Cities in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Forrest City, AR had the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 39 cities in 2023, at 36.1%. Farmington, AR had the lowest, at 3%. The median was 17.7% and the figure for Arkansas was 16%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest36.1Forrest City, AR

Lowest3Farmington, AR

Median17.739 cities

Arkansas16History

All cities, 2023

%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Cities	2023 (%)	Change on 2022
1	Forrest City, AR	36.1	+0.8 pts
2	West Memphis, AR	27	+2.3 pts
3	Pine Bluff, AR	25.8	+0.9 pts
4	Magnolia, AR	25.8	+0.9 pts
5	Batesville, AR	24.4	+3.4 pts
6	El Dorado, AR	23.9	+1.7 pts
7	Blytheville, AR	22.4	-0.9 pts
8	Jonesboro, AR	22.4	0 pts
9	Texarkana, AR	22	-0.9 pts
10	Fayetteville, AR	21.4	+0.1 pts
11	Hot Springs, AR	21.3	+0.1 pts
12	Malvern, AR	21.1	-3.3 pts
13	North Little Rock, AR	20.8	-0.4 pts
14	Russellville, AR	20	-0.9 pts
15	Searcy, AR	19.9	-2.9 pts
16	Jacksonville, AR	19.3	-3.1 pts
17	Camden, AR	18.6	-2.5 pts
18	Fort Smith, AR	18.3	-0.6 pts
19	Conway, AR	18.3	-0.9 pts
20	Mountain Home, AR	17.7	+2.6 pts
21	Paragould, AR	16.8	-0.7 pts
22	Harrison, AR	16.6	+0.5 pts
23	Little Rock, AR	16.4	-0.1 pts
24	Van Buren, AR	16.3	-2.7 pts
25	Springdale, AR	13.7	-1 pts
26	Siloam Springs, AR	13.4	-2.5 pts
27	Cabot, AR	10.9	-2 pts
28	Rogers, AR	10.4	-0.2 pts
29	Benton, AR	10.1	-0.6 pts
30	Sherwood, AR	9.5	-0.4 pts
31	Maumelle, AR	9	+2.3 pts
32	Marion, AR	8.1	+0.3 pts
33	Lowell, AR	7.1	-1.9 pts
34	Bryant, AR	7	-0.9 pts
35	Bentonville, AR	6.3	+0.1 pts
36	Centerton, AR	4.8	+0.1 pts
37	Pea Ridge, AR	4.3	-1 pts
38	Bella Vista, AR	3.5	+0.3 pts
39	Farmington, AR	3	-0.6 pts

Other periods

2024
2023
2022
2021

About this ranking

People with income in the past 12 months below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status is determined. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

The headline single-year rate for states and counties is poverty_rate (SAIPE). Poverty status is not determined for people in institutions, military group quarters or college dormitories, or for unrelated children under 15. Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_cities_in_arkansas_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-cities?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-cities?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank Cities in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"poverty_rate_acs","level":"municipality","within":"Arkansas","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Forrest City, AR, with 36.1% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Farmington, AR, with 3% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B17001: population with income in the past 12 months below the poverty level as a percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.