Female-headed households are more likely to be in poverty, especially if children are present. These differences can signal gender disparities in access to income or employment.

In 2015-19, 13% of households were headed by females, slightly changed from 2000 and slightly above the national rate of 12%. This makes Arkansas 41st in the nation on this indicator, including the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Compared to 10% for white and Hispanic households and 7% for Asian households, the rate was higher for black or African American households at 29%, though that was a decline from 32% in 2000. Among Arkansas counties, rates were lowest at 6% in Stone County and 7% in Izard, Baxter and Carroll counties, and highest in Phillips (24%) and Crittenden (22%) counties.

Explanations about why more children of color are growing up in single parent households include the deliberate dismantling of Black families during slavery and its enduring influence on family structure. The high incarceration rates of men of color, economic strain and changing attitudes about marriage also influence these disparities.

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 3 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 is expected to be released annually in December.