Arkansas covers 52,068 square miles, with a 2019 estimated population of 3,017,804 people - 1,124,911 living in rural Arkansas (USDA-ERS). The state capital and largest city is Little Rock. According to 2019 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 79.0% of the state's population is white, 15.7% is African-American, 1.7% is Asian, 1.0% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.4% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 7.8% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Arkansas Rural Healthcare Facilities

According to data.HRSA.gov, as of January 2021 Arkansas had:

• 28 Critical Access Hospitals
• 109 Rural Health Clinics
• 116 Federally Qualified Health Center sites located outside of Urbanized Areas
• 22 short term hospitals located outside of Urbanized Areas

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Arkansas

9.1% of Arkansas residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2019). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Arkansas residents in 2019 was $44,629, with the rural per capita income at $35,661. The ERS reports, based on 2019 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Arkansas is 18.6%, compared with 14.5% in urban areas of the state. 15.7% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 12.0% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2015-2019 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Arkansas is 4.3%, while in urban Arkansas, it is 3.1% (USDA-ERS, 2019).

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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