Table 1: Housing Unit Estimates for the 100 Fastest-Growing Counties With 5,000 or More Housing Units: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019

Table 1 shows the only two Arkansas counties that rank among the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimates of the 100 fastest growing U.S. counties with 5,000 or more housing units for 2010- 2019. Benton County ranked 55, increased its housing units 20.5% from 93,093 in 2010 to 112,183 in 2019, while Craighead County, ranked 96, went from 40,516 to 46,934 housing units, an increase of 15.8%.

Table 2: Housing Unit Estimates for the 100 Fastest-Growing Counties With 5,000 or More Housing Units: July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019

Table 3: Annual Estimates of Housing Units for Counties in Arkansas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019

Drawn from the Census Bureau estimates for the increase in housing units in each U.S. County, Table 3 contrasts the five Arkansas counties that had the largest estimated gain in housing units between 2010 and 2019, with the five counties which consistently lost housing units over the same period. Benton County, with a 20.2% increase in housing units since 2010, tops the list of counties with significant growth, followed by Craighead, 15.6%; Saline, 10.3%; Lonoke, 10.2%; and Washington, 9.5%.

Bradley County suffered a 0.8% loss in housing units from 2010-2019, the largest percentage loss of among the five counties and the largest loss of any county in Arkansas. Monroe County was close behind with a 0.6% loss, followed by Woodruff, 0.4%, Ouachita, 0.3% and Clay, 0.2%.

Benton County is the only county in the state that experienced a steady increase in the growth rate of housing units over the ten year period. Between 2010 and 2011 its housing units grew only by 0.8%, but from 2016 to 2019 the county growth rate stayed well above 2.0%, reaching 3.52% in 2019.

Additional links:

• Arkansas State Data Center Webiste
• For additional data from Arkansas be sure to check out Arkanstats

The U.S. Census Bureau just released its city population estimates for 2019 and ranked cities with populations of 50,000 or more by population growth for 2010-2019 and 2018-2019. Table 1 shows the eight towns in Arkansas that made the list of 719 cities with 50,000 people or more in 2010.

Table 1: Cumulative Estimates of Resident Population Change for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More in 2010, Ranked by Percent Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019

Rogers, which added 12,590 residents between 2010 and 2019, ranked first among Arkansas cities and 42nd nationally, with an overall growth rate of 22.4%. Growth rates for Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Conway, and Springdale all showed percentage increases in double-digit numbers, placing them in the upper half of the list of fastest-growing cities in the country. North Little Rock, Little Rock, and Fort Smith also experienced population growth, albeit at a much slower rate.

Table 2: Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for Incorporated Places of 50,000 or More in 2018, Ranked by Percent Change: July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019

Table 2 covers the period from 2018 to 2019 and ranks Arkansas cities by population from among the 774 American cities with 50,000 or more residents in 2018. The list of cities is the same as Table 1 with the addition of Bentonville, which ranked fifth in the nation, increasing its population by 7.4% or 3,804 people. Growth in the rest of the state’s cities for the same period was less robust, and Little Rock and North Little Rock had small population decreases.

Table 3: Annual Population Estimates for Cities and Towns with the Largest Net Population Gains and Losses in Arkansas: July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019

Table 3 shows the population estimates for nine Arkansas cities between 2010 and July 1, 2019, with the percentage growth for each year indicated. Bentonville easily tops the list with an average yearly growth rate of 4.9%, adding more than 19,000 new residents over ten years.

Conway’s population increased each year at an average of 1.42%, although growth rates fell below 1% in 2013, 2015, 2016, and again in 2019. Fayetteville grew at a more stable pace, with a slightly higher average overall growth rate than Conway and yearly averages for 2011-2019 that ranged between 1.13% and 2.38%.

