Census Data Shows Big Growth In Nw Arkansas, Dramatic Losses In Delta

The U.S. Census Bureau released detailed data for Arkansas that highlights a number of dramatic increases and decreases in the state’s population – key factors in upcoming political redistricting.

The data examines race, Hispanic origin, and voting age information at the precinct and county level.

The official 2010 Census Redistricting Data Summary File will be used to redraw federal, state and local legislative districts in Arkansas.  State lawmakers will first reset Congressional district lines, while legislative redistricting will take place secondarily.

The Census data shows substantial population losses in 36 of the state’s 75 counties. Thirty-four of those 36 counties experiencing population losses are in the First and Fourth Congressional districts.  The Arkansas General Assembly will look to move roughly 115,000 voters from the Third Congressional District into the First and Fourth Districts, while the Second Congressional District will lose approximately 15,000 voters.

The state’s white population has risen by 5% during the last decade and accounts for 77% of the total Arkansas population. African-Americans have increased by 7.4% and total 15.4% of the state’s citizenry. The Latino population in Arkansas has risen by 114.2% during the last ten years to account for 6.4% of the state’s total population.

Clint Reed, a Talk Business contributor and GOP political consultant, said that the dramatic loss of population in southeast Arkansas – a Democratic stronghold – and the dramatic population increases in Republican-trending northwest Arkansas and suburban central Arkansas bodes well for GOP future fortunes.

"This solidifies the long term problem the Democratic Party in Arkansas is faced with," said Reed.

He also noted the more than doubling of the state’s Hispanic population.

"It will be interesting to see where this is concentrated and if it will carry any political consequences," Reed added.

Today’s  data release shows that the 5 most populous incorporated places and their 2010 Census counts are:

Little Rock – 193,524
Fort Smith – 86,209
Fayetteville – 73,580
Springdale – 69,797
Jonesboro – 67,263

Little Rock grew by 5.7% since the 2000 Census. Fort Smith grew by 7.4%, Fayetteville grew by 26.8%, Springdale grew by 52.4%, and Jonesboro by 21.2%.

The largest county in Arkansas remains Pulaski County with a population of 382,748. Its population grew by 5.9% since 2000. The other counties in the top five with their increase in population by pecentage include:

Benton – 221,339 (+44.3%)
Washington – 203,065 (+28.8%)
Sebastian – 125,744 (+9.3%)
Faulkner – 113,237 (+31.6%)

This link will give you access to a variety of reports that allow you to crawl through Census data.