Arkansas Population, Economy, Jobs & Key Trends | Data Lab

Region: Arkansas
Coverage: 1819 - 2025
Report ID: RH-D4F3B3378D019FD4
URL: https://greenblog.co.kr/en/data-report/arkansas-population-economy-jobs-key-trends-data-lab-5/

=== Full report ===
Understanding Arkansas requires more than a population line. Household income, home value, and unemployment describe different parts of daily economic life, while the state’s institutions, transportation links, conservation areas, and civil-rights landmarks explain how those changes sit within a distinctive regional geography. Little Rock and northwest Arkansas play different but complementary roles. Population change across a multi-centered state Arkansas follows a mostly gradual population-growth path across the observed period. A short decline appears late in the series, followed by renewed growth. The overall pattern is one of expansion rather than abrupt statewide change, but a state total cannot show how differently individual communities or subregions may have moved. It is therefore useful to separate the statewide direction from the geography beneath it. Little Rock anchors government, public services, river logistics, and a large share of statewide civic institutions. Northwest Arkansas has a different network built around the University of Arkansas, regional aviation, and a closely connected group of cities. These centers give population change different local meanings. Growth in one part of the state can create housing, transportation, or service pressures that are less visible in the statewide total. Population is best treated as the scale-setting measure for the rest of the page. It helps frame the potential demand for housing, education, health care, transportation, and other services, but it does not explain affordability or labor conditions by itself. Those questions become clearer only after income, housing, and unemployment are considered alongside the state’s internal geography. Household income and the housing market move upward Median household income rises in every observed year. The early part of the series changes more gently, while later gains become more pronounced. This is a useful signal about household economic capacity, but it is a nominal-dollar measure. Rising income should not automatically be interpreted as an equal improvement in purchasing power, because living costs and household circumstances can change at the same time. Median home value also rises throughout the series and accelerates later. When income and home values move upward together, the interpretation has two sides. Existing owners may see stronger asset values, while buyers entering the market can face higher purchase costs. Renters are not described directly by the home-value measure. For that reason, the pair is more informative than either series on its own. Statewide medians also hide geographic variation. Central Arkansas, the northwest corridor, smaller cities, and rural communities can have different housing supply, job access, and demand conditions. The statewide rise is therefore a strong directional signal but not a substitute for local housing-market analysis. It is most useful as a common baseline for comparing how household resources and residential asset values changed over time. Employment improves over the long run, but one rate is not the whole labor market The unemployment rate first moves higher and then enters a long decline. A temporary late rebound interrupts that direction before the rate moves lower again. This creates a clear turning pattern without requiring a causal story. The series indicates that the share of people in the labor force who were unemployed became lower over the long run, but it does not explain why that happened. Reading unemployment beside household income adds another layer. Income rises while unemployment trends lower over much of the span, so two different measures of economic life generally move in a favorable direction. Yet home values are also rising, especially later. A household can therefore encounter improved labor-market access and higher nominal income while also facing a more expensive housing environment. The measures answer different questions and should remain separate. Regional institutions help explain the state’s economic geography without being treated as statistical causes. The Port of Little Rock connects river, rail, and industrial land. Northwest Arkansas National Airport expands external access for the northwest corridor. The University of Arkansas anchors education and research. Together these assets show why a statewide unemployment rate is only one layer of a broader regional economy. History, civil rights, conservation, and infrastructure shape the regional context Arkansas’s governmental geography has deep roots. The territorial government moved to Little Rock before statehood, helping establish the city’s long administrative role. Much later, Little Rock Central High became the site of a nationally significant conflict over school integration, federal court orders, and civil rights. That history remains essential context for understanding public institutions and education in the state. Conservation creates another long-running regional layer. Hot Springs National Park brings thermal springs, historic bathhouses, and an urban park setting together. Buffalo National River protects a free-flowing Ozark river and surrounding natural and cultural resources. These places are not side notes to the economy: they are durable public assets that influence tourism, recreation, identity, and land stewardship. Transportation and communications add a third layer. The Port of Little Rock tied the capital region more closely to river and intermodal freight. The northwest airport created a stronger commercial-air connection for a rapidly changing part of the state. More recently, official broadband planning has made digital connectivity a distinct infrastructure concern. The sequence shows regional connectivity expanding from physical movement to information access. How to read the indicators together The four measures are complementary rather than interchangeable. Population describes scale. Household income describes the middle of the household-income distribution in nominal dollars. Home value describes the middle of owner-occupied housing values. Unemployment describes a labor-market condition among people in the labor force. A change in one cannot be assumed to produce a change in another. The late part of the series is especially useful for seeing different directions at once. Population briefly falls and then returns to growth. Unemployment briefly rebounds and then moves lower. Income and home value continue upward. The mixed pattern is a reminder that regional change rarely follows a single line. Turning points should be compared in time, but not converted into claims of cause without separate evidence. The strongest regional reading combines time series with place. Little Rock contributes government, port, cultural, and civil-rights functions. Northwest Arkansas contributes a major university and air gateway. Hot Springs and the Buffalo River corridor add nationally managed conservation landscapes. Statistics show direction; these places and events explain the spatial and institutional setting in which the direction matters. Sources US_EIA · Total primary energy productionUS_EIA · Total energy consumptionUS_CENSUS_DATA_API · PopulationUS_CENSUS_DATA_API · Median household incomeUS_CENSUS_DATA_API · Median home valueUS_CENSUS_DATA_API · Unemployment rate FAQ What is the long-run direction of Arkansas population? The statewide series shows gradual growth overall, with a brief late decline followed by renewed growth. Does rising household income mean housing became more affordable? Not by itself. Median household income rises, but median home value also rises, so affordability requires both sides of the household budget and more local detail. Why include places and historical events with economic indicators? Ports, airports, universities, parks, and civil-rights landmarks explain the institutional and geographic setting that a statewide statistical series cannot show on its own. Arkansas combines gradual population expansion, persistent rises in household income and home value, and a long decline in unemployment. Those statistical patterns become more useful when placed beside the state’s administrative history, civil-rights landmarks, conservation assets, port and airport networks, university role, and newer digital-infrastructure priorities. The result is a regional story with several centers and several kinds of change.

