In 2022, Sevier County ranked fourth lowest per capita recipient of government transfers in Arkansas, with residents receiving $11,372 per capita from programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and income maintenance, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
In total, residents in Sevier County received $178.4 million in government transfers, which accounted for 25.4% of total county income.
Comparatively, across all counties in Arkansas, government transfer payments totaled $38 billion, making up 23.7% of the state residents’ total income, with an average of $12,493 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
Breaking down the contributions in Sevier County at the time, Social Security transfers totaled $51.8 million, amounting to $3,302 per capita, or 29% of total government transfers. Medicare transfers accounted for $42.1 million ($2,686 per capita), representing 23.6% of the total. Medicaid contributed $43.1 million ($2,745 per capita), making up 24.1% of total transfers. Income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $22.7 million ($1,446 per capita), or 12.7% of the total.
With 14.6% of the population aged 65 and older, Sevier County has a demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Total per capita income excluding government transfers in Sevier County was $33,478, far below the county’s total income of $44,850, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Sevier County saw a decrease of 17.6% in per capita government transfers, from $13,789 to $11,372 per capita.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.21% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.63% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022. In Sevier County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 13.96% (or $2,089 per capita) in 1970 to 25.4% (or $11,372 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank (Per Capita Transfers) | Per Capita Transfers ($) | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers ($) | Medicare Transfers ($) | Medicaid Transfers ($) | Income Maintenance Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County | 1 | $19,670 | 41.81% | 25.81% | $35,713,000 | $25,103,000 | $44,184,000 | $9,792,000 |
| Phillips County | 2 | $19,144 | 43.17% | 20.96% | $70,634,000 | $54,467,000 | $101,880,000 | $46,367,000 |
| Chicot County | 3 | $18,913 | 41.67% | 22.16% | $46,553,000 | $41,639,000 | $65,416,000 | $20,703,000 |
| Sharp County | 4 | $18,393 | 42% | 25.63% | $106,223,000 | $93,687,000 | $63,861,000 | $24,329,000 |
| Bradley County | 5 | $17,997 | 36.92% | 19.4% | $45,932,000 | $41,423,000 | $66,737,000 | $17,523,000 |
| Woodruff County | 6 | $17,877 | 35.53% | 24.6% | $30,932,000 | $28,462,000 | $30,907,000 | $10,595,000 |
| Monroe County | 7 | $17,641 | 43.97% | 23.96% | $33,719,000 | $26,594,000 | $34,364,000 | $12,423,000 |
| Desha County | 8 | $17,200 | 35.68% | 20.23% | $49,600,000 | $43,532,000 | $56,676,000 | $21,901,000 |
| Baxter County | 9 | $17,155 | 38.64% | 30.72% | $291,910,000 | $206,233,000 | $106,874,000 | $39,297,000 |
| Ashley County | 10 | $17,085 | 38.23% | 21.87% | $104,192,000 | $81,863,000 | $76,892,000 | $28,159,000 |
| Nevada County | 11 | $16,705 | 41.25% | 21.69% | $38,278,000 | $30,988,000 | $44,316,000 | $11,707,000 |
| Stone County | 12 | $16,586 | 45% | 27.98% | $74,040,000 | $55,844,000 | $42,363,000 | $16,091,000 |
