Families
Children Living in Poverty
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Children Living in Poverty
2018-22
Arkansas County17%**
Ashley County32%**
Baxter County19%**
Benton County12%
Boone County14%**
Bowie County, Texas23%
Bradley County17%**
Calhoun County11%****
Carroll County19%**
Chicot County38%**
Clark County28%**
Clay County29%**
Cleburne County20%**
Cleveland County21%****
Columbia County36%
Conway County31%
Craighead County27%
Crawford County29%
Crittenden County28%
Cross County30%
Dallas County23%****
Desha County42%
Drew County29%**
Faulkner County14%
Franklin County24%**
Fulton County17%**
Garland County25%
Grant County19%**
Greene County27%
Hempstead County35%**
Hot Spring County31%
Howard County26%**
Independence County26%
Izard County27%**
Jackson County28%**
Jefferson County29%
Johnson County32%
Lafayette County31%**
Lawrence County26%
Lee County43%**
Lincoln County27%**
Little River County19%**
Logan County20%**
Lonoke County16%
Madison County29%
Marion County19%**
Miller County25%
Mississippi County31%
Monroe County36%**
Montgomery County19%**
Nevada County51%
Newton County17%****
Ouachita County28%**
Perry County19%**
Phillips County45%
Pike County16%**
Poinsett County31%
Polk County25%**
Pope County23%
Prairie County9%****
Pulaski County25%
Randolph County30%
Saline County13%
Scott County25%**
Searcy County40%**
Sebastian County21%
Sevier County29%
Sharp County22%**
St. Francis County37%
Stone County28%**
Union County24%
Van Buren County22%**
Washington County16%
White County19%
Woodruff County27%**
Yell County16%**

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.




Number of Children Living in Poverty
2018-22
Arkansas County649**
Ashley County1,369**
Baxter County1,385**
Benton County8,360
Boone County1,171**
Bowie County, Texas4,977
Bradley County430**
Calhoun County101****
Carroll County1,186**
Chicot County840**
Clark County1,147**
Clay County858**
Cleburne County906**
Cleveland County330****
Columbia County1,693
Conway County1,457
Craighead County7,297
Crawford County4,035
Crittenden County3,540
Cross County1,198
Dallas County257****
Desha County1,180
Drew County1,108**
Faulkner County3,832
Franklin County921**
Fulton County440**
Garland County4,929
Grant County742**
Greene County2,866
Hempstead County1,734**
Hot Spring County2,022
Howard County855**
Independence County2,286
Izard County640**
Jackson County905**
Jefferson County4,071
Johnson County1,990
Lafayette County353**
Lawrence County932
Lee County671**
Lincoln County521**
Little River County484**
Logan County873**
Lonoke County2,927
Madison County1,106
Marion County589**
Miller County2,493
Mississippi County3,211
Monroe County522**
Montgomery County284**
Nevada County931
Newton County236****
Ouachita County1,389**
Perry County430**
Phillips County1,964
Pike County355**
Poinsett County1,669
Polk County1,063**
Pope County3,243
Prairie County148****
Pulaski County22,870
Randolph County1,311
Saline County3,755
Scott County583**
Searcy County612**
Sebastian County6,338
Sevier County1,242
Sharp County784**
St. Francis County1,753
Stone County697**
Union County2,186
Van Buren County664**
Washington County9,454
White County3,372
Woodruff County335**
Yell County728**

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.



NATIONAL RANKING
47

OUT OF 51
2018-22

STATE TREND

Maintaining


22%

2018-22
1% = 6,849
Children Under 18
See here for full explanation

What does this measure?

The number of children under 18 who live below the federally defined poverty line, expressed as a percentage of all children under 18. Poverty thresholds vary by family composition and year. In 2022, the threshold for a four-person family with two children was $29,678.

Why is this important?

