The Census Bureau released the July 1, 2018 population estimates at the national and state levels today. The Arkansas population surpassed 3,000,000 for the first time in 2017 and continued to grow in the latest estimates. In the last year the Arkansas population grew by 0.4 percent which was not far behind the pace of the United States population, which grew by 0.6 percent. Nevada and Idaho experienced a 2.1 percent increase and were the fastest-growing states in the country.
The population increase for Arkansas can be attributed to both natural increase (more births than deaths) and migration. Of the 10,828 added population over half (6,098) was from natural increase leaving 4,735 added by migration. Domestic migration accounted for a little more than half (52%) of the net migration into Arkansas, while international migration accounted for 48 percent.
The table below shows the annual estimates of the resident population for the United States and Arkansas from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2018.
| Indicator | National | Arkansas |
|---|---|---|
| Vitality (2017) | 0 | -0.8925 |
| Median Household Income | 57700 | 43800 |
| Poverty Rate | 0.146 | 0.181 |
| Unemployment Rate | 0.066 | 0.063 |
| Employment Rate (Ages 25-54) | 0.766 | 0.725 |
| Housing Vacancy Rate | 0.122 | 0.153 |
| Life Expectancy | 79.1 | 76.2 |
Arkansas grew by 3.4 percent since the 2010 Census and ranked 29th out of the 50 states and D.C. Utah and Texas were the fastest-growing states while three states lost population during this time period.
The Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program (PEP) produces estimates of the population for the United States, states, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, counties, cities, towns, as well as for Puerto Rico and its municipios.
The data are released on a flow basis throughout the year: National and State, population and demographic components of change in December; County and MSA population and demographic components of change in March; National population by age and sex in April; City and Town population and National, State, and County housing units in May; National, State, and County population by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin in June. For more information, please see: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest.html
Data in Excel format can be found on our website for the State and National level.