Demographics of Arkansas


Arkansas is the 32nd largest U.S. state, with a population of 3,011,524.

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Arkansas was 3,045,637 on July 1, 2022, a 1.13% increase since the 2020 United States Census
As of 2022, Arkansas had an estimated population of 3,045,637, which is an increase of 11,835, or 0.2%, from the prior year and an increase of 62,286, or 2.14%, since the year 2010. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 52,214 people and an increase due to net migration of 57,611 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 21,947 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 35,664 people. It is estimated that about 48.8% is male, and 51.2% is female. From 2000 through 2006 Arkansas has had a population growth of 5.1% or 137,472. The population density of the state is 51.3 people per square mile.
According to the 2020 United States Census, Arkansas had a population of 3,011,524. The racial composition of the population was:
8.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 2,100,1352,173,4692,063,55078.56%74.54%68.52%
Black or African American alone 416,615447,102449,88415.58%15.33%14.94%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 16,70220,18320,5490.62%0.69%0.68%
Asian alone 19,89235,64751,2100.74%1.22%1.70%
Pacific Islander alone 1,4945,50914,2800.06%0.19%0.47%
Other race alone 1,3322,1218,0470.05%0.07%0.27%
Mixed race or Multiracial 30,36445,837147,1571.14%1.57%4.89%
Hispanic or Latino 86,866186,050256,8473.25%6.38%8.53%
Total2,673,4002,915,9183,011,524100.00%100.00%100.00%

According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the ten largest ancestry groups in the state African American, Irish, German, American, English, French, Scotch-Irish, Dutch, Scottish and Italian.
Before the arrival of Europeans, Native American tribes such as Caddo, Quapaw, and Osage Nations inhabited the state. Cherokee people have a history in the state after voluntary and forced removals in the 1810s to 1830s, the Cherokee Nation is located in neighboring Oklahoma and both citizens and descendants reside in Benton, Washington and Crawford counties. European Americans have a strong presence in the northwestern Ozarks and the central part of the state. African Americans live mainly in the southern and eastern parts of the state. Arkansans of Irish, English and German ancestry are mostly found in the far northwestern Ozarks near the Missouri border. Ancestors of the Irish in the Ozarks were chiefly Scotch-Irish, Protestants from Northern Ireland, the Scottish lowlands and northern England: part of the largest group of settlers from Great Britain and Ireland before the American Revolution. English and Scotch-Irish immigrants settled throughout the backcountry of the South and in the more mountainous areas. Americans of English ancestry are found throughout the state. Greeks settled in Little Rock, Greek communities also grew up in Fort Smith, Pine Bluff, Hot Springs, and other parts of Arkansas. There is also an Italian community in Arkansas. There is small community of Roma in Arkansas. Romanichal are present in state. Arkansas also has a growing Hispanic population. Many of the Hispanics in Arkansas are of Mexican descent. Asians are present in the state. There is a Chinese, Indian and Hmong presence in Arkansas.

Ancestry

Birth data

Note: Births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.
Race20132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
White25,287 25,940 25,714 24,953 24,089 23,609 23,065 22,106 22,862 22,539 22,163
Black7,354 7,376 7,767 7,098 7,082 6,966 6,998 6,834 6,661 6,301 6,379
Asian1,094 1,202 1,234 805 783 775 772 825 815 777 813
Pacific Islander.........420 470 498 539 449 522 545 534
American Indian291 301 353 233 239 220 191 183 217 194 205
Hispanic 3,834 3,837 4,008 4,064 4,048 4,099 4,088 3,939 4,069 4,227 4,305
Total37,832 38,511 38,886 38,274 37,520 37,018 36,564 35,251 35,965 35,471 35,264

  • Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, 93.8% of Arkansas's population spoke only English at home. About 4.5% of the state's population spoke Spanish at home. About 0.7% of the state's population spoke any other Indo-European language. About 0.8% of the state's population spoke an Asian language, and 0.2% spoke other languages.
In 2006, Arkansas has a larger percentage of tobacco smokers than the national average, with 24.0% of adults smoking.

Religion

Arkansas, like most other Southern states, is part of the Bible Belt and is predominantly Protestant. The religious affiliations of the people as of 2001 are as follows:
The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Southern Baptist Convention with 665,307; the United Methodist Church with 179,383; the Roman Catholic Church with 115,967; and the American Baptist Association with 115,916.