For More Information

David Rasmussen
Demographic Research
UALR Institute for Economic Advancement
2801 South University
Little Rock, AR 72204-1099
Phone:501-569-8542
Fax: 501-569-8538
Email: drrasmussen@ualr.edu

Arkansas 2020: Arkansas Population Projections and Demographic Characteristics for 2020

This on-line publication produced by Demographic Research at IEA presents population-related information regarding the state of Arkansas of interest to researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. This series consists of short and timely reports that will appear on a regular basis.

The initiative for this publication comes from the Arkansas 2020 group. Arkansas 2020 is a project initiated by the Arkansas Legislature that brings together state agencies and the major universities of Arkansas to study potential implications and devise possible new policies, programs, and structures. One of the initial tasks for Arkansas 2020 is to collect and analyze demographic estimates and projections that will shed light upon the coming changes.

Permission to use, copy, and distribute these documents for research or educational purposes and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice and direct reference to the original document appear on all copies of these documents. Permission to modify these documents, or use for commercial purpose or financial gain, must be negotiated with the representatives of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in advance. The name of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock may not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to these documents without express, written prior consent.

Questions concerning this series or this particular publication shall be directed to Gregory L. Hamilton at glhamilton@ualr.edu, (501) 569-8571. Maps provided by GIS Applications Laboratory 501-569-8534.

Table of Contents

Entire Document (616 KB)
Introduction	4
Historic and Projected Population Trends of Arkansas	5
Table 1 State Population Ranking and Percent Distribution	5
Figure 1 Historic Population Series and Population Projections by Method	6
Table 2 Population Projections by Method for Arkansas	7
Ages of Arkansans	7
Figure 2 Population Pyramids for Arkansas and U.S. Population, 2000 and 2020	7
Table 3 Dependency Ratios for Arkansas and the U.S., 2000 and 2020	8
Table 4 Sex Ratios	9
Racial Composition of the Population	9
Figure 3 Racial Composition of Arkansas Population, 1810-2020	9
Figure 4 Arkansas Population by Hispanic/Nonhispanic Status, 1990 and 2000	10
Demographic Characteristics Across Arkansas	11
Metropolitan Areas	11
Table 5 Growth Rate and Percent Change, Metro Areas in Arkansas	11
Figure 5 Urban Areas	12
Table 6 Dependency Ratios in Arkansas by Urban Area	13
Urban and Rural Areas	13
Table 7 Growth Rates in Urban and Rural Areas	14
Figure 6 Urban and Rural Populations in Arkansas	14
Table 8 Dependency Ratios in Urban and Rural Areas	15
Emerging Urban Areas	15
Table 9 Emerging Urban Areas in Arkansas	16
Figure 7 Emerging Urban Areas	17
Figure 8 Populations of Emerging Urban Areas in Arkansas	18
Table 10 Growth Rate and Percent Change, Emerging Urban Areas	18
Table 11 Dependency Ratios in Arkansas in Emerging Urban Areas	19
Conclusions	20
Appendix: Age Pyramids by Geography and Race, Arakansas and USA, 2000 and 2020	21