| 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Arkansas County | 42% |
| Ashley County | 54% |
| Baxter County | 50% |
| Benton County | 34% |
| Boone County | 45% |
| Bradley County | 58% |
| Calhoun County | 50% |
| Carroll County | 44% |
| Chicot County | 61% |
| Clark County | 50% |
| Clay County | 54% |
| Cleburne County | 46% |
| Cleveland County | 52% |
| Columbia County | 60% |
| Conway County | 48% |
| Craighead County | 46% |
| Crawford County | 47% |
| Crittenden County | 53% |
| Cross County | 53% |
| Dallas County | 59% |
| Desha County | 58% |
| Drew County | 50% |
| Faulkner County | 42% |
| Franklin County | 53% |
| Fulton County | 59% |
| Garland County | 46% |
| Grant County | 40% |
| Greene County | 44% |
| Hempstead County | 52% |
| Hot Spring County | 51% |
| Howard County | 51% |
| Independence County | 49% |
| Izard County | 54% |
| Jackson County | 60% |
| Jefferson County | 59% |
| Johnson County | 58% |
| Lafayette County | 57% |
| Lawrence County | 56% |
| Lee County | 66% |
| Lincoln County | 49% |
| Little River County | 42% |
| Logan County | 48% |
| Lonoke County | 47% |
| Madison County | 51% |
| Marion County | 55% |
| Miller County | 52% |
| Mississippi County | 52% |
| Monroe County | 51% |
| Montgomery County | 51% |
| Nevada County | 59% |
| Newton County | 52% |
| Ouachita County | 53% |
| Perry County | 50% |
| Phillips County | 62% |
| Pike County | 52% |
| Poinsett County | 50% |
| Polk County | 53% |
| Pope County | 51% |
| Prairie County | 49% |
| Pulaski County | 48% |
| Randolph County | 53% |
| Saline County | 41% |
| Scott County | 51% |
| Searcy County | 63% |
| Sebastian County | 45% |
| Sevier County | 57% |
| Sharp County | 61% |
| St. Francis County | 64% |
| Stone County | 63% |
| Union County | 50% |
| Van Buren County | 55% |
| Washington County | 38% |
| White County | 50% |
| Woodruff County | 50% |
| Yell County | 48% |
What does this measure?
The percent of households below the ALICE threshold. ALICE is an acronym for "Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed."
ALICE is designed as an improvement on the federal poverty level, which is not based on the current cost of basic household necessities and does not adjust for cost-of-living differences across the U.S. (excepting Alaska and Hawai'i).
ALICE provides a measure of households that do not earn enough to fully provide for basic household needs such as housing, food, transportation, child care, health care, and necessary technology to participate in the modern economy, such as internet access - even though many have income higher than the federal poverty level.
Why is this important?
ALICE provides a better indication than the federal poverty level of how many households and families are struggling or thriving in the current economy, painting a more accurate picture of local and regional conditions. This can aid communities and policy makers in assessing the level of support and assistance programs appropriate for households in their area.
How is Arkansas doing?
In 2021, 47% of households in Arkansas were below the ALICE threshold, making Arkansas 45th in the nation on this indicator, including the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
In 2021 (the most recent year from which county-level data is available), ALICE rates by county ranged from about a third of the population in Benton (34%), to more than half of the population in 43 out of Arkansas' 75 counties, with the highest rates in Lee (66%) and St. Francis (64%) counties.
Notes about the data
The Arkansas ALICE report was sponsored by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and Entergy Arkansas and we'd like to thank United for ALICE.
Information on the ALICE definition and methodology is available on the United for ALICE website: https://www.unitedforalice.org/methodology.
| INDICATORS | TREND | STATE |
|---|---|
| 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 |