Rogers, with a growth rate for 2011-2019 that ranked 42 nationwide, saw robust increases of between 1.5% and 3.5% for every year except 2010. Although percentage increases for 2018 and 2019 tapered off slightly above 1.5%, the city achieved an impressive overall average growth rate of 2.2%, placing second among the Arkansas cities listed. Roger’s neighboring town of Springdale has seen a steady decline in population growth since 2015, culminating in 0.27% for 2019. The city’s overall growth rate of 1.47% ranks fourth among the cities included in the survey.

Jonesboro, the only city on the list from east Arkansas, maintained a healthy overall growth rate of 1.67%, the third-highest among Arkansas cities over 50,000. The town attained its peak growth rate of 2.15% in 2011 and averaged well above 1% for each following year.

Of the three Arkansas cities that recorded periods of population loss during 2011-2019, Little Rock and North Little Rock experienced three consecutive years of decline, Little Rock from 2017-2019 and North Little Rock from 2015-2017. Before 2017 Little Rock’s yearly growth rate averaged well below 1%, and the city had the lowest overall population increase of any of the cities listed. North Little Rock, on the other hand, showed population gains of 1% or better for each year from 2011-2014 until encountering losses in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019.

Fort Smith, the only other Arkansas city to experience population declines, had a rocky growth rate during the decade, losing between 0.1% and 0.3% of its population during 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Although the city managed a slight overall increase for the period, 2011 was the only year where the number of residents grew by more than 1%.

Additional links:

• Arkansas State Data Center Webiste
• For additional data from Arkansas be sure to check out Arkanstats

Population growth in a region is determined by natural increase, the difference between the number of births and deaths, and net migration, the difference between the number of people entering a region and those leaving it. Changes in population trends can help identify various economic and social trends.

Image 1: (Population Change and Natural Increase in Arkansas 2010-2019) divides the state’s counties into four categories:

• Counties with positive population change and natural increase.
• Counties with positive population change but negative natural increase.
• Counties with negative population change but positive natural increase.
• Counties with negative population change and negative natural increase

Seventeen counties in the state, primarily located in Central and Northwest Arkansas and in the Jonesboro area, experienced an overall population increase attributable to births outnumbering deaths. By contrast seven counties in the Delta, four in the southwest and a few elsewhere had more births than deaths, but still saw population declines due to residents leaving.

Even though deaths outpaced births in several counties in North and Central Arkansas, an in migration of new residents produced overall population increases. Overall 36 out of 75 counties in Arkansas lost population from 2010 to 2019.

Natural increase and net migration can be critical to understanding local population trends. The population of Benton County increased by nearly 60,000 during the last decade, but 40,000 of that increase came from net migration. A county like Hot Springs might experience population growth despite a decline in the natural increase rate due to families that already have children taking up residence in the area.

On the other hand, a county in the delta undergoing a decline in population even though births in the area outnumber deaths might indicate that the older population is moving out and the younger population staying put. Counties suffering from a population decrease might also have a stable older population but a high number of younger people moving out of their homes before having children.

Additional links:

• Arkansas State Data Center Webiste
• For additional data from Arkansas be sure to check out Arkanstats

Image 1:

The population of Arkansas reached 3,017,804 in 2019. In line with previous estimates, the counties in Central Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas remain the most populous in the state. With 391,911 inhabitants, Pulaski is still the state’s most populated county, followed by Benton (279,141) and Washington Counties (239,187). The counties with the smallest populations are Calhoun (5,227), Woodruff (6,466), and Lafayette (6,679).

Image 2:

Consistent with well-established trends, Central and Northwest Arkansas remain the fastest growing areas in the state. Benton County had the state’s highest growth rate with a population increase of 26.1%, followed by Washington County at 17.8%. However, most counties in Arkansas lost population. This loss was particularly acute for counties in or adjacent to the Mississippi River Delta, many of which suffered population reductions in excess of 10%. A prime example is Phillips County, which lost 18.3% of its population, more than any other county in the state.

