Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Counties in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024

Lee County had the highest poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 75 counties in 2024, at 39.4%. Benton County had the lowest, at 7.6%. The median was 18.7% and the figure for Arkansas was 16%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest39.4Lee County
Lowest7.6Benton County
Median18.775 counties
Arkansas16History

Top 40 counties, 2024

Lee County: 39.4 %Lee County39.4Phillips County: 29.4 %Phillips County29.4St. Francis County: 28.5 %St. Francis County28.5Desha County: 28.3 %Desha County28.3Miller County: 24.6 %Miller County24.6Woodruff County: 24.1 %Woodruff County24.1Searcy County: 23 %Searcy County23Chicot County: 22.6 %Chicot County22.6Howard County: 22.5 %Howard County22.5Drew County: 22.4 %Drew County22.4Montgomery County: 22.4 %Montgomery County22.4Randolph County: 22.4 %Randolph County22.4Izard County: 22.3 %Izard County22.3Lafayette County: 22.3 %Lafayette County22.3Ashley County: 22.2 %Ashley County22.2Jackson County: 21.7 %Jackson County21.7Clark County: 21.6 %Clark County21.6Columbia County: 21.1 %Columbia County21.1Mississippi County: 21.1 %Mississippi County21.1Crittenden County: 21 %Crittenden County21Pike County: 20.7 %Pike County20.7Monroe County: 20.6 %Monroe County20.6Independence County: 20.4 %Independence County20.4Nevada County: 20.3 %Nevada County20.3Hempstead County: 20.2 %Hempstead County20.2Craighead County: 20.1 %Craighead County20.1Lawrence County: 20.1 %Lawrence County20.1Poinsett County: 20.1 %Poinsett County20.1Bradley County: 19.9 %Bradley County19.9Johnson County: 19.8 %Johnson County19.8Cross County: 19.7 %Cross County19.7Conway County: 19.7 %Conway County19.7Union County: 19.6 %Union County19.6Stone County: 19.4 %Stone County19.4Van Buren County: 19.1 %Van Buren County19.1Arkansas County: 19 %Arkansas County19Ouachita County: 18.9 %Ouachita County18.9Scott County: 18.7 %Scott County18.7Jefferson County: 18.6 %Jefferson County18.6Fulton County: 18 %Fulton County18
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Lee County39.4+11.7 pts
2Phillips County29.4+0.6 pts
3St. Francis County28.5+0.6 pts
4Desha County28.3-0.6 pts
5Miller County24.6+3.5 pts
6Woodruff County24.1+1.3 pts
7Searcy County23-1.5 pts
8Chicot County22.6-1.7 pts
9Howard County22.5+2.7 pts
10Drew County22.4-0.3 pts
11Montgomery County22.4+1.5 pts
11Randolph County22.4+1.3 pts
13Izard County22.3+1.2 pts
14Lafayette County22.3-5 pts
15Ashley County22.2-0.6 pts
16Jackson County21.7+0.5 pts
17Clark County21.6+1.4 pts
18Columbia County21.1-1.6 pts
18Mississippi County21.1+0.1 pts
20Crittenden County21+0.3 pts
21Pike County20.7+1.8 pts
22Monroe County20.6-1.6 pts
23Independence County20.4+0.8 pts
24Nevada County20.3-8.3 pts
25Hempstead County20.2+1.2 pts
26Craighead County20.1+1.1 pts
27Lawrence County20.1+1.9 pts
27Poinsett County20.10 pts
29Bradley County19.9-0.2 pts
30Johnson County19.8+0.4 pts
31Cross County19.7-0.4 pts
32Conway County19.7-0.9 pts
33Union County19.6+0.1 pts
34Stone County19.4-2.2 pts
35Van Buren County19.1-0.4 pts
36Arkansas County19+4.3 pts
37Ouachita County18.9+1 pts
38Scott County18.7+1.5 pts
39Jefferson County18.6-2 pts
40Fulton County18+3.3 pts
41Franklin County18-0.9 pts
41Marion County18+0.1 pts
43White County17.6+1.1 pts
44Greene County17.4+0.4 pts
45Sevier County17.3-2.3 pts
46Clay County17.2-0 pts
47Carroll County17.2+0.9 pts
48Pope County16.9-0.7 pts
49Pulaski County16.7+0.5 pts
50Sharp County16.5-0.9 pts
51Sebastian County16-0.3 pts
52Polk County15.9-3.1 pts
53Newton County15.9+2.5 pts
54Garland County15.8-0.7 pts
55Cleveland County15.8+0.2 pts
56Yell County15.6+2.4 pts
57Little River County15.5-0.9 pts
58Baxter County15.5+1 pts
59Lincoln County15.4-2.3 pts
60Hot Spring County15.1-2 pts
61Crawford County14.7-2.1 pts
62Washington County14.6-0.2 pts
63Faulkner County14.5-0.5 pts
64Perry County14.2-1.4 pts
65Madison County14.1-0.9 pts
66Logan County13.9-0.5 pts
67Dallas County13.9+2.8 pts
68Cleburne County13.90 pts
69Grant County13.1+0.8 pts
70Prairie County11.8+2.5 pts
71Boone County11.7-1.7 pts
72Lonoke County10.4-0.8 pts
73Calhoun County10.2-3.1 pts
74Saline County8.8-0.2 pts
75Benton County7.6-0.1 pts

Other periods

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 counties 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 (Counties in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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, Counties in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-counties. 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. Counties in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-counties.

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, Counties in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_arkansas_by_2024,
  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: Counties in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-counties. 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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: Counties in Arkansas by poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/poverty-rate-acs/arkansas-counties.
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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b17001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Lee County, with 39.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Benton County, with 7.6% in 2024.

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. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Poverty rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Counties in Arkansas: more rankings