Ouachita County, Arkansas

AR · FIPS 05103 Republican

Located in Arkansas, Ouachita County has a population of 22,085 residents and a median age of 43.8 years, making it the #1,769 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 18.9%. The median home value is $102,100, and the median household income is $49,268, which is 34% below the national median.

22,085
Population
#1,769 of 3,222
$49,268
Median Income
-34.4% #2,812 of 3,222
43.8 years
Median Age
+12.6% #975 of 3,222
18.9%
Poverty Rate
+49.8% #2,555 of 3,222

Demographics

Ouachita County has a population of 22,085, making it the #1,769 most populous county in the US. The median age is 43.8 years, which is 12.6% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.1%
Native Born
0.9%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Ouachita County is $49,268, ranking #2,812 out of 3,222 counties — 34.4% below the national median. The poverty rate is 18.9% and unemployment stands at 5.2%.

Income#2,812
$49,268
-34.4%
vs nation
13th percentile
Per Capita#2,723
$27,803
-32.6%
vs nation
15th percentile
Poverty#2,555
18.9%
+49.8%
vs nation
21th percentile
Unemployment#2,114
5.2%
-2.7%
vs nation
34th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Ouachita County is $102,100 (-63.8% vs national). Renters pay a median of $764/mo and the homeownership rate is 70.9%.

Home Value#2,953
$102,100
-63.8%
vs nation
8th percentile
Rent#2,383
$764
-34.3%
vs nation
26th percentile
Homeownership#2,175
70.9%
+10.1%
vs nation
33th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Ouachita County, 16.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 51.7% below the national average, ranking #2,619 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
16.3% −51.7% vs nation
Rank #2,619 of 3,222
19th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Ouachita County is 70.8 years. 25.4% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.9% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#2,749
70.8
-5.8%
vs nation
10th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#2,763
25.4%
+29.8%
vs nation
12th percentile
Diabetes#2,848
14.3%
+28.5%
vs nation
9th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,847
42.5%
+13.9%
vs nation
9th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#3,010
6.7
+19.1%
vs nation
4th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,902
5.5
+22.7%
vs nation
8th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,160
7.9%
-24.6%
vs nation
63th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,835
33.4%
+26.6%
vs nation
10th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,740
18.5%
+28.4%
vs nation
13th percentile

Substance Use

20.9% of adults in Ouachita County smoke , 42.5% are obese , and 16.0% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 16.3 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#2,476
20.9%
+16.4%
vs nation
21th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,719
42.5%
+12.1%
vs nation
14th percentile
Excessive Drinking#360
16.0%
-19.3%
vs nation
89th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#339
16.3
-49.6%
vs nation
84th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Ouachita County is 7.4 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 12.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 28.3 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#939
7.4
-7.6%
vs nation
39th percentile
Suicide Rate#377
12.7
-35.8%
vs nation
85th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#968
14.8
-16.9%
vs nation
61th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,299
28.3
+39.8%
vs nation
19th percentile

Families & Children

25.3% of children in Ouachita County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 36.0 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#2,673
36.0
+64.7%
vs nation
11th percentile
Child Poverty#2,525
25.3%
+33.2%
vs nation
20th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Ouachita County is 53.0%. The mean commute time is 24.2 min, which is 12.3% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
53.0% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
24.2 min −12.3% vs nation
Rank #2,105 of 3,222
35th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Ouachita County voted Republican with a margin of 19.0%. The vote was 39.6% Dem / 58.6% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 5.5 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +19.0%
39.6% 58.6%
Dem 8,626 votes Rep
2020 REP +13.5%
41.5% 55%
Dem 9,629 votes Rep
2016 REP +10.4%
43.7% 54.1%
Dem 9,881 votes Rep
2012 REP +8.6%
44.9% 53.5%
Dem 10,303 votes Rep
2008 REP +10.9%
43.6% 54.5%
Dem 9,960 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Ouachita County, Arkansas

Ouachita County, Arkansas has a total population of 22,085, making it the 1,769th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Ouachita County is 43.8 years, which is 12.6% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Ouachita County is $49,268, which ranks #2,812 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 34.4% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 18.9%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.2%.

The median home value in Ouachita County is $102,100, 63.8% below the national median. Renters in Ouachita County pay a median gross rent of $764 per month. The homeownership rate is 70.9%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Ouachita County, 16.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 51.7% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 93.1% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 24.2 min.

Ouachita County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 53.9% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (40.8%) and Hispanic or Latino (2.6%).

All data for Ouachita County, Arkansas comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.