Special Report

This is the Worst County to Live in Arkansas

Samuel Stebbins

Published: July 28, 2021 7:00 am

Last Updated: July 28, 2021 3:52 pm

Life expectancy fell by 1.5 years in the United States in 2020. The decline, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis, represents the most pronounced regression in public health in the United States since World War II.

While the most recent dip in life expectancy in the U.S. is alarming, there are many parts of the country where poor health outcomes and other socioeconomic hardships have long been the norm.

Using an index of three measures — life expectancy at birth, bachelor’s degree attainment, and poverty rate — 24/7 Wall St. identified the worst counties to live in in every state.

Phillips County ranks as the worst place to live in Arkansas. Located in the state’s Delta region, Phillips County is a former agricultural and transportation hub with a history of racial tensions and violence. After decades of economic decline, the local poverty rate stands at 34.5%, more than double the 17.0% state poverty rate. Well-educated areas tend to have lower rates of financial hardship, and only 13.8% of adults in the county have a bachelor’s degree, compared to 23.0% of adults in Arkansas.

As is often the case in parts of the country with high poverty, Phillips County is in a period of population decline. Over the last five years, the number of people living in the county has fallen by 10.7%, even as Arkansas’ population expanded by 1.8%.

Data on bachelor’s degree attainment and poverty are from the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and are five-year estimates. Data on average life expectancy at birth came from the 2021 County Health Rankings, a joint program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, and are based on mortality data from the years 2017 to 2019. Supplemental data on population and income are from the ACS, and unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted for May 2021 and are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the worst county to live in every state.