Vintage 2024 Population Estimates by Characteristics

According to Vintage 2024 population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, the population 65 years and older in Arkansas increased by 2.4% from 2023 to 2024 while the population under 18 years decreased by 0.5%.

Age

In 2024, the population age 65 and older made up 18.2% of the state’s total population.  As shown in the map below, the older population accounted for over a quarter of the population in fifteen counties across the state.  The majority of these counties are clustered in North Central Arkansas.  On the other hand, five counties had a senior population that was less than 15% of their total population with Washington County being the lowest (12.8%).

 

The median age in both Arkansas and the United States continued to increase from 2020 to 2024, however, the state’s median age has consistently been lower than the nation’s.  In 2024, the median age in Arkansas was 38.8 years, which is 0.3 years younger than the U.S. at 39.1 years.

 

Across the state, the highest median age was in Marion County (51.9 years) and the lowest was in Clark County (32.8 years).  As shown in the map below, the distribution closely follows the population 65 years and older.

 

Race and Hispanic Origin

Between 2023 and 2024 the Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone population grew the fastest (6.7%) in Arkansas followed by the Non-Hispanic Asian alone population (4.0%).  The Hispanic population experienced the largest population increase, adding 9,766 people from 2023 to 2024.  This population gain was larger than all the other Non-Hispanic race groups combined.

 

The map below shows the Hispanic population as a percent of the total population by county.  This percentage ranged from a low of 1.6% in Newton County to a high of 36.3% in Sevier County with a state rate of 9.6%.

 

For More Information

The full Vintage 2024 population estimate data can be found on this page.