Overview
Pulaski County is the most populous county in Arkansas, home to 398,949 residents (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). It contains the state capital, Little Rock, and accounts for a disproportionate share of the state's economic activity. Its population ranks higher than 94% of all U.S. counties and sits at the top of Arkansas counties (99th within the state).
The county is younger than most. Median age is 37.5 years (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), lower than roughly 82% of U.S. counties. It's more educated than the typical American county, with 37.4% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), a rate that exceeds 90% of counties nationally and 99% within Arkansas. That concentration of degree holders tracks with its role as a state capital and regional employment hub.
Average commute time is 18.2 minutes (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), shorter than about 82% of U.S. counties. For a county this size, that's unusual.
Demographics
Pulaski County is racially diverse by national standards. The population is 48.7% white, 36.7% Black, 8.2% Hispanic, 2.1% Asian, and 0.2% Native American (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The Black population share is higher than 93% of U.S. counties. The Hispanic share, at 8.2%, exceeds about two-thirds of counties nationally.
The Asian population, at 2.1%, is small in absolute terms but higher than 84% of U.S. counties, reflecting the demographic pull of a state capital with university and government employment.
Education attainment stands out. More than one in three adults (37.4%) hold at least a bachelor's degree (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). That figure places Pulaski County well above both the state and national medians for educational attainment.
Education
Pulaski County's public schools enrolled 59,841 students (Education Data Portal, 2021). The student-teacher ratio is 13.7:1 (Education Data Portal, 2021), slightly better than the national average of roughly 15.5:1.
Per-pupil spending was $13,887 (Education Data Portal, 2020), below the national average of approximately $15,000. For a county that leads its state in educational attainment among adults, the spending gap is worth watching.
The graduation rate is the sharpest concern. At 77.9% (Education Data Portal, 2019), it falls below the national average of about 87% and ranks at the bottom among Arkansas counties. A county where 37.4% of adults have college degrees but fewer than 78% of high schoolers graduate on time has a pipeline problem. The adults with degrees may have arrived from elsewhere. The students in the system aren't keeping pace.
Economy & Employment
Median household income is $60,385 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). That's in the 41st national range but 88th within Arkansas, making Pulaski County one of the higher-income counties in a lower-income state. Per capita income tells a different story: $39,780 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than 78% of U.S. counties. The gap between the household and per capita rankings suggests smaller household sizes pulling the household number down relative to individual earnings.
The labor force is 204,713 people, with 195,994 employed and 8,719 unemployed (BLS LAUS, 2025). The unemployment rate is 4.3% (BLS LAUS, 2025), higher than about 65% of U.S. counties but in the lower quarter within Arkansas (25th state rank).
Poverty remains persistent. The rate is 15.9% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than 70% of U.S. counties. In a county with above-average education and per capita income, that poverty rate signals a split economy. The capital-city jobs in government, healthcare, and professional services pay well. The service and retail jobs surrounding them often don't.
Average adjusted gross income per return was $86,157 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021), higher than 88% of counties nationally. Average total income per return was $86,842 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021). These figures confirm a strong top-end income base even as poverty persists at the lower end.
Housing & Cost of Living
Median home value is $199,600 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), above the national midpoint (61st nationally) and well above most Arkansas counties (93rd in state). Median gross rent is $1,036 per month (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than 75% of U.S. counties.
Fair market rents from HUD give a fuller picture. A studio apartment runs $984, a one-bedroom is $989, a two-bedroom is $1,147, a three-bedroom is $1,540, and a four-bedroom is $1,822 (HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026). All of these sit around the 89th range within Arkansas, reinforcing Pulaski County's status as the state's most expensive rental market.
The county has 192,085 total housing units with 22,632 vacant, producing a vacancy rate of 11.8% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). That vacancy rate is lower than 64% of U.S. counties, suggesting moderate availability. But the raw number of vacant units (higher than 97% of counties nationally) reflects the county's sheer size rather than an oversupply problem.
For a household earning the median of $60,385, a two-bedroom at fair market rent ($1,147/month, or $13,764/year) consumes about 22.8% of gross income. That's within the traditional 30% affordability threshold, but it leaves little margin for a family with other costs. Households below the median face tighter math.
Health & Wellness
Obesity affects 40.6% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), higher than about 74% of U.S. counties. High blood pressure is reported at 39.5% (CDC PLACES, 2023), above 89% of counties nationally. Diabetes prevalence is 11.5% (CDC PLACES, 2023).
Mental health shows middling results. Depression affects 23.6% of adults, and 18.3% report frequent poor mental health days (CDC PLACES, 2023). Both figures fall near the national midpoint.