=== Metrics ===
Total primary energy production	1985	455221	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1986	396293	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1987	418453	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1988	422583	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1989	435201	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1990	443286	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1991	446578	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1992	473555	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1993	503366	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1994	490546	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1995	472317	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1996	518867	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1997	511025	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1998	471696	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1999	443334	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2000	431290	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2001	445277	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2002	446024	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2003	460553	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2004	479166	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2005	464680	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2006	563550	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2007	573972	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2008	733108	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2009	982308	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2010	1232080	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2011	1394730	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2012	1467525	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2013	1434283	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2014	1438902	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2015	1310295	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2016	1106791	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2017	971637	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2018	869653	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2019	813255	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2020	757147	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2021	711431	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2022	697906	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2023	675313	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2024	643744	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1985	768517	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1986	739016	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1987	718177	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1988	801908	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1989	863033	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1990	829674	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1991	818074	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1992	847533	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1993	912973	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1994	951014	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1995	1002777	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1996	1025669	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1997	1039783	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1998	1061551	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1999	1083254	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2000	1124742	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2001	1078834	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2002	1095219	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2003	1083763	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2004	1069229	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2005	1094815	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2006	1103064	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2007	1108782	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2008	1082215	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2009	1019337	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2010	1108050	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2011	1114143	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2012	1063798	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2013	1091385	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2014	1107699	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2015	1042791	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2016	1036038	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2017	1043144	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2018	1102095	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2019	1077136	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2020	1012039	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2021	1057029	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2022	1062321	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2023	1054139	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2024	1059524	Billion Btu
Population	2011	2895928	persons
Population	2012	2916372	persons
Population	2013	2933369	persons
Population	2014	2947036	persons
Population	2015	2958208	persons
Population	2016	2968472	persons
Population	2017	2977944	persons
Population	2018	2990671	persons
Population	2019	2999370	persons
Population	2020	3011873	persons
Population	2021	3006309	persons
Population	2022	3018669	persons
Population	2023	3032651	persons
Population	2024	3049391	persons
Median household income	2011	40149	US dollars
Median household income	2012	40531	US dollars
Median household income	2013	40768	US dollars
Median household income	2014	41264	US dollars
Median household income	2015	41371	US dollars
Median household income	2016	42336	US dollars
Median household income	2017	43813	US dollars
Median household income	2018	45726	US dollars
Median household income	2019	47597	US dollars
Median household income	2020	49475	US dollars
Median household income	2021	52123	US dollars
Median household income	2022	56335	US dollars
Median household income	2023	58773	US dollars
Median household income	2024	60773	US dollars
Median home value	2011	105100	US dollars
Median home value	2012	106300	US dollars
Median home value	2013	107300	US dollars
Median home value	2014	108700	US dollars
Median home value	2015	111400	US dollars
Median home value	2016	114700	US dollars
Median home value	2017	118500	US dollars
Median home value	2018	123300	US dollars
Median home value	2019	127800	US dollars
Median home value	2020	133600	US dollars
Median home value	2021	142100	US dollars
Median home value	2022	162400	US dollars
Median home value	2023	175300	US dollars
Median home value	2024	188000	US dollars
Unemployment rate	2011	8.3505565086038	percent
Unemployment rate	2012	8.5633413916725	percent
Unemployment rate	2013	8.8708514949143	percent
Unemployment rate	2014	8.4203548855105	percent
Unemployment rate	2015	7.7105914370356	percent
Unemployment rate	2016	6.8535060327621	percent
Unemployment rate	2017	6.2517625493514	percent
Unemployment rate	2018	5.5388852786876	percent
Unemployment rate	2019	5.1297298123468	percent
Unemployment rate	2020	5.1904807405541	percent
Unemployment rate	2021	5.3252356644104	percent
Unemployment rate	2022	5.1471370528307	percent
Unemployment rate	2023	5.0942488575842	percent
Unemployment rate	2024	4.9356288560154	percent

=== Timeline ===
1819 1819
  - Creation of Arkansas Territory — Congress created Arkansas Territory, and the first territorial legislature met at Arkansas Post.
