Key Contact for Arkansas

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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Arkansas Nonmetro Population

3,011,873

Estimated population

1,111,021 (36.9%)

People living in nonmetro areas

Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020 estimate

Arkansas Rural Healthcare Facilities

28

Critical Access Hospitals

119

Rural Health Clinics

129

Federally Qualified Health Centers*

23

Short Term/PPS Hospitals*

*Sites located outside of Urbanized Areas according to data.HRSA.gov. July 2022.

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Arkansas

9.1% of Arkansas residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2021). 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).