Exploring Senior Demographics of Arkansas

Introduction 

The American Community Survey for the year 2022 has provided us with valuable insights into the senior population aged 65 and over within the state of Arkansas. As we explore the demographic and socioeconomic data from the ACS Table S0103 “Population 65 Years and Over in the United States Year 2022: ACS 1-Year Estimates Data Profiles,” we embark on a journey to understand the unique characteristics and challenges faced by this senior demographic group in the Natural State. This comprehensive analysis encompasses various aspects, including age and gender distribution, racial and ethnic diversity, marital status, educational attainment, health and disability status, employment, income, and housing conditions. By comparing this information to national averages, we can pinpoint specific areas where Arkansas’s senior population deviates from the broader U.S. trends, highlighting both its distinctive qualities and the potential areas for attention and improvement. Join us on this exploration to gain a deeper understanding of the seniors in Arkansas and the factors that shape their lives in their golden years.

Sex And Age

In examining Arkansas’s senior population, it’s evident that the demographics closely resemble the national figures, with 44.6% being male and 55.4% female. The median age of 73.3 years is in line with the national median, reflecting a balanced representation of seniors in the state. These statistics underline the gender parity and the typical age distribution among Arkansas’s senior residents, echoing the broader trends seen across the United States.

Race And Hispanic Or Latino Origin

When it comes to racial and ethnic diversity among seniors, Arkansas presents some distinctive characteristics compared to the national data. The majority of seniors in Arkansas, at 82.9%, identify as White, a higher percentage than the U.S. average of 75.4%. The data indicates a significant White majority among seniors in the state.

Furthermore, there’s a noticeable difference in the proportion of Black or African American seniors, with 10.6% in Arkansas compared to the national figure of 9.2%. This points to a relatively higher representation of this demographic group among Arkansas’s seniors.

However, it’s noteworthy that Arkansas’s senior population has a smaller Asian population, standing at 0.7%, compared to the U.S. average of 4.8%. This indicates a lower percentage of Asian seniors compared to the nation.

The data also reveals that 13.7% of seniors in Arkansas identify as Hispanic or Latino origin, compared to 9.1% nationally. This highlights a significantly higher proportion of Hispanic or Latino seniors in the state, suggesting greater diversity within the senior population compared to the United States at large.

Relationship

When it comes to living arrangements, Arkansas’s senior population exhibits a strong family-oriented structure. Notably, 91.8% of seniors in Arkansas are either householders or spouses, which is higher than the 89.6% national average. This reflects a more family-centric living arrangement among seniors in the state.

The data also indicates that a smaller percentage of seniors in Arkansas, 3.4%, live with other relatives compared to 3.8% nationally. The differences in these living arrangements suggest that Arkansas’s senior population has a relatively higher tendency to live with their immediate family members.

Households By Type

The data shows that 53.9% of senior households in Arkansas are classified as family households, which is slightly lower than the national rate of 54.7%. Within this category, 43.5% are married-couple families, comparable to the national average of 43.8%. This indicates a standard family structure among Arkansas’s senior population.

However, Arkansas has a slightly higher percentage of female householders with no spouse present compared to the national figure, at 8.3% versus 8.2%. This shows a slightly higher prevalence of female-headed senior households in the state.

Marital Status

Looking at the marital status of seniors in Arkansas, the data reveals that 55.6% are currently married, except separated, which is slightly lower than the national rate of 56.1%. This indicates that a smaller proportion of seniors in Arkansas are currently married compared to the national average.

Conversely, Arkansas has a higher percentage of widowed seniors at 23.9%, whereas the national figure is 20.9%. This suggests that a greater proportion of seniors in Arkansas are widowed compared to the United States as a whole.

Furthermore, Arkansas has a lower percentage of seniors who have never married, at 4.2% compared to the national figure of 6.6%. This implies that a smaller proportion of Arkansas’s seniors have never married, showcasing different marital trends in the state.

