County profile

Pulaski County

Arkansas · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
399,818
Median household income
$62,873
People below poverty
16.7%
Median home value
$214,700

Income

The median income of households in Pulaski County, Arkansas was $62,873. An estimated 7.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 9.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7.2
$10,000 to $14,999 3.8
$15,000 to $24,999 8.3
$25,000 to $34,999 9.1
$35,000 to $49,999 13.1
$50,000 to $74,999 15.5
$75,000 to $99,999 12.3
$100,000 to $149,999 14.9
$150,000 to $199,999 6.6
$200,000 or more 9.1

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 58716
Female 50702

An estimated 74.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 30.5% of households received Social Security and an estimated 21.7 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,925. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 74.7
Social Security 30.5
Retirement income 21.7
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.4
Cash public assistance income 1.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 16.7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 24.6% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 9.7% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 15.5% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 16.7
Children under 18 years below poverty 24.6
People 65 years old and over below poverty 9.7
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 15.5

In 2020-2024, 10 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 44.5% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 27.7% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 36.2% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024, 90.3% had health insurance coverage and 9.7% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 62% and public coverage was 40.8%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 7.3%.


In 2020-2024, Pulaski County, Arkansas had a total population of 399,818 - 208,620 (52.2%) females and 191,198 (47.8%) males. The median age was 37.6 years. An estimated 23.3% of the population was under 18 years, 34.1% was 19 to 44 years, 23.8% was 45 to 64 years, and 16.7 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 12704 12267
5 to 9 12953 13108
10 to 14 13805 12587
15 to 19 12596 12051
20 to 24 13133 13125
25 to 29 13745 14811
30 to 34 13757 15087
35 to 39 13693 14664
40 to 44 11211 12805
45 to 49 11010 12385
50 to 54 11167 12210
55 to 59 11822 11694
60 to 64 10876 13887
65 to 69 10307 12406
70 to 74 8069 10123
75 to 79 5021 6646
80 to 84 2713 3849
85 and over 2616 4915

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 49.4% were White; 36.8% were Black or African American; 10.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2.2% were Asian; 15.3% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 7.3% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 8.4% of the people in Pulaski County, Arkansas were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 48.2% of the people in Pulaski County, Arkansas were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 172,409 households in Pulaski County, Arkansas. The average household size was 2.27 people.

Married-couple households made up 38.2% of the households in Pulaski County, Arkansas while cohabiting couple households made up 5.9% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 34.9% of all households, while 20.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.8% of households were male householders living alone, and 20.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 37.3% of all households.

In Pulaski County, Arkansas, 26.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 28.7% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 38.2
Cohabiting Couples 5.9
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
34.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 46.9% of males and 41.5% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 37.1 33.4
Now married, except separated 46.9 41.5
Separated 1.1 2
Widowed 2.7 8
Divorced 12.1 15.1

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Pulaski County, Arkansas, 7,364 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 44.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 93.9% of the people living in Pulaski County, Arkansas were U.S. natives. 65.1% of the Pulaski County, Arkansas population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 6.1% of Pulaski County, Arkansas residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 31.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 54.6 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Pulaski County, Arkansas come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Pulaski County, Arkansas.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 54.6
Asia 32.2
Europe 8.3
Africa 3.9
Northern America 0.7
Oceania 0.4

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024, 9.8 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 6.6% of people at least five years old; 4% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 6.6
Other Indo-European languages 1.3
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.5
Other languages 0.5

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 86.6 % of the people at least one year old living in Pulaski County, Arkansas were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 86.6
Different house, same county 7.5
Different county, same state 3
Different state 2.5
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.2 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 37.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Pulaski County, Arkansas was 91,573 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 6,794 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 64,017. College or graduate school enrollment was 20,762.

Educational Attainment of People in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.8
High school diploma or equivalency 24.8
Some college, no degree 21.3
Associate's degree 8.3
Bachelor's degree 22.6
Graduate or professional degree 15.4

Disability

In Pulaski County, Arkansas, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 16 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 6.9% of people under 18 years old, to 14.1% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 35.9% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Pulaski County, Arkansas, 58.7 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 37.6% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 74.4% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 20.2% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.2 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 138,497 74.4
Federal, state, or local government workers 37,549 20.2
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 9,645 5.2

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Pulaski County, Arkansas worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.4
Construction 6.4
Manufacturing 6.6
Wholesale trade 2
Retail trade 11.8
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.3
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 8.2
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.7
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 26.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7.5
Other Services, except public administration 5
Public administration 6.9

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 85,552 46
Service occupations 27,513 14.8
Sales and office occupations 39,534 21.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 12,739 6.8
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 20,775 11.2

Commuting to Work

An estimated 76.3% of Pulaski County, Arkansas workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.6% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 20.3 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 76.3
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.6
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.7
Walked 1
Other means 1.5
Worked from home 11.9

In 2020-2024, Pulaski County, Arkansas had a total of 193,408 housing units. Of these housing units, 65.9% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 29.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 4.9% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 65.9
Apartments in multi-unit structures 29.1
Mobile homes 4.9
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

12.9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 5.5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Pulaski County, Arkansas was 5.3 rooms, and of these housing units 60.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Pulaski County, Arkansas had 172,409 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 20,999 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 57% while renters occupied 43%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.43 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.06.

5.8% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 7.7% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 7.2% and another 16.9% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Pulaski County, Arkansas:

House Heating Fuel Used in Pulaski County, Arkansas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 52.1
Electricity 46.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 0.5
No fuel used 0.7

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Pulaski County, Arkansas was $214,700.

Of the owner-occupied households, 61.3 % had a mortgage. 38.7% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,493 and for owners without a mortgage it was $507.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Pulaski County, Arkansas was $1,080. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.