Additional links:

• Arkansas State Data Center Webiste
• For additional data from Arkansas be sure to check out Arkanstats

The total population, median age and racial composition of Arkansas has changed significantly during the past decade.

Table 1: Percentage of growth of the population in Arkansas by racial group

As table 1 shows, the population of Arkansas topped three million in 2018, up from 2.92 million in 2010. The white population of the state experienced the largest actual number increase – about forty thousand. However that only constitutes a 1.66% percentage increase among those who identify as white, the smallest increase of any racial group.  Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders on the other hand, added only thousand people but increased their share of the population by 59.83%. Other racial groups including American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Asians and Hispanic or Latinos saw double digit percentage increases. Black Americans, the state’s second largest racial group, grew by 3.78%.

Graph 1

Graph 1 shows that the median age for the state’s total population increased 0.9 years from 2010 to 2018.  The median age for women is significantly higher than men, and that trend has held steady for the period examined.

Table 2: Change in the median age of the population in Arkansas by racial group

Table 2 shows the changes in median age by race. With the exception of people who identify as two or more races, all racial groups and Hispanic or Latino groups showed increases in the median age. The Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population increased from 23.1 to 26.4 years of age between 2010 and 2018, the most of any racial group.  The decrease experienced by people who identify as two or more races from 19.7 to 19.6., may be attributable to the inclination of younger people to select multiple races in Census Bureau surveys.

Additional links:

• Original Pew Research article: 6 demographic trends shaping the U.S. and the world in 2019
• Arkansas State Data Center Website
• For additional data from Arkansas be sure to check out Arkanstats

Table 1 indicates that 4.8% of Arkansas residents in 2018 were born outside of the United States, up slightly from 4.5% in 2010, according to the latest estimates from the Census Bureau. The actual number of foreign born residents in the state increased just over 9% from 131,667 in 2010 to 143,709 in 2018.

Table 2 shows that the median age for Arkansas residents born outside the United States is 39.7 years of age. Since most of the state’s foreign born population is between the ages of 15 and 54, the percentage in the labor force is significantly higher than among native born residents. A smaller percentage of foreign born residents hold bachelor degrees or higher when compared with native Arkansans although the median income for members of foreign born households is slightly higher.  The unemployment rate and the percentage of households in poverty is higher among native residents.

Additional links:

• Original Pew Research article: 6 demographic trends shaping the U.S. and the world in 2019
• Arkansas State Data Center Website
• For additional data from Arkansas be sure to check out Arkanstats

People who are not part of the labor force, usually individuals between the ages of 0 and 14 or those 65 and over, are classed as dependent populations. Comparing the size of the dependent population in rural Arkansas to the labor force that supports them indicates the dependency ratio. The ratio, in turn, is critical to determining the level of financial stress on the rural working population of the state.

Rural Arkansas, defined as the fifteen counties considered one-hundred percent rural by the U.S. Census Bureau, includes Calhoun, Cleveland, Izard, Lafayette, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Newton, Perry, Pike, Prairie, Searcy, Stone, Van Buren, and Woodruff Counties.

Table 1 illustrates how the distribution of the labor force and the dependent population in rural Arkansas changed between 1960 and 2018. While the population of rural Arkansas increased 34% from 129,612 to 175,315 from 1960 to 2010, the percentage of dependents declined almost 7% relative to the percentage of people in the labor force.

This could be considered a positive trend since it shows a decrease in the number of dependents relying on the labor force, but this cannot be assumed since Table 1 does not reflect fluctuations in the population of children and senior citizens. 2010 to 2018 saw a 3% decline in the population of the state’s rural counties and a 3% increase in the percentage of dependents compared with the overall labor force, a reversal of the slow decrease evident between 1960 and 2010.

Table 2 shows the number of people considered dependent (over 64 or under 15) for every 100 persons in the workforce. Consistent with the trend shown in Table 1, the ratio of dependent individuals for every 100 people in the workforce between 1960 and 2010 decreased from around 76 to 58. The increase in the percentage of dependents in rural Arkansas between 2010 and 2018 is also reflected in in the number of dependents per 100 persons in the labor force which jumped from 58 to 66.

