County facts · Population · October 25, 2026
Arkansas Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
Arkansas population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 75 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for Arkansas population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that Arkansas had 3,114,791 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 75 counties. Pulaski County is the most populous, with 404,611 people (13% of the state), and Calhoun County is the least populous, with 4,632.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
Arkansas population at a glance
- Counties: 75
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 3,114,791 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 3,011,530; change +103,261, +3.4%)
- Most populous: Pulaski County (404,611); least populous: Calhoun County (4,632)
- Median county: about 18,410 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 41% of all Arkansas residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 0 · 100,000+: 7 · under 10,000: 17
- Statewide density: about 60 people per square mile of land
Arkansas population by county, July 2025 (all 75)
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How Arkansas's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250,000 to 999,999 | 3 | 1,008,378 | 32% |
| 100,000 to 249,999 | 4 | 514,865 | 17% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 18 | 892,802 | 29% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 33 | 566,842 | 18% |
| Under 10,000 | 17 | 131,904 | 4% |
3 counties with at least 250,000 residents hold 32% of the state's population.
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- Pulaski County: 534 per sq mi (404,611 people on 758 sq mi)
- Benton County: 392 per sq mi (332,554 people on 848 sq mi)
- Washington County: 288 per sq mi (271,213 people on 941 sq mi)
- Sebastian County: 246 per sq mi (130,641 people on 531 sq mi)
- Faulkner County: 207 per sq mi (133,979 people on 647 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Calhoun County: 7.4 per sq mi (4,632 people on 629 sq mi)
- Newton County: 8.6 per sq mi (7,026 people on 821 sq mi)
- Dallas County: 9.0 per sq mi (6,011 people on 667 sq mi)
- Woodruff County: 9.7 per sq mi (5,710 people on 586 sq mi)
- Monroe County: 10 per sq mi (6,244 people on 607 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 3,114,791 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. Recorded deeds and the local assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the local assessor and the office that records deeds.
Related guides
- Fastest growing counties in Arkansas
- Largest counties in Arkansas
- Arkansas county GIS websites by viewer
- Arkansas landowner maps for hunting
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All Arkansas counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 25, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.