Searcy County, Arkansas
Above the national median for disability rate — and 9.2× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (San Juan County, CO — 3%).
Main Findings
Searcy County, Arkansas ranks 1,909th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Searcy sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 1,909th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 72nd in Arkansas.
- 27% of residents report a disability (U.S. median 16%). Disability rate at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 26% — national median 21%, ranked at the 85th percentile.
- Default & Legal domain score 33 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Labor domain score 31 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 20-point drop to Boone County marks where the Arkansas distress corridor ends.
"Searcy County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context."
"The CDI places this county in the second-least distressed fifth nationally. The rank still belongs in context with state position and the highest-scoring local domain."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Searcy County's uninsured rate indicator is at the 27th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 46th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and disability rate. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Marshall.
28% of children under 18 in Searcy County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% 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.
The Indicators Behind Searcy County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Searcy County's value shown alongside AR's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Searcy | AR median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 20 · Rank 2,606 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 2% | 7% | 5% | 5th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 8% | 5% | 22nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 20% | 31% | 23% | 32nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 33 · Rank 2,297 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 21% | 32% | 23% | 42nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 77 | 214 | 126 | 23rd | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 62 · Rank 1,044 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 26% | 22% | 21% | 85th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 16% | 17% | 18% | 39th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 31 · Rank 2,097 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 4% | 4% | 31st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 78 · Rank 510 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 28% | 24% | 18% | 87th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 27% | 22% | 16% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 20% | 18% | 14% | 87th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 49% | 34% | 27% | 95th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 6% | 8% | 8% | 27th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
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 is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. 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 CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Searcy County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 141-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
MARSHALL, Ark. — Searcy County ranks 1,909th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 45 out of 100 places Searcy in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,908 counties rank more distressed. Within Arkansas, Searcy ranks 72nd of 75 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Searcy sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Searcy County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Searcy County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Searcy County's distress score?
How does Searcy County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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