In the past decade, Arkansas has seen a significant shift in its population, with seventeen counties experiencing an overall increase due to births outnumbering deaths. Benton County had the highest growth rate in the state, with a population increase of 26.1%, followed by Washington County at 17.8%. On the other hand, Phillips County lost 18.3% of its population, more than any other county in the state. Craighead County is no exception to this trend. The race most likely to live in poverty in Craighead County is black, with 55.14% below the poverty line.
Meanwhile, several counties located to the north, south and east have recorded population declines in the last 10 years. The race least likely to live in poverty in Craighead County is white, with 14.63% below the poverty line. The median income of married couples is higher than that of households of single men and women both in Arkansas and in the country. In contrast, only about 15% of “married couple” households depend on public assistance and a slightly higher percentage (18.4% in the US and 22.5% in Arkansas) are below the poverty level. The percentage of foreign-born people from “other” countries has generally increased in the United States and Arkansas since 1970, and growth has slowed between the nineties and 2000. According to Table 3, the vast majority of children in the United States and Arkansas identify themselves as white. While deaths outnumbered births in several counties in northern and central Arkansas, migration of new residents resulted in an overall increase in population.
Comparing the size of the dependent population in rural Arkansas with the labor force that supports it indicates the dependency rate. In keeping with well-established trends, Central and Northwest Arkansas remain the fastest-growing areas in the state.