1821 1821
  - Territorial Government Moves to Little Rock — The territorial government moved from Arkansas Post to Little Rock.
1836 1836
  - Arkansas Becomes a State — Arkansas entered the Union as a state and began operating under state government.
1921 1921
  - Hot Springs Designated a National Park — Hot Springs, already under federal protection, was designated a national park.
1957 1957
  - Little Rock Central High Integration Crisis — The Little Rock Nine entered Central High under federal court orders and federal protection, making the school integration conflict a national civil-rights event.
1959 1959
  - Port of Little Rock Founded — The Little Rock city council founded the Port of Little Rock and organized a structure to pursue an Arkansas River port.
1972 1972
  - Buffalo National River Established — Congress established Buffalo National River, creating a federal conservation framework for the free-flowing river and surrounding natural and cultural resources.
1986 1986
  - Total primary energy production: 396293 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 739016 Billion Btu
1987 1987
  - Total primary energy production: 418453 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 718177 Billion Btu
1988 1988
  - Total primary energy production: 422583 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 801908 Billion Btu
1989 1989
  - Total primary energy production: 435201 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 863033 Billion Btu
1990 1990
  - Total primary energy production: 443286 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 829674 Billion Btu
1991 1991
  - Total primary energy production: 446578 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 818074 Billion Btu
1992 1992
  - Total primary energy production: 473555 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 847533 Billion Btu
1993 1993
  - Total primary energy production: 503366 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 912973 Billion Btu
1994 1994
  - Total primary energy production: 490546 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 951014 Billion Btu
1995 1995
  - Total primary energy production: 472317 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1002777 Billion Btu
1996 1996
  - Total primary energy production: 518867 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1025669 Billion Btu
1997 1997
  - Total primary energy production: 511025 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1039783 Billion Btu
1998 1998
  - Total primary energy production: 471696 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1061551 Billion Btu
  - Northwest Arkansas Airport Opens for Commercial Service — A new regional airport in northwest Arkansas opened for commercial service, changing the area’s air-access structure.
1999 1999
  - Total primary energy production: 443334 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1083254 Billion Btu
2000 2000
  - Total primary energy production: 431290 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1124742 Billion Btu
2001 2001
  - Total primary energy production: 445277 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1078834 Billion Btu
2002 2002
  - Total primary energy production: 446024 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1095219 Billion Btu
2003 2003
  - Total primary energy production: 460553 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1083763 Billion Btu
2004 2004
  - Total primary energy production: 479166 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1069229 Billion Btu
  - Clinton Presidential Center Dedicated — The William J. Clinton Presidential Center opened in Little Rock as a site for presidential records, research, exhibits, and public programs.