Table 2 also shows a steady decrease in the younger share of the rural population accompanied by a general increase in the number of older residents. Since 1960 the ratio of dependent adults has nearly doubled from 23 to 39 per 100, while the ratio for dependent children decreased from 53 to 27 per 100. 2010 is the first time in 50 years that the adult dependency ratio (31 per 100) in rural Arkansas exceeded the child dependency ratio (29 per 100).

This recent shift should be closely monitored since a drop in the number of young people entering the work force coupled with an increase in older people exiting it will place more pressure on the work force sustaining both groups.

Additional links:

Counting every person living in the United States “once, only once, and in the right place” is the goal of the decennial Census. Census data is then used to help determine the annual allocation of nearly $600 billion dollars in federal programs nationwide. Because a state’s share of federal dollars depends on an accurate population count, “hard to count” residents pose a significant challenge for local, state and federal officials.

Children, defined by the census Bureau as anyone under the age of 18, are often undercounted. Confusion about responsibility for filling out census forms for children in shared custody arrangements, living with grandparents, or residing in other non-traditional households are contributing factors. Nonetheless, taking an accurate count is critical since close to $3,000 per child in federal money for schools, meals, and medical expenses is apportioned using census data.

Table 1: Percent of Households with Children

Table 1 indicates that 66% of the 73 million plus children in the U.S. live with a married couple¹, 25% with a single female² and 8% with a single male³. Arkansas’s 705,930 children are similarly distributed. The same holds true when comparing children by age group as shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Percent of Children in households by age group

Table 3: Percent of Children in Households by Race, Ethnicity, and Origin

According to Table 3 the vast majority of children in the United States and Arkansas identify as white. A disproportionate percentage of Black or African American children in America live in single female households than other ethnic groups. This is evidenced by comparing the percentages of the total children that identify as Black or African American (14%) and the ones living in single female households (30.2%). This is also true for children in Arkansas. The percentage of foreign born and Hispanic or Latino children in Arkansas is well below the national rate.

Table 4: Percent of Children in Different Households

Table 4 indicates that 88% of all children in the US live with at least one of their parents. Also shown, along with the percentage living with other relatives or foster parents, is the share of children living in married households and households headed by single males and single females. A high percentage of children (13.8%) living in single female households in both Arkansas and the US live with their grandmother.

Table 5: Median Income of Households with children

The median income for children living in households, as shown in Table 5, is considerably larger for the US (71,394) than for Arkansas (53,637). Median income for married couples in both Arkansas and the country is higher than single male and single female households. Households headed by single males also consistently outperform single female households. This could be linked to the fact that 40% of single male households with children also have a non-married partner in the house while the same is true for only 16% of households headed by single females.

Table 6: Percent of Children Living in Households Receiving Public Assistance

Table 7: Percent of Children Living in Households with Income Below Poverty Level

Table 6 and 7 indicate that this pattern repeats among children in households who receive public assistance and/or live below the poverty level. In the United States and Arkansas about 51% of ‘single female’ households receive some form of public assistance and well over 40% are below the poverty level. By contrast only about 15% of ‘married-couple’ households rely on public assistance and a slightly higher percentage (18.4% in the US and 22.5% in Arkansas) fall below the poverty level.

Despite significant disparities in total median income earned, income earned by married and single male households and the total percentage of households with foreign born children or children of Hispanic or Latino origin, most trends involving households with children in Arkansas and the US are remarkably similar. Even a cursory examination of the available data on children makes plain the obstacles blocking an accurate total. This does not change the fact that Arkansas, along with the rest of the nation, must work proactively to insure as complete a census count of our children as possible.

