Scott County, Arkansas
Above the national median for poverty rate — and 5.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Los Alamos County, NM — 4%).
Main Findings
Scott County, Arkansas is more distressed than 88% of U.S. counties on the County Distress Index. The driver: 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 13%. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer and its lowest is Delinquency.
- 26th of 75 counties in Arkansas on the County Distress Index — 88 · very high county distress, more distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
- 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 13%). Poverty rate at the 88th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024).
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 23% — national median 18%, ranked at the 77th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Adults 25-54 not working at 30% — national median 21%, ranked at the 89th percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
- Debt in collections at 34% — national median 23%, ranked at the 84th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 30-point drop to Yell County marks where the Arkansas distress corridor ends.
Scott County has a very high county distress score. The domain table shows which local pressure carries the composite.
The CDI gives this county a very high county distress label. The five-domain profile shows which local pressures carry the score. 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), 26% of children under 18 in Scott 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 Scott County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Scott County's value shown alongside AR's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Scott | AR median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 70 · Rank 859 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 7% | 5% | 52nd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 8% | 8% | 5% | 83rd | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 30% | 31% | 23% | 75th | Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 70 · Rank 719 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 34% | 32% | 23% | 84th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 142 | 214 | 126 | 57th | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 72 · Rank 659 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 22% | 21% | 21% | 66th | 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 | 23% | 17% | 18% | 77th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Labor — domain score 71 · Rank 693 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) | 30% | 27% | 21% | 89th | 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) | 4% | 5% | 4% | 54th | 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 84 · Rank 236 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 26% | 24% | 17% | 85th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 20% | 22% | 16% | 79th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 18% | 13% | 88th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 11% | 8% | 8% | 75th | 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 Scott County data.
Draft wire copy 130-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WALDRON, Ark. — Scott County is more distressed than 88% of U.S. counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
Scott scores 88 out of 100, which means it is more distressed than 88% of U.S. counties; its score label is very high county distress. Within Arkansas, Scott ranks 26th 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 Scott. 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line — above the national median of 13%.
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 Scott County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Scott County's distress score?
How does Scott County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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