Preventive care utilization is a relative strength. Annual checkup rates hit 79.5% (CDC PLACES, 2023), higher than 93% of U.S. counties. Cholesterol screening reaches 85.4% (CDC PLACES, 2023), above 86% nationally. These numbers likely reflect the concentration of healthcare facilities in a state capital.
The uninsured rate is 10.5% (CDC PLACES, 2023), right at the national midpoint. Poor physical health days affect 13.2% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), slightly better than the national median.
The health profile splits cleanly. Chronic conditions (obesity, hypertension) run high. But residents access preventive care at rates that most counties can't match. Whether that access translates to better long-term outcomes depends on what happens between checkups.
Climate & Natural Disasters
Pulaski County averages 63.5°F annually (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025), with highs reaching 74°F and lows dropping to 53.2°F. It's warm for most of the year but not spared from winter. Annual snowfall averages 10.2 inches (NOAA, 2025), and the county sees 52.7 inches of rain per year, more than 85% of U.S. counties for precipitation.
The bigger story is the disaster record. Pulaski County has 33 federal disaster declarations on file (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026), higher than 91% of U.S. counties. Severe storms dominate the list, appearing more than a dozen times since the late 1960s. Floods are a recurring presence too, with major declarations in 1969, 1973, 1978, 1987, 1990, 2019, and again in May 2025. Tornadoes show up four times, ice storms at least four more.
Recent years haven't been quiet. A flood declaration came in May 2025. A severe storm emergency was declared in April 2025. A winter storm emergency followed in January 2026. That's three federal events in under a year.
The county sits squarely in a zone where Gulf moisture meets cold continental air. That combination produces exactly the pattern the record shows: heavy rain, damaging wind, and periodic ice when timing goes wrong.
For residents, the practical implication is that flood insurance and severe weather preparedness aren't theoretical. The pace of declarations suggests these aren't anomalies.
Financial Profile
Pulaski County is Arkansas's financial capital, and the numbers make that plain. The county holds $28.6 billion in deposits across 290 bank branches (FDIC, 2023), ranking higher than 97% and 98% of U.S. counties respectively. That concentration reflects Little Rock's role as the state's government and corporate hub, not just its population size.
Income tells a split story. Average adjusted gross income was $86,157 per return (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021), placing the county higher than 88% of U.S. counties. Median household income sits higher than just 41% of U.S. counties. When the average runs that far above the median, it means a relatively small number of high earners are pulling the aggregate up. Most households earn considerably less than that average suggests.
The 184,620 tax returns filed in 2021 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021) represent a large, active economic base, higher than 94% of U.S. counties. Total AGI across those returns reached $15.9 billion. That's real capital moving through a county with a younger-than-average population and high educational attainment.
Social Security draws 86,050 OASDI beneficiaries (SSA, 2024), higher than 95% of U.S. counties. Given the county's young median age, that figure reflects population scale more than an aging demographic.
Banking access here is exceptional by any measure. More branches and more deposits per capita than nearly any county in the country means residents aren't underserved on financial infrastructure. The harder question is whether the income spread narrows over time, or whether the gap between average and typical continues to widen.
Key Comparisons
Pulaski County occupies an unusual position: it's the dominant county in a state that ranks below national averages on many economic measures. Within Arkansas, it leads in population, income, education, and housing costs. Nationally, the picture is more mixed.
Where Pulaski County ranks high nationally: educational attainment (90th), preventive healthcare access (checkups at 93rd, cholesterol screening at 86th), per capita income (78th), and disaster exposure (91st).
Where it ranks near the middle or below: median household income (41st), per-pupil spending (43rd), graduation rate (12th), and poverty rate (70th, meaning higher poverty than 70% of counties).
The education paradox is the most striking finding. A county in the top 10% nationally for adult degree attainment sits in the bottom 12% for high school graduation rates. The disconnect suggests the educated workforce was largely imported, drawn by state government and professional sector jobs, while the local K-12 system produces outcomes well below both state and national norms.
The health data tells a similar split story. Residents see doctors at some of the highest rates in the country but carry chronic disease burdens (obesity, hypertension) well above the national median. Access to care is not the bottleneck. Something upstream is.
Data Sources
- Census ACS 5-Year, 2023 (population, income, housing, demographics, education attainment, commute, poverty)
- BLS LAUS, 2025 (unemployment, employment, labor force)
- CDC PLACES, 2023 (health metrics, insurance coverage)
- HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026 (rental cost benchmarks)
- FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026 (disaster declarations)
- IRS Statistics of Income, 2021 (tax return data, income)
- NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025 (temperature, precipitation, snowfall)
- SSA OASDI, 2024 (Social Security beneficiaries)
- Education Data Portal, 2019-2021 (enrollment, spending, graduation rate, student-teacher ratio)
- USDA Census of Agriculture, 2022 (no data available for this county)