| Searcy County | 13 | $16,502 | 49% | 25.75% | $43,567,000 | $34,541,000 | $29,950,000 | $10,258,000 |
| Van Buren County | 14 | $16,315 | 42.43% | 26.34% | $97,589,000 | $68,129,000 | $51,279,000 | $18,540,000 |
| Garland County | 15 | $16,220 | 33.44% | 24.8% | $568,176,000 | $461,170,000 | $320,349,000 | $119,178,000 |
| Logan County | 16 | $16,030 | 39.25% | 20.53% | $102,642,000 | $73,604,000 | $107,316,000 | $27,958,000 |
| Lawrence County | 17 | $15,999 | 37.85% | 19.22% | $73,694,000 | $65,110,000 | $74,182,000 | $22,789,000 |
| Poinsett County | 18 | $15,958 | 37.52% | 18.39% | $99,335,000 | $92,348,000 | $106,507,000 | $37,886,000 |
| Lafayette County | 19 | $15,957 | 32.11% | 25.76% | $31,872,000 | $23,347,000 | $25,137,000 | $9,745,000 |
| Ouachita County | 20 | $15,898 | 33% | 21.53% | $114,200,000 | $85,236,000 | $87,574,000 | $34,155,000 |
| Cleburne County | 21 | $15,833 | 32.67% | 27.35% | $158,956,000 | $106,591,000 | $66,665,000 | $25,900,000 |
| Clay County | 22 | $15,833 | 36.37% | 21.4% | $69,407,000 | $61,625,000 | $55,874,000 | $18,300,000 |
| Newton County | 23 | $15,817 | 41.81% | 27.42% | $40,978,000 | $27,604,000 | $23,560,000 | $9,082,000 |
| St. Francis County | 24 | $15,410 | 43.21% | 17.93% | $86,687,000 | $75,376,000 | $108,284,000 | $49,086,000 |
| Marion County | 25 | $15,283 | 41.62% | 29.4% | $104,055,000 | $61,525,000 | $48,974,000 | $19,073,000 |
| Pike County | 26 | $15,272 | 36.99% | 20.84% | $49,364,000 | $42,028,000 | $39,925,000 | $13,331,000 |
| Lee County | 27 | $15,185 | 42.4% | 20.22% | $32,555,000 | $24,650,000 | $45,490,000 | $17,990,000 |
| Jefferson County | 28 | $15,163 | 37.18% | 18.94% | $272,561,000 | $215,141,000 | $239,583,000 | $119,855,000 |
| Randolph County | 29 | $14,994 | 36.6% | 19.24% | $80,605,000 | $77,244,000 | $69,535,000 | $24,947,000 |
| Montgomery County | 30 | $14,937 | 39.39% | 27.44% | $47,283,000 | $29,128,000 | $28,322,000 | $9,850,000 |
| Fulton County | 31 | $14,931 | 43.91% | 25.77% | $65,047,000 | $42,008,000 | $41,185,000 | $14,691,000 |
| Cleveland County | 32 | $14,855 | 29% | 21.63% | $35,837,000 | $27,719,000 | $27,108,000 | $8,571,000 |
| Hempstead County | 33 | $14,794 | 34.45% | 19.11% | $84,655,000 | $62,472,000 | $86,368,000 | $33,194,000 |
| Little River County | 34 | $14,754 | 35.39% | 21.67% | $61,355,000 | $50,323,000 | $32,264,000 | $15,059,000 |
| Izard County | 35 | $14,726 | 42.49% | 25% | $74,994,000 | $45,445,000 | $45,958,000 | $15,562,000 |
| Arkansas County | 36 | $14,626 | 25.3% | 20.38% | $77,967,000 | $58,094,000 | $66,082,000 | $23,264,000 |
| Union County | 37 | $14,558 | 28.44% | 19.48% | $188,166,000 | $131,708,000 | $132,046,000 | $54,429,000 |
| Polk County | 38 | $14,553 | 36.7% | 23.32% | $99,483,000 | $69,067,000 | $52,986,000 | $25,292,000 |
| Drew County | 39 | $14,482 | 31.13% | 18.33% | $71,996,000 | $54,539,000 | $68,320,000 | $24,420,000 |
| Howard County | 40 | $14,478 | 30.61% | 18.93% | $57,738,000 | $45,163,000 | $45,945,000 | $19,661,000 |
| Clark County | 41 | $14,449 | 34.13% | 16.59% | $87,084,000 | $61,527,000 | $103,833,000 | $24,477,000 |
| Jackson County | 42 | $14,248 | 31% | 18.22% | $67,413,000 | $67,034,000 | $61,938,000 | $22,779,000 |
| Prairie County | 43 | $14,235 | 32.7% | 24% | $39,331,000 | $30,023,000 | $27,797,000 | $8,691,000 |
| Mississippi County | 44 | $14,221 | 32.72% | 15.83% | $152,205,000 | $119,470,000 | $161,949,000 | $77,407,000 |
