Arkansas covers 52,068 square miles, with a 2021 estimated population of 3,025,891 people - 1,101,730 living in rural Arkansas (USDA-ERS). The state capital and largest city is Little Rock. According to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 78.6% of the state's population is White, 15.7% is African-American, 1.8% is Asian, 1.1% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.4% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 8.3% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Arkansas Rural Healthcare Facilities

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Arkansas

8.5% of Arkansas residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2020). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Arkansas residents in 2020 was $47,235, with the rural per capita income at $37,711. The ERS reports, based on 2020 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Arkansas is 17.6%, compared with 13.9% in urban areas of the state. 15.3% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 11.4% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2016-2020 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Arkansas is 4.4%, while in urban Arkansas, it is 3.8% (USDA-ERS, 2021).

Arkansas Office of Rural Health & Primary Care
Phone: 501.280.4560
Email: orhpc@arkansas.gov
Supports access to quality health care services throughout Arkansas by helping develop community-based healthcare systems and services. Part of the Arkansas Department of Health.
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