Educational Attainment

The educational attainment of Arkansas’s senior population reflects both similarities and differences when compared to the national data. A higher percentage of seniors in Arkansas, at 37.6%, have a high school graduate, GED, or alternative qualification, compared to the national figure of 29.7%. This suggests that a greater proportion of seniors in Arkansas have completed high school or its equivalent.

However, Arkansas has a lower percentage of seniors with a bachelor’s degree or higher, at 22.5%, compared to the national rate of 30.8%. This indicates that a smaller proportion of seniors in the state have attained bachelor’s degrees or higher educational qualifications.

Responsibility For Grandchildren Under 18 Years

Regarding the responsibility of seniors for their grandchildren, the data shows that 1.9% of seniors in Arkansas are responsible for their grandchildren, which is in line with the national figure of 1.1%. These numbers indicate that the senior population in the state shares a similar level of responsibility for their grandchildren compared to the nation as a whole.

Veteran Status

Arkansas has a relatively higher percentage of civilian veterans among its senior population, at 16.5%, in contrast to the national average of 13.8%. This suggests that a greater proportion of Arkansas’s seniors have served in the military compared to seniors across the United States.

Disability Status

The data shows that 40.1% of seniors in Arkansas have a disability, which is notably higher than the national average of 33.1%. This indicates a larger proportion of seniors in Arkansas face disability challenges compared to the U.S. senior population.

Residence 1 Year Ago

When considering residence changes in the past year, the data demonstrates that a slightly higher percentage of seniors in Arkansas, 7.3%, moved to different houses within the United States compared to the national figure of 5.6%. This suggests a somewhat higher rate of residential mobility among seniors in the state.

Furthermore, 3.2% of Arkansas seniors moved to a different county within the same state, which is on par with the national rate of 3.2%. This indicates a typical pattern of moving within the state among seniors.

However, the data reveals that a smaller proportion of seniors in Arkansas, at 1.6%, moved to a different state, while the national average is 1.3%. This suggests that a smaller percentage of Arkansas’s seniors relocated to different states compared to the national average.

Place Of Birth, Nativity, And Citizenship Status, And Year Of Entry

Arkansas has a predominantly native-born senior population, with 97.2% born in the United States, compared to the national figure of 91.1%. The data also shows that 68.6% of seniors in Arkansas are naturalized U.S. citizens, while the national rate is 77.6%. This implies a lower proportion of naturalized citizens among Arkansas’s senior population compared to the United States at large.

The data further illustrates that a significantly smaller percentage of Arkansas’s senior population, 31.4%, comprises non-U.S. citizens, compared to the national figure of 22.4%. This suggests a relatively smaller population of non-citizens among seniors in the state.

Language Spoken At Home And Ability To Speak English

An overwhelming majority of seniors in Arkansas, 96.9%, speak English only, which is significantly higher than the national rate of 84.5%. This points to a higher degree of English proficiency among Arkansas’s senior population compared to the nation.

Moreover, only 1.6% of seniors in Arkansas speak English less than “very well,” while the national figure is 8.7%. This highlights a lower percentage of seniors facing language barriers in Arkansas compared to the national average.

Employment Status

Arkansas’s senior population has a slightly lower labor force participation rate of 16.6% compared to the national rate of 18.7%. Among those in the labor force, 16.0% are employed, and 0.6% are unemployed, with the latter having a slightly higher unemployment rate than the national rate of 0.6%. The percentage of seniors in Arkansas’s civilian labor force is 3.3%, similar to the national rate of 3.0%.

However, a higher percentage of Arkansas seniors, 83.4%, are not in the labor force compared to the national rate of 81.3%. This indicates that a larger proportion of seniors in the state are not actively engaged in the labor force.

Income In The Past 12 Months (In 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)

A higher percentage of Arkansas households, at 32.7%, have earnings, in contrast to the national rate of 37.9%. This data suggests a lower percentage of seniors with earnings in the state.

The mean earnings for Arkansas households is $54,173, lower than the national average of $73,402, signifying a difference in income levels among senior households.

However, a larger percentage of seniors in Arkansas receive Social Security income, at 90.9%, in comparison to the national rate of 87.3%. The mean Social Security income in the state is $22,864, lower than the national average of $24,325.

