Pulaski County, Arkansas

AR · FIPS 05119 Democrat

Located in Arkansas, Pulaski County has a population of 399,818 residents and a median age of 37.6 years, making it the #186 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 16.7%. The median home value is $214,700, and the median household income is $62,873, which is 16% below the national median.

399,818
Population
#186 of 3,222
$62,873
Median Income
-16.3% #1,811 of 3,222
37.6 years
Median Age
-3.3% #2,649 of 3,222
16.7%
Poverty Rate
+32.5% #2,250 of 3,222

Demographics

Pulaski County has a population of 399,818, making it the #186 most populous county in the US. The median age is 37.6 years, which is 3.3% below the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

93.9%
Native Born
6.1%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Pulaski County is $62,873, ranking #1,811 out of 3,222 counties — 16.3% below the national median. The poverty rate is 16.7% and unemployment stands at 4.7%.

Income#1,811
$62,873
-16.3%
vs nation
44th percentile
Per Capita#753
$40,670
-1.4%
vs nation
77th percentile
Poverty#2,250
16.7%
+32.5%
vs nation
30th percentile
Unemployment#1,795
4.7%
-11.5%
vs nation
44th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Pulaski County is $214,700 (-23.8% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,080/mo and the homeownership rate is 57.0%.

Home Value#1,257
$214,700
-23.8%
vs nation
61th percentile
Rent#769
$1,080
-7.1%
vs nation
76th percentile
Homeownership#3,069
57.0%
-11.5%
vs nation
5th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Pulaski County, 37.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 12.6% above the national average, ranking #351 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
37.9% +12.6% vs nation
Rank #351 of 3,222
89th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Pulaski County is 73.8 years. 20.2% of adults report poor or fair health and 9.0% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,990
73.8
-1.8%
vs nation
35th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,863
20.2%
+3.3%
vs nation
41th percentile
Diabetes#2,398
12.7%
+14.1%
vs nation
24th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#2,055
39.2%
+5.1%
vs nation
35th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#2,775
6.4
+13.1%
vs nation
12th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#2,031
4.7
+4.8%
vs nation
35th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,476
9.0%
-13.8%
vs nation
53th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,715
26.7%
+1.2%
vs nation
46th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,240
16.3%
+13.1%
vs nation
29th percentile

Substance Use

16.7% of adults in Pulaski County smoke , 38.4% are obese , and 19.6% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 32.3 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,173
16.7%
-7.0%
vs nation
63th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,551
38.4%
+1.3%
vs nation
51th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,428
19.6%
-1.4%
vs nation
55th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,277
32.3
-0.2%
vs nation
40th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Pulaski County is 19.4 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 15.2 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 17.7 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#1,445
19.4
+142.1%
vs nation
6th percentile
Suicide Rate#788
15.2
-22.8%
vs nation
69th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#2,190
27.8
+55.5%
vs nation
11th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,321
17.7
-12.5%
vs nation
53th percentile

Families & Children

23.7% of children in Pulaski County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 8.9 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 26.5 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#1,157
8.9
+30.5%
vs nation
15th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#2,068
26.5
+21.3%
vs nation
31th percentile
Child Poverty#2,388
23.7%
+24.8%
vs nation
24th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Pulaski County is 58.7%. The mean commute time is 22.5 min, which is 18.5% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
58.7% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
22.5 min −18.5% vs nation
Rank #2,437 of 3,222
24th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Pulaski County voted Democratic with a margin of 22.1%. The vote was 59.8% Dem / 37.7% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 0.4 toward Republicans .

2024 DEM +22.1%
59.8% 37.7%
Dem 153,924 votes Rep
2020 DEM +22.5%
60% 37.5%
Dem 169,956 votes Rep
2016 DEM +17.9%
56.7% 38.8%
Dem 157,728 votes Rep
2012 DEM +11.4%
54.7% 43.3%
Dem 159,055 votes Rep
2008 DEM +11.6%
55.1% 43.5%
Dem 161,343 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Pulaski County, Arkansas

Pulaski County, Arkansas has a total population of 399,818, making it the 186th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Pulaski County is 37.6 years, which is 3.3% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Pulaski County is $62,873, which ranks #1,811 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 16.3% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 16.7%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 4.7%.

The median home value in Pulaski County is $214,700, 23.8% below the national median. Renters in Pulaski County pay a median gross rent of $1,080 per month. The homeownership rate is 57.0%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Pulaski County, 37.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 12.6% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 90.3% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 22.5 min.

Pulaski County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 48.2% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (36.7%) and Hispanic or Latino (8.4%).

All data for Pulaski 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.