Miller County, Arkansas
Above the national median for child poverty rate — and 13.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Skagway Municipality, AK — 2%).
Main Findings
Miller County, Arkansas ranks 79th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 33% of children live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 17%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer and its lowest is Delinquency.
- 79th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 97 · extreme county distress, more distressed than 97% of U.S. counties; 7th in Arkansas.
- 33% of children live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 17%). Child poverty rate at the 94th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Debt in collections at 40% — national median 23%, ranked at the 94th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 24% — national median 18%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Adults 25-54 not working at 28% — national median 21%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 24-point drop to Bossier Parish, LA marks a cross-border distress gradient.
Miller County has an extreme county distress score. The five-domain profile shows where local household pressure is most concentrated.
The CDI gives this county an extreme county distress label. The score is the plain-language signal; the national rank separately shows how the county compares with every other county-equivalent in the release. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024), 33% of children under 18 in Miller County live below the federal poverty line, versus 17% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Miller County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Miller County's value shown alongside AR's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Miller | AR median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 80 · Rank 521 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 7% | 5% | 76th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 7% | 8% | 5% | 77th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 35% | 31% | 23% | 88th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 85 · Rank 266 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 40% | 32% | 23% | 94th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 205 | 214 | 126 | 76th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 84 · Rank 306 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 25% | 21% | 21% | 84th | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 24% | 17% | 18% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 82 · Rank 387 of 3,144 | |||||
| Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) | 28% | 27% | 21% | 84th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) | 5% | 5% | 4% | 80th | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 86 · Rank 157 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 33% | 24% | 17% | 94th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 20% | 22% | 16% | 82nd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 21% | 18% | 13% | 91st | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 12% | 8% | 8% | 76th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Miller County data.
Draft wire copy 140-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
TEXARKANA, Ark. — Miller County ranks 79th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Miller scores 97 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 97% of U.S. counties; its score label is extreme county distress. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 78 counties rank more distressed. Within Arkansas, Miller ranks seventh of 75 counties.
The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Miller. 33% of children live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 17%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Miller County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Miller County's distress score?
How does Miller County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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