Children raised in impoverished environments are at higher risk for a wide variety of health and social problems, including poor performance in school. The challenges they face in childhood can diminish their chances for successful adult lives. Studies have found that the stress of living in poverty can cause biological changes in children that can lead to long-term health problems.

How is Arkansas doing?

In 2018-22, 22% of children were living in poverty, down 5 percentage points from 2008-12 and higher than the national rate of 17%. This makes Arkansas 47th in the nation on this indicator, including the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates varied greatly among racial and ethnic groups, with 41% of Black or African American and 29% of Hispanic children in poverty, compared to 17% of white children. Since 2008-12, the largest increase among the biggest groups was a 9 percentage-point jump for Asian children, while the rate for Hispanic children decreased 10 percentage points. Among counties in the state, child poverty rates ranged from 12% in Benton to 51% in Nevada. An equal percentage of male and female children are in poverty.

What contributes to racial and ethnic disparities?

The unequal access to economic opportunity experienced by Black, Latino and other racial and ethnic groups has led to higher rates of child poverty within these groups. Relevant factors include: living in a single-parent household, especially if the single parent is female; having parent(s) who are unemployed, employed and/or underemployed in low-wage jobs or incarcerated; and living in communities that have experienced disinvestment and have ineffective and/or under-resourced schools.

Notes about the data

Poverty status is not reported for people in institutions, including college dormitories and military barracks, and people in living situations without conventional housing.

The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined 5 years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Data for this indicator are released annually in December.




Source: U.S. Census Bureau


Children Living in Poverty
20002008-122013-172018-22
Arkansas22%27%26%22%
United States17%21%20%17%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.






Source: U.S. Census Bureau


Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity
American Indian and Native AlaskanAsianBlack or African AmericanHispanic or LatinoNative Hawaiian and Other Pacific IslanderSome Other RaceTwo or More RacesWhite
Arkansas25%17%**41%29%42%30%22%17%
Benton County32%******6%******7%******21%57%**28%**9%**11%
Craighead County85%******18%******53%38%**0%******43%****23%****16%
Crittenden County0%******4%******36%27%******0%******69%******19%****15%**
Faulkner County0%******0%******24%**35%**0%******35%******11%******12%
Jefferson County0%******0%******35%21%******0%******36%******46%******12%****
Miller County100%******0%******39%**17%******0%******41%******26%******16%**
Mississippi County0%******75%******49%36%****0%******3%******28%******18%**
Phillips County0%******0%******59%6%******0%******0%******19%******16%****
Pulaski County64%******13%******41%32%80%******27%**18%**10%
Saline County41%******0%******5%******17%****0%******7%******25%****14%
Sebastian County16%******33%****32%**38%0%******42%**32%**12%
St. Francis County0%******0%******41%**44%******100%******0%******53%******28%**
Union County0%******0%******37%**52%****0%******32%******30%******16%**

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




Number of Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity
American Indian and Native AlaskanAsianBlack or African AmericanHispanic or LatinoNative Hawaiian and Other Pacific IslanderSome Other RaceTwo or More RacesWhite
Arkansas9901,782**48,76025,6771,7188,67715,97273,909
Benton County219******184******118******3,511438**823**1,402**5,176
Craighead County66******71******3,465932**0******477****397****2,821
Crittenden County0******2******2,665162******0******20******249****604**
Faulkner County0******0******898**704**0******243******242******2,449
Jefferson County0******0******3,012120******0******114******460******485****
Miller County99******0******1,157**92******0******192******100******945**
Mississippi County0******38******2,031261****0******3******205******934**
Phillips County0******0******1,73414******0******0******33******197****
Pulaski County250******242******16,0213,07732******1,075**1,394**3,856
Saline County11******0******143******478****0******57******511****3,033
Sebastian County46******440****637**2,6860******1,633**1,413**2,169
St. Francis County0******0******1,232**80******25******0******92******404**
Union County0******0******1,184**343****0******35******132******835**

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.





Source: U.S. Census Bureau


Children Living in Poverty by Gender
FemaleMale
Arkansas23%22%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.