¹ ‘Married couple household’ refers to any household in which both the husband and wife are present. Currently the Census Bureau does not include same sex marriages under this definition.
² ‘Single Male household’ refers to households with a male householder and no wife present, and could include married same sex couples and married couples living separately.
³ ‘Single Female household’ refers to households with a female householder and no husband present, and could include married same sex couples and married couples living separately.

Additional links:

Changes in US Foreign Born Population since 1970.*

Graph 1

Graph 1 shows that the percentage of the Latin American-born immigrants (comprised of individuals from Mexico, Cuba, la Hispaniola, Central America, and South America) has been increasing in the United States since the 1970s and in Arkansas since the 1990s. These percentages may be even higher since this population is considered ‘hard to count.’ (link to article).

Graph 2

The percentage of Asian-born immigrants in the United States (Graph 2) has grown from 0.4% of the population in 1970 to 4.3% by 2017, a nearly tenfold increase. In Arkansas, for this period, this population increased from 0.1% to 1.2%.

Graph 3

Graph 3 puts immigrants from Europe (encompassing all European countries, including Russia but excluding Turkey) at 1.5% of the population, comprising the third largest share of foreign born people living in the United States. While the percentage of people born in Europe experienced a sharp decrease nationwide between the 1970’s (2.8%) and the 1990’s (1.7%), Arkansas’s percentage of European-born population for this period stayed consistent at around 0.3%.

Graph 4

The percentage of foreign born individuals from North America (comprising those born in Canada, Greenland, Bermuda, the West Indies, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon) in the US (Graph 4) has decreased steadily since the 1970s. By contrast this population in Arkansas experienced a modest increase from 0.03% to 0.09%.

Graph 5

Graph 5 charts people born in an ‘other’ country, such as Africa and Oceania, and those who did not report which country they were born in. This category was compiled to maintain consistency with older decennial Census data and does not allow countries included to be separated and compared individually. The percentage of foreign-born individuals coming from ‘other’ countries has increased overall in the United States and Arkansas since 1970, experiencing a lull in growth between the 1990s and 2000s.

The composition of the population of Arkansas and the United States has changed rapidly since 1970. In 2017 foreign born individuals made up 4.7% of the total population in Arkansas and 13.4% in the United States. In 1970 these percentages were just 0.4% and 4.7% respectively. The majority of this population growth originated from Asian and Hispanic countries and can be attributed to the passage of the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, which eased restrictions on foreign immigrants from non-European countries.

*Since Census Bureau categories for tracking the foreign-born population have changed during this period, they have been compiled to insure comparability.

Additional links:

Use the following steps to apply for a temporary job with the Census Bureau for the 2020 Census:

1. Go to https://2020census.gov/en/jobs. Before clicking the “Apply Now” you can review preliminary information on job details, application requirements, and the positions and pay rates in your area.



2. The “Apply Now” button takes you to the Census Career Site. For now click on “First-time Applicants Register Here.” To create your account you will need to provide some basic information. Once your account is created you will receive an email confirmation. The link in the email will take you back to the Career Site.




3. This time select “Returning Applicants Login Here” and sign in. This will direct you to the Census Applicant Portal where you will find an Apply option and a FAQ/Help button. Click “Apply” to begin the application process.




4. As part of the application process you must acknowledge that the information you provide is true and that you understand and agree to use an electronic signature.



5. Next you will be provided some general information and instructions on the questions that will follow.



6. The first portion of the application will ask for personal information (social security number, address, contact information, sex, place of birth, citizenship status), military service, government employment history, proficiency in languages, availability and available modes of transportation.



7. The second portion will ask how you heard of the position, your ethnicity, race, and education, whether you have a disability or serious health conditions. You will also be asked if you wish to be considered for a supervisory position.
8. The final portion will consist of an attitude test on various topics including work ethic, communication skills, and the ability to work in groups.
9. Once this is done the application will be officially submitted. If you qualify, you should receive an email requesting the submission of a second form for follow up information within 24 hours.

Additional links: