Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US states.

Safety10#46/51
Economy8#47/51
Housing96#3/51
Health12#45/51
Healthcare6#48/51
Environment8#45/49
Education8#47/51
Infrastructure10#46/51
Community14#44/51
Leisure & amenities10#46/51

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Arkansas ranks highest and lowest among US states (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Drug overdose deaths · low10.6 /100k
94/100United States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Cost of buying a home today · low27.1%
90/100United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Rent as share of income · low27.6%
88/100United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Home price to income ratio · low3.1×
86/100United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Rent-burdened households · low44.8%
84/100United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Students per teacher · low12.5×
80/100United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low52.5%
2/100United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Some college · low58.9%
2/100United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Physical inactivity · high34.4%
2/100United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Food environment index · low4.6
3/100United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Public transit commuters · low0.3%
3/100United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Bachelor's degree or higher · low25.7%
4/100United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

High ozone daysWorsening
0 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
+559%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Drought exposureWorsening
5% (2021) → 77% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+72 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.0% (2015-2019) → 86.7% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
19.5 /100k (2021) → 10.6 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−46%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
55.7% (2010 & 2021) → 63.4% (2022 & 2024)
+7.7 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Homicide rateImproving
11.1 /100k (2021) → 7.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−37%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Arkansas improved on 14 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 10 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among states: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Broadband+14 points73.0% → 86.7%
Real income+37%$49,846 → $68,233
High school++2.2 points86.6% → 88.7%
Weekly wage+26%$936 → $1,176
Poverty−0.7 points16.0% → 15.3%

Declined3

Traffic deaths+17%17.8 /100k → 20.8 /100k
Commute+0.8 min21.7 min → 22.5 min
Price / income+0.4×2.7× → 3.1×

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.5 /10k2020	3.9 /10k2025	+9.4%	Improved	21%
Average commute time	21.7 min2015-2019	22.5 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Declined	9%
Average weekly wage	$9362020	$1,1762025	+26%	Improved	79%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.0%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Improved	9%
Broadband subscriptions	73.0%2015-2019	86.7%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	99%
Child poverty rate	21.7%2019	19.6%2024	−2.1 points	Improved	79%
Distance to an airport	46 mi2020	46 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	51%
Drug overdose deaths	16.4 /100k2020	10.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−35%	Improved	58%
Effective property tax rate	0.64%2015-2019	0.56%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	28%
Firearm deaths	22.3 /100k2020	18.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−17%	Improved	85%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−4.3%	Within the margin of error	19%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.1 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+3.1%	Within the margin of error	17%
High school diploma or higher	86.6%2015-2019	88.7%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Improved	77%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	70%
Homicide rate	12.3 /100k2020	7.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−43%	Improved	89%
Income adjusted for local prices	$49,8462019	$68,2332024	+37%	Improved	87%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4772015-2019	0.4792020-2024	+0.003	Within the margin of error	32%
Median household income	$49,0202019	$62,1462024	+27%	Improved	64%
New business applications	10.7 /1k2020	12.7 /1k2025	+18%	Improved	19%
Pharmacies	2.0 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−0.2%	Within the margin of error	85%
Poverty rate	16.0%2019	15.3%2024	−0.7 points	Improved	78%
Public libraries	0.8 /10k2019	0.7 /10k2024	−2.4%	Within the margin of error	58%
Public transit commuters	0.4%2015-2019	0.3%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	93%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	27.6%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Rent-burdened households	44.9%2015-2019	44.8%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Restaurants and bars	7.5 /10k2020	7.7 /10k2025	+2.4%	Within the margin of error	58%
Students per teacher	12.9×2019	12.5×2024	−0.4×	Little change	32%
Suicide rate	19.3 /100k2020	17.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−7.3%	Within the margin of error	93%
Traffic deaths	17.8 /100k2015-2019	20.8 /100k2020-2024	+17%	Declined	9%
Unemployment rate	6.1%2020	4.1%2025	−2 points	Improved	19%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.8%2019	11.3%2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	10%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 51 states that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 51 states that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

States like Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Arkansas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Arkansas itself moved −0.8 points in standing on average over the same 31 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,049,391 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,205,987 households (±4,874)

Arkansas
United States share

Under $25k20%239,668
$25k–50k22%265,444
$50k–75k17%210,049

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,205,987 households (±4,874)

Arkansas
United States share

Own66%800,864
Rent34%405,123

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+0.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,326,796 workers (±5,949)

Arkansas
United States share

Drive alone79%1,046,829
Carpool9.4%125,200
Public transit0.3%3,546

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Arkansas employ 296,030 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Arkansas by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers35,660 jobs	35,660	$26,250US $31,200	−16%	1.1×
Retail Salespersons35,510 jobs	35,510	$29,270US $35,410	−17%	1.09×
General and Operations Managers34,570 jobs	34,570	$74,050US $105,770	−30%	1.18×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers32,220 jobs	32,220	$51,550US $58,640	−12%	1.86×
Office Clerks, General29,940 jobs	29,940	$37,050US $45,010	−18%	1.45×
Registered Nurses29,400 jobs	29,400	$78,940US $97,550	−19%	1.04×
Stockers and Order Fillers28,350 jobs	28,350	$34,700US $37,330	−7%	1.19×
Cashiers28,270 jobs	28,270	$27,670US $32,880	−16%	1.09×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand21,430 jobs	21,430	$35,920US $40,240	−11%	0.87×
Customer Service Representatives20,680 jobs	20,680	$37,840US $44,770	−15%	0.95×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Arkansas.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Arkansas has 70,452 employer establishments, 229 for every 10,000 residents (0.92× the US rate of 248), with 1,120,356 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,370. The Census Bureau also counts 250,682 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 70,452; 250,682 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 229; US 248
Paid employees: 1,120,356
Average annual pay: $54,370; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Arkansas by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	6,521	21.2	1.02×About typical	64,553	$70,821	15,335
Restaurants and other eating places	5,075	16.5	0.90×About typical	95,941	$20,086	1,391
Specialty trade contractors	4,230	13.8	0.89×About typical	40,921	$59,419	22,510
Lessors of real estate	3,021	9.8	0.80×Fewer than typical	9,758	$44,676	22,746
Religious organizations	2,635	8.6	1.55×More than typical	18,334	$24,151	—
Limited-service restaurants	2,382	7.8	0.97×About typical	50,539	$18,087	493
Offices of other health practitioners	2,247	7.3	1.20×About typical	11,327	$47,240	5,160
Full-service restaurants	2,015	6.6	0.85×About typical	38,541	$22,731	582
Building equipment contractors	1,991	6.5	1.08×About typical	20,723	$61,092	4,285
Offices of physicians	1,991	6.5	1.00×About typical	23,143	$101,608	1,984
Construction of buildings	1,720	5.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	10,819	$66,938	9,773
Truck transportation	1,640	5.3	1.06×About typical	38,150	$62,580	6,896

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 3,069,856 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $913.9M on contracts performed in Arkansas: $293 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $913.9M; −28% vs FY2025
Per resident: $293; US $1,994
Sole-source: 9.8%; US 30%
Single offer: 20%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$341.2M37%
Department of Veterans Affairs$142.5M16%
Department of the Air Force$66.9M7.3%
Department of Energy$59.6M6.5%
Public Buildings Service$47M5.1%
Defense Logistics Agency$40.8M4.5%
Department of the Navy$36.2M4.0%
Department of State$32.3M3.5%

Top recipients

BL HARBERT INTERNATIONAL LLC$102.2M11%
ALBERICI CONSTRUCTORS INC$68.2M7.5%
ARMTEC COUNTERMEASURES CO$47.5M5.2%
ROSS GROUP CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION, LLC$36.2M4.0%
CGI FEDERAL INC.$33.5M3.7%

Spending by fiscal year

897.4MFY2017
894.3MFY2018
957.7MFY2019
1.5BFY2020
1.5BFY2021
1.4BFY2022
1.3BFY2023
1.9B

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$252.8M28%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$122.9M13%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$56.5M6.2%
Other chemical product and preparation manufacturing · 3259$47.9M5.2%
Utility system construction · 2371$39.4M4.3%
Facilities support services · 5612$36.6M

Largest awards

ELIGIBILITY SUPPORT$1B
SERCO INC· Benton County, AR· Professional services· May 21, 2018 – Feb 20, 2026· 75FCMC18F0045
FY 10 REQUIREMENTS FOR FAMILY OF MUNITIONS - HYDRA-70 2.75-INCH ROCKET SYSTEM$1B
GENERAL DYNAMICS-OTS, INC.· Calhoun County, AR· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jan 25, 2017 – Apr 8, 2026· W31P4Q10C0190
OPERATION OF THE TUCSON PASSPORT CENTER AND ARKANSAS PASSPORT CENTER$403.3M
CGI FEDERAL INC.· Garland County, AR· Facilities & utilities· Nov 27, 2017 – Jul 10, 2026· 19AQMM18C0013
DESIGN-BUILD CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW WEIR OPENING AT THE SITE OF THE MCCLELLAN-KERR ARKANSAS NAVIGATION SYSTEM, THREE RIVES, PRE-CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING AND DESIGN (PED), DESHA AND ARKANSAS COUNTIES, AR (HISTORIC CLOSURE STRUCTURE - 145), TICHNOR, AR

