Arkansas

Arkansas covers 52,068 square miles, with a 2017 estimated population of 3,004,279 people - 1,134,214 living in rural Arkansas (USDA-ERS). The state capital and largest city is Little Rock. According to 2017 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 79.3% of the state’s population is white, 15.7% is African-American, 1.6% is Asian, 1.0% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.3% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 7.6% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Arkansas Rural Healthcare Facilities

According to data.HRSA.gov, as of July 2018 Arkansas had:

• 29 Critical Access Hospitals
• 94 Rural Health Clinics
• 103 Federally Qualified Health Centers located outside of Urbanized Areas
• 24 short term hospitals located outside of Urbanized Areas

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Arkansas

8% of Arkansas residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2016). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Arkansas residents in 2016 was $39,722, although rural per capita income lagged at $32,638. The ERS reports, based on 2017 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Arkansas is 20.0%, compared with 14.2% in urban areas of the state. 17.7% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 12.9% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2012-2016 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Arkansas is 4.4%, while in urban Arkansas, it is 3.3% (USDA-ERS, 2017).

Data Sources
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts; U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts; USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets

Contacts

There are more organizations related to Arkansas in the organizations section.