A slightly lower percentage of seniors in Arkansas, at 6.6%, receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) compared to the national rate of 6.9%. The mean SSI income in Arkansas is $10,822, similar to the national mean.

A small percentage of senior households in the state, 1.7%, receive cash public assistance income, which is slightly lower than the national rate of 1.9%. The mean cash public assistance income is $2,250 in Arkansas, reflecting a similar national average.

For retirement income, 52.6% of seniors in Arkansas receive it, which is lower than the national rate of 57.9%. The mean retirement income in the state is $25,687, which is significantly lower than the national average of $33,933.

Regarding the receipt of Food Stamp/SNAP benefits, 6.9% of seniors in Arkansas receive them, compared to the national rate of 10.4%. This suggests a lower prevalence of Food Stamp/SNAP benefits among the senior population in the state.

Poverty Status

Among the population for whom poverty status is determined in Arkansas, 12.8% are below 100 percent of the poverty level, higher than the national rate of 10.9%. This indicates a larger percentage of seniors in poverty in the state.

Additionally, 12.6% of Arkansas seniors are within the range of 100 to 149 percent of the poverty level, compared to the national rate of 8.5%. This data suggests a higher percentage of seniors with income close to the poverty threshold in Arkansas.

The majority of Arkansas seniors, at 74.6%, have incomes at or above 150 percent of the poverty level, which is lower than the national rate of 80.6%. This signifies that a lower percentage of seniors in the state have incomes significantly above the poverty threshold.

Housing Tenure

In Arkansas, 80.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied, slightly higher than the national rate of 78.4%. For owner-occupied units, the average household size is 1.90, which is similar to the national average of 1.95.

Renter-occupied housing units make up 19.2% of occupied units in Arkansas, slightly lower than the national rate of 21.6%. The average household size for renter-occupied units is 1.52 in the state, very close to the national average of 1.54.

Selected Characteristics

Arkansas has a higher percentage of occupied housing units with no telephone service available, at 1.7%, compared to the national rate of 1.0%. The percentage of units with 1.01 or more occupants per room is 0.7% in the state, which is similar to the national rate of 0.9%.

Selected Monthly Owner Costs As A Percentage Of Household Income In The Past 12 Months

For owner-occupied housing units, 79.2% of units in Arkansas have monthly costs that are less than 30 percent of household income, which is higher than the national rate of 73.4%. Conversely, 20.8% of units have costs that are 30 percent or more of household income, lower than the national rate of 26.6%. This data suggests a greater proportion of affordable owner-occupied housing units in Arkansas.

Owner Characteristics

The median value of owner-occupied housing units in Arkansas is $171,700, significantly lower than the national median of $295,000. This implies a difference in property values among senior homeowners in the state.

For owner-occupied units with a mortgage, the median selected monthly owner costs are $1,112, which is lower than the national median of $1,532. This suggests lower mortgage costs for senior homeowners in Arkansas.

For owner-occupied units without a mortgage, the median selected monthly owner costs are $405 in Arkansas, which is lower than the national median of $577. This indicates that senior homeowners in the state have lower housing costs when mortgages are not a factor.

Renter-occupied Housing Units

In Arkansas, 51.6% of renter-occupied units have gross rent that is less than 30 percent of household income, which is higher than the national rate of 43.4%. On the other hand, 48.4% of units have gross rent that is 30 percent or more of household income, which is lower than the national rate of 56.6%. This data suggests a higher proportion of affordable rental housing units in Arkansas.

The median gross rent for renter-occupied units in Arkansas is $723, which is lower than the national median of $1,022. This signifies that seniors who rent in Arkansas generally have lower monthly housing costs.

Conclusion

The data from the 2022 American Community Survey provides a detailed overview of the senior population aged 65 and over in Arkansas. The state’s senior population shows several variations compared to the national average, including differences in race and ethnicity, income, educational attainment, veteran status, and housing characteristics. Understanding these distinctions is vital for tailoring policies and support systems to meet the unique needs of Arkansas’s senior residents.