Number of Children Living in Poverty by Gender
FemaleMale
Arkansas75,82375,985

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%.









INDICATORS TREND | STATE
Education: Access to Quality Slots for Infants and Toddlers Not Applicable
Education: Access to Quality Child Care Slots for Preschoolers Not Applicable
Education: Grade 3 Reading Decreasing
Education: Grade 8 Math Maintaining
Education: Graduation Rate Increasing
Education: Remediation Rate Maintaining
Education: Adults with a High School Degree Increasing
Education: Adults with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher Increasing
Education: Adults Pursuing Further Education Decreasing
Education: Imagination Libraries Increasing
Health: Low Birth Weight Babies Not Applicable
Health: Early Prenatal Care Increasing
Health: Overweight or Obese Students Increasing
Health: Overweight or Obese Adults Increasing
Health: Physically Inactive Adults Maintaining
Health: Smoking Rate Decreasing
Health: Insurance Coverage Rates Increasing
Health: Oral Health Increasing
Health: Life Expectancy Decreasing
Health: Routine Check-ups Increasing
Health: Overdose Deaths Increasing
Families: Teen Births Decreasing
Families: Children Living in Poverty Maintaining
Families: People Living in Poverty Maintaining
Families: Elderly Living in Poverty Maintaining
Families: Median Household Income Maintaining
Families: Unemployment Rate Decreasing
Families: Homeownership Rate Decreasing
Families: Child Abuse and Neglect Decreasing
Families: Access to Financial Services Decreasing
Families: Food Insecurity Decreasing
Families: Food Deserts Not Applicable
Families: Homelessness Decreasing
Families: Change in Total Jobs Increasing
Families: Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Families: Households Below ALICE Threshold Not Applicable
Families: Overall Housing Cost Burden Decreasing
Families: Child Care Costs for Toddlers Not Applicable
Families: Medical Debt Not Applicable
Families: Households Receiving SNAP Decreasing
Families: Incarceration Rate Increasing
Community: Voter Participation Rate Decreasing
Community: Charitable Giving Increasing
Community: Volunteering Increasing
Community: Group Participation Increasing
Community: Connection to Neighbors Decreasing
Community: Local Voting Not Applicable
Demographics: Change in Population Increasing
Demographics: Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable
Demographics: Change in Population by Age Not Applicable
Racial Equity: Remediation Rate Maintaining
Racial Equity: Adults with a High School Degree Increasing
Racial Equity: Adults with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher Increasing
Racial Equity: Adults Pursuing Further Education Decreasing
Racial Equity: Low Birth Weight Babies Not Applicable
Racial Equity: Early Prenatal Care Increasing
Racial Equity: Overweight or Obese Students Increasing
Racial Equity: Overweight or Obese Adults Increasing
Racial Equity: Physically Inactive Adults Maintaining
Racial Equity: Smoking Rate Decreasing
Racial Equity: Insurance Coverage Rates Increasing
Racial Equity: Oral Health Increasing
Racial Equity: Life Expectancy Decreasing
Racial Equity: Routine Check-ups Increasing
Racial Equity: Teen Births Decreasing
Racial Equity: Children Living in Poverty Maintaining
Racial Equity: People Living in Poverty Maintaining
Racial Equity: Elderly Living in Poverty Maintaining
Racial Equity: Median Household Income Maintaining
Racial Equity: Unemployment Rate Decreasing
Racial Equity: Homeownership Rate Decreasing
Racial Equity: Child Abuse and Neglect Decreasing
Racial Equity: Access to Financial Services Decreasing
Racial Equity: Food Insecurity Decreasing
Racial Equity: Homelessness Decreasing
Racial Equity: Cost of Homeownership Maintaining
Racial Equity: Medical Debt Not Applicable
Racial Equity: Households Receiving SNAP Decreasing
Racial Equity: Incarceration Rate Increasing
Racial Equity: Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity Not Applicable








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