| Columbia County | 45 | $14,204 | 31.36% | 17.65% | $99,583,000 | $68,989,000 | $89,777,000 | $33,915,000 |
| Cross County | 46 | $14,129 | 34.38% | 18.6% | $72,442,000 | $55,465,000 | $64,154,000 | $24,469,000 |
| Conway County | 47 | $13,997 | 29.54% | 20% | $98,370,000 | $66,946,000 | $71,311,000 | $27,608,000 |
| Perry County | 48 | $13,939 | 31.49% | 21.25% | $49,587,000 | $34,390,000 | $30,221,000 | $11,819,000 |
| Yell County | 49 | $13,817 | 31.38% | 18.27% | $87,182,000 | $69,444,000 | $72,076,000 | $27,246,000 |
| Crittenden County | 50 | $13,728 | 31.15% | 15.1% | $176,322,000 | $130,528,000 | $194,567,000 | $96,161,000 |
| Boone County | 51 | $13,514 | 31.9% | 20.96% | $193,170,000 | $121,478,000 | $104,075,000 | $42,319,000 |
| Franklin County | 52 | $13,418 | 31.91% | 20.38% | $81,931,000 | $55,825,000 | $48,943,000 | $19,217,000 |
| Hot Spring County | 53 | $13,405 | 35.6% | 19.76% | $150,644,000 | $108,615,000 | $110,205,000 | $37,451,000 |
| Independence County | 54 | $13,283 | 30% | 18.12% | $162,661,000 | $127,287,000 | $125,862,000 | $42,196,000 |
| Scott County | 55 | $13,282 | 33.29% | 21.57% | $45,846,000 | $25,405,000 | $30,828,000 | $15,869,000 |
| Calhoun County | 56 | $13,217 | 28.11% | 22.81% | $23,190,000 | $16,180,000 | $10,815,000 | $5,177,000 |
| Crawford County | 57 | $12,872 | 30.84% | 17.92% | $266,888,000 | $188,786,000 | $168,106,000 | $71,831,000 |
| White County | 58 | $12,679 | 29.1% | 16.84% | $325,333,000 | $243,079,000 | $210,583,000 | $91,960,000 |
| Pulaski County | 59 | $12,481 | 20.27% | 16.66% | $1,583,317,000 | $1,061,511,000 | $1,180,465,000 | $532,794,000 |
| Carroll County | 60 | $12,426 | 29.78% | 23.96% | $139,817,000 | $90,343,000 | $58,511,000 | $28,938,000 |
| Miller County | 61 | $12,416 | 31% | 17.34% | $165,174,000 | $131,768,000 | $117,282,000 | $65,602,000 |
| Greene County | 62 | $12,394 | 29.82% | 16.6% | $181,502,000 | $136,946,000 | $145,684,000 | $57,137,000 |
| Sebastian County | 63 | $12,297 | 25.42% | 16.98% | $515,058,000 | $374,904,000 | $365,674,000 | $163,130,000 |
| Madison County | 64 | $12,219 | 27.52% | 19.5% | $73,222,000 | $62,398,000 | $38,145,000 | $20,108,000 |
| Johnson County | 65 | $12,101 | 34% | 17.66% | $106,445,000 | $65,937,000 | $75,040,000 | $35,740,000 |
| Grant County | 66 | $11,996 | 26.16% | 18.71% | $78,104,000 | $55,445,000 | $42,081,000 | $16,119,000 |
| Pope County | 67 | $11,819 | 28.35% | 16.56% | $249,731,000 | $173,782,000 | $178,079,000 | $67,049,000 |
| Saline County | 68 | $11,721 | 22.4% | 18.46% | $556,855,000 | $362,314,000 | $325,790,000 | $99,869,000 |
| Lonoke County | 69 | $11,517 | 23.78% | 14.76% | $270,468,000 | $195,712,000 | $170,377,000 | $71,231,000 |
| Lincoln County | 70 | $11,398 | 34.5% | 15.12% | $41,968,000 | $39,523,000 | $41,218,000 | $13,934,000 |
| Craighead County | 71 | $11,398 | 24.58% | 14.12% | $370,547,000 | $286,701,000 | $359,041,000 | $146,194,000 |
| Sevier County | 72 | $11,372 | 25.36% | 14.56% | $51,791,000 | $42,140,000 | $43,055,000 | $22,688,000 |
| Faulkner County | 73 | $10,742 | 22.31% | 13.93% | $422,092,000 | $269,451,000 | $390,576,000 | $115,941,000 |
| Washington County | 74 | $8,313 | 17% | 12.37% | $721,360,000 | $463,000,000 | $450,183,000 | $220,280,000 |
| Benton County | 75 | $8,086 | 8.18% | 13.77% | $935,340,000 | $596,211,000 | $401,171,000 | $213,073,000 |
