county

Van Buren County, AR

Demographic and economic profile of Van Buren County, AR, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Van Buren County is a small, rural Arkansas county of 15,936 residents with an older median age of 49.6 years and a labor force participation rate of just 43.8%, reflecting a working-age population constrained by retirement-age demographics. Educational attainment is limited, with only 15.8% holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and median worker earnings of $28,990 align with a low-cost labor market where median home values are $122,300 and median gross rent is $727 per month. The county has contracted 4.5% over five years, carries a 19.5% poverty rate, and posts a GDP per capita of $22,860, signaling persistent structural economic challenges.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

15,936

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$50,354

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

49.6 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-4.5% since 2018

Van Buren County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone14,811 (92.6%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races430 (2.7%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race347 (2.2%)
  • Some Other Race Alone174 (1.1%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone105 (0.7%)
  • Black or African American Alone68 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish372
  2. 2.Other Asian and Pacific Island81
  3. 3.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)41
  4. 4.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)16
  5. 5.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic10

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

19.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

54.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

26.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

1,429

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$22,860

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$27,284

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

4.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

19.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,135
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)891
  3. 3.Construction (Group)642
  4. 4.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities576
  5. 5.Manufacturing (Group)502

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations1,479
  2. 2.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,220
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations1,157
  4. 4.Service Occupations992
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations872

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.72×)243
  2. 2.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.72×)563
  3. 3.Construction (LQ 1.40×)540
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.32×)805
  5. 5.Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate (LQ 0.97×)360

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$122,300

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$727/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

77.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,999724 (12.5%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999597 (10.3%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999487 (8.4%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999463 (8.0%)
  • $125,000 to $149,999462 (8.0%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999427 (7.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

15.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

86.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

43.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$28,990

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

33.2 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

7.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone4,201 (74.6%)
  • Carpooled662 (11.7%)
  • Worked At Home465 (8.3%)
  • Other215 (3.8%)
  • Walked92 (1.6%)
  • Public Transit0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.