 3,301 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in West Carroll Parish was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 39% since
High on the chart: 3,301 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 12.0% | 2025 6.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 31.5% | 2024 19.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,391 | 2024 $50,254 |
The table uses 6.5% for 2025; the score uses 6.7% 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 West Carroll Parish's history
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 19,252. The 2020 Census counted 9,751, 51% of the peak. Census Bureau
1976
A tornado in March 1976 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in October 2006 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in September 2008 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flash flood in September 2008 did $1.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered West Carroll Parish, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
West Carroll Parish beside its neighbors
All four counties that border West Carroll Parish, in Louisiana and Arkansas, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, West Carroll Parish ranks 3rd of the five; East Carroll Parish is highest, at 45.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Carroll Parish, LA | 99 | 44.4% | 45.3% |
| Morehouse Parish, LA | 98 | 28.5% | 43.7% |
| Chicot County, AR | 97 | 27.9% | 41.3% |
| Richland Parish, LA | 96 | 26.4% | 38.2% |
| 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 West Carroll Parish the poorest county in Louisiana?
No, West Carroll Parish's poverty rate was 19.1% in 2024, 38th highest of 64 in Louisiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is East Carroll Parish, at 44.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, West Carroll Parish ranks 43rd of 64 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in West 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 West 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 West Carroll Parish comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.