2005 2005
  - Total primary energy production: 464680 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1094815 Billion Btu
2006 2006
  - Total primary energy production: 563550 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1103064 Billion Btu
2007 2007
  - Total primary energy production: 573972 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1108782 Billion Btu
2008 2008
  - Total primary energy production: 733108 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1082215 Billion Btu
2009 2009
  - Total primary energy production: 982308 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1019337 Billion Btu
2010 2010
  - Total primary energy production: 1232080 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1108050 Billion Btu
2011 2011
  - Total primary energy production: 1394730 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1114143 Billion Btu
2012 2012
  - Total primary energy production: 1467525 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1063798 Billion Btu
  - Population: 2916372 persons
  - Median household income: 40531 US dollars
  - Median home value: 106300 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 8.5633413916725 percent
2013 2013
  - Total primary energy production: 1434283 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1091385 Billion Btu
  - Population: 2933369 persons
  - Median household income: 40768 US dollars
  - Median home value: 107300 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 8.8708514949143 percent
2014 2014
  - Total primary energy production: 1438902 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1107699 Billion Btu
  - Population: 2947036 persons
  - Median household income: 41264 US dollars
  - Median home value: 108700 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 8.4203548855105 percent
2015 2015
  - Total primary energy production: 1310295 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1042791 Billion Btu
  - Population: 2958208 persons
  - Median household income: 41371 US dollars
  - Median home value: 111400 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 7.7105914370356 percent
2016 2016
  - Total primary energy production: 1106791 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1036038 Billion Btu
  - Population: 2968472 persons
  - Median household income: 42336 US dollars
  - Median home value: 114700 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 6.8535060327621 percent
2017 2017
  - Total primary energy production: 971637 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1043144 Billion Btu
  - Population: 2977944 persons
  - Median household income: 43813 US dollars
  - Median home value: 118500 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 6.2517625493514 percent
2018 2018
  - Total primary energy production: 869653 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1102095 Billion Btu
  - Population: 2990671 persons
  - Median household income: 45726 US dollars
  - Median home value: 123300 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.5388852786876 percent
2019 2019
  - Total primary energy production: 813255 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1077136 Billion Btu
  - Population: 2999370 persons
  - Median household income: 47597 US dollars
  - Median home value: 127800 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.1297298123468 percent
2020 2020
  - Total primary energy production: 757147 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1012039 Billion Btu
  - Population: 3011873 persons
  - Median household income: 49475 US dollars
  - Median home value: 133600 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.1904807405541 percent
2021 2021
  - Total primary energy production: 711431 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1057029 Billion Btu
  - Population: 3006309 persons
  - Median household income: 52123 US dollars
  - Median home value: 142100 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.3252356644104 percent
2022 2022
  - Total primary energy production: 697906 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1062321 Billion Btu
  - Population: 3018669 persons
  - Median household income: 56335 US dollars
  - Median home value: 162400 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.1471370528307 percent
2023 2023
  - Total primary energy production: 675313 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1054139 Billion Btu
  - Population: 3032651 persons
  - Median household income: 58773 US dollars
  - Median home value: 175300 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.0942488575842 percent
2024 2024
  - Total primary energy production: 643744 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1059524 Billion Btu
  - Population: 3049391 persons
  - Median household income: 60773 US dollars
  - Median home value: 188000 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 4.9356288560154 percent
2025 2025
  - Arkansas BEAD Final Proposal Approved — The National Telecommunications and Information Administration approved Arkansas’s final BEAD proposal for broadband expansion.

=== Regional places ===
- Major city: Little Rock — Arkansas’s capital is the state’s main center for government and administration. Its riverfront urban core also links transportation, public services, and cultural institutions.
- Nature & parks: Hot Springs National Park — This national park combines thermal springs, forested terrain, and a historic bathhouse district within an urban setting. Bathhouse Row ties natural history to the region’s tourism and cultural story.
- Nature & parks: Buffalo National River — The national river protects a free-flowing Ozark stream and a landscape of bluffs, caves, and forests. Conservation and outdoor recreation are central to its role in northern Arkansas.
- Attractions: Crater of Diamonds State Park — This state park interprets a distinctive volcanic setting and diamond-bearing ground in southwest Arkansas. Its public search experience makes geology, education, and tourism part of the same destination.
- Landmark: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site — This national historic site preserves and interprets a pivotal civil-rights confrontation over school integration. The experience of the Little Rock Nine connects local place to a national story of educational rights and federal enforcement.
- Education: University of Arkansas — Based in Fayetteville, the state flagship and land-grant university combines education, research, and public service. It is a key anchor for understanding the academic and research role of northwest Arkansas.
- Airport: Northwest Arkansas National Airport — The airport connects the northwest Arkansas urban region with the commercial air network. Its opening followed a long regional planning effort and strengthened access for the growing northwest corridor.
- Port: Port of Little Rock — The Port of Little Rock combines Arkansas River navigation with rail and road connections as an industrial and logistics hub. Its development adds a freight and production dimension to the capital region’s administrative role.

=== Sources ===
- US_EIA TEPRB https://api.eia.gov/v2/seds/data/
- US_EIA TETCB https://api.eia.gov/v2/seds/data/
- US_CENSUS_DATA_API B01003_001E https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5
- US_CENSUS_DATA_API B19013_001E https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5
- US_CENSUS_DATA_API B25077_001E https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5
- US_CENSUS_DATA_API B23025_003E+B23025_005E https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5