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Explore contracts in Arkansas

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $31.5B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Arkansas: $10,106 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $31.5B; −6.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $10,106; US $12,955
Loan face value: $1.7B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$11.3B36%
93.778 · Grants to States for Medicaid$6.9B22%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$2.3B7.3%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$2.3B7.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$1.2B3.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$785.4M2.5%
10.551 · Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program$430.4M1.4%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$357.9M1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

HUMAN SERVICES, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF$7.1B22%
LITTLE ROCK, AR
ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.1B3.6%
LITTLE ROCK, AR
ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES$615.4M2.0%
LITTLE ROCK, AR
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ARKANSAS$525.7M1.7%
LITTLE ROCK, AR
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE STATE OF ARKANSA

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$15.5B49%
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$7.7B25%
Department of Health and Human Services
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$2.6B8.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$1.1B3.6%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

34BFY2021
30BFY2022
30.7BFY2023
29.8BFY2024
33.7BFY2025
31.5BFY2026

County aggregates

60%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Arkansas

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

Federal money per resident in Arkansas, and how its outcomes moved, each next to the United States. Counties whose money jumped are compared on their own pages.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Arkansas
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Arkansas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Arkansas	United States
FY2017	$299	$1,436
FY2018	$297	$1,552
FY2019	$317	$1,654
FY2020	$508	$1,880
FY2021	$492	$1,810
FY2022	$451	$1,917
FY2023	$437	$2,079
FY2024	$619	$2,047
FY2025	$406	$2,165
FY2026	$293 (partial year)	$1,911

Construction contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Arkansas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Arkansas	United States
FY2017	$44.68	$93.28
FY2018	$39.49	$105
FY2019	$55.42	$128
FY2020	$155	$145
FY2021	$90.93	$117
FY2022	$149

Contracts and grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Arkansas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Arkansas	United States
FY2021	$4,867	$5,748
FY2022	$4,169	$5,221
FY2023	$4,307	$5,364
FY2024	$3,997	$5,501
FY2025	$4,417	$5,732
FY2026	$3,843

Transportation grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Arkansas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Arkansas	United States
FY2021	$244	$298
FY2022	$375	$357
FY2023	$331	$301
FY2024	$364	$319
FY2025	$315	$360
FY2026	$427 (partial year)

Housing assistanceUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Arkansas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Arkansas	United States
FY2021	$123	$239
FY2022	$119	$185
FY2023	$117	$229
FY2024	$109	$229
FY2025	$128	$249
FY2026	$125 (partial year)

HHS grantsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Arkansas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Arkansas	United States
FY2021	$2,739	$2,304
FY2022	$2,681	$2,197
FY2023	$2,880	$2,274
FY2024	$2,297	$2,267
FY2025	$2,570	$2,397
FY2026	$2,645 (partial year)

SBA lending volumeUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Arkansas and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Arkansas	United States
FY2021	$758	$1,186
FY2022	$251	$465
FY2023	$51.72	$76.52
FY2024	$57.55	$120
FY2025	$92.85	$148
FY2026	$73.07 (partial year)

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)

How outcomes moved

Calendar years. Charts share the same years as the money above. Levels are shown as percent change since 2016; rates are shown as the rate itself.

Arkansas
United States
Years with money loaded

Job growthpercent

Table view

Job growth, Arkansas and the United States, by year
Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	1.0%	2.0%
2015	1.7%

When its money jumped

A county-year with at least 10,000 residents whose money per resident is at least twice its earlier average counts as a jump. Each is compared with up to five similar counties in the same region whose money did not jump.

Counties of Arkansas whose money per resident jumped. Open a county for its comparison with similar counties.

Sebastian County, ARConstruction contracts · FY2024$1,297 (12×)
Union County, ARContracts and grants · FY2024$1,655 (3.1×)
Sebastian County, ARContracts and grants · FY2024$1,896 (2.3×)
Madison County, ARContracts and grants · FY2024$1,329 (3.5×)
Randolph County, ARContracts and grants · FY2024$1,433 (2.8×)

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Business Formation Statistics, Building Permits Survey, Cartographic Boundary Files, Gazetteer and metro delineations, Population Estimates Program, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission), Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System), Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordability. JSON · /api/v1/outcomes/places/05

See all comparisons

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Arkansas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

Counties of Arkansas

All 75 counties, best quality-of-life score first.

