Homeownership is an important factor for neighborhood stability and civic participation. A home is a vital financial asset for a family and an investment in both the local neighborhood and surrounding community.

In 2012-16, the homeownership rate was 66%, down 3 percentage points from 2000 and 2 point higher than the national rate. This makes Arkansas 32nd in the nation on this indicator. Rates varied across racial and ethnic groups: 71% for whites, compared to 44% for blacks or African Americans and 49% for Hispanics. The rate for Hispanics increased 10 points from 2000, while all of the other major groups saw declines. Within the state, rates ranged from 49% in Phillips County to 85% in Newton County.

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.