Metro areas in Arkansas

Metropolitan and micropolitan areas based in Arkansas, largest first.

Largest cities and towns in Arkansas

By population.

All 625 cities and towns in Arkansas

Neighboring states

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar states

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/05

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	−3.8%	−4.2%
2015	−1.6%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.4%	+3.3%
2018	+5.8%	+6.8%
2019	+9.4%	+10.5%
2020	+17.1%	+19.4%
2021	+24.0%	+26.1%
2022	+30.0%	+30.6%
2023	+34.0%	+35.0%
2024	+40.6%	+41.0%
2025	+47.2%	+46.8%

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	−4.9%	−5.5%
2015	−2.3%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.0%	+4.1%
2018	+7.1%	+8.9%
2019	+8.8%	+13.5%
2020	+17.3%	+20.8%
2021	+32.8%	+32.1%
2022	+33.7%	+35.4%
2023	+40.7%	+42.9%
2024	+47.6%	+49.5%

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	2.6/1k	3.3/1k
2015	2.9/1k	3.7/1k
2016	3.2/1k	3.7/1k
2017	3.6/1k	3.9/1k
2018	3.4/1k	4.1/1k
2019	4.2/1k	4.2/1k
2020	4.1/1k	4.4/1k
2021	4.7/1k	5.2/1k
2022	4.7/1k	5.0/1k
2023	4.2/1k	4.5/1k
2024	4.4/1k	4.3/1k
2025	5.0/1k	4.2/1k

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	−6.9%	−6.9%
2015	−5.3%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.4%	+4.7%
2018	+6.1%	+7.5%
2019	+10.4%	+14.0%
2020	+15.2%	+16.9%
2021	+18.4%	+21.0%
2022	+25.0%	+29.7%
2023	+32.3%	+34.9%
2024	+39.9%	+41.6%

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	18.7%	15.5%
2015	18.7%	14.7%
2016	17.2%	14.0%
2017	16.3%	13.4%
2018	16.8%	13.1%
2019	16.0%	12.3%
2020	15.2%	11.9%
2021	16.0%	12.8%
2022	16.3%	12.6%
2023	15.4%	12.5%
2024	15.3%	12.1%

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	5.9%	6.2%
2015	5.0%	5.3%
2016	4.0%	4.9%
2017	3.7%	4.4%
2018	3.6%	3.9%
2019	3.5%	3.7%
2020	6.1%	8.1%
2021	4.0%	5.4%
2022	3.2%	3.7%
2023	3.2%	3.6%
2024	3.5%	4.0%
2025	4.1%	4.3%

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	−8.0% (Dec 2014)	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	−3.6% (Dec 2015)	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+3.7% (Dec 2017)	+6.4% (Dec 2017)
2018	+6.6% (Dec 2018)	+12.6% (Dec 2018)
2019	+11.7% (Dec 2019)	+18.1% (Dec 2019)
2020	+22.1% (Dec 2020)	+29.3% (Dec 2020)
2021	+39.3% (Dec 2021)	+49.8% (Dec 2021)
2022	+48.2% (Dec 2022)	+64.7% (Dec 2022)
2023	+51.8% (Dec 2023)	+69.0% (Dec 2023)
2024	+56.9% (Dec 2024)	+73.4% (Dec 2024)
2025	+59.2% (Dec 2025)	+73.7% (Dec 2025)

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	13.8%	13.5%
2015	11.1%	10.9%
2016	9.4%	10.0%
2017	9.3%	10.2%
2018	9.6%	10.4%
2019	10.8%	10.8%
2020	10.2%	10.4%
2021	11.1%	10.2%
2022	10.0%	9.5%
2023	10.7%	9.5%
2024	11.3%	9.8%

Calendar years	Arkansas	United States
2014	6.2/1k	8.5/1k
2015	6.4/1k	8.7/1k
2016	6.8/1k	9.1/1k
2017	7.7/1k	9.8/1k
2018	8.5/1k	10.7/1k
2019	8.4/1k	10.6/1k
2020	10.7/1k	13.1/1k
2021	13.8/1k	16.2/1k
2022	12.4/1k	15.1/1k
2023	12.7/1k	16.2/1k
2024	11.7/1k	15.4/1k
2025	12.7/1k	16.6/1k

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

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