Cross County, Arkansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cross County, AR Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 78% of counties in Arkansas
-
D
Income Well below averageWealthier than 86% of counties in Arkansas
-
F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cross County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,543 | 3,049,066 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 26.6 | 57.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.58% | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.3 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,483 | 1,205,703 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cross County declined by 12.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16,543 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cross County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 20.2% of residents. That is 0.7 points below Arkansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,189 19.3% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,347 20.2% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,336 20.2% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,238 19.6% +1.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Arkansas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.4% of the people living in Cross County and men 47.6%.
- Women 52.4% Arkansas 50.6%
- Men 47.6% Arkansas 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cross County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cross County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Cross County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,913 | $60,940 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.48% | 4.58% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.7% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cross County is about 16% lower than in Arkansas.
Housing
| Metric | Cross County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $59,218 | $111,957 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $764 | $947 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.5% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cross County is about 6.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $764 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cross County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 157 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cross County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.9 | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.7 | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 157 | 155 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,871 | $4,807 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.5% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,300 | 6,306 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 424 | 912 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Arkansas:
Arkansas County (11.9 min), Phillips County (13.2 min), Howard County (13.4 min).
Slowest:
Perry County (32.2 min), Newton County (31.6 min), Madison County (31.1 min).
The average commute time in Cross County is about the same as in Arkansas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Cross County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Cross County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.0% | 22.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.53 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Arkansas:
Pulaski County (0.3), Benton County (0.3), Washington County (0.3).
Lowest:
Lee County (0.2), Lincoln County (0.2), Scott County (0.2).
Health
Cross County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Cross County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.8 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.5% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.5% | 23.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Arkansas:
Benton County (0.8), Washington County (0.8), Newton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Phillips County (0.7), Chicot County (0.7), Desha County (0.8).
Cross County, AR Compared With Nearby Counties
Cross County, AR is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 16,543 residents against a local median of 22,543. Cross County, AR's median home price, at $59,218, runs 64% below the $164,627 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $152,404 on median home price, so Cross County, AR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cross County, AR has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross County, AR | 16,543 | $50,913 #2/4 | $59,218 #3/4 | 18.9 min #3/4 |
| St. Francis County, AR | 22,398 | $43,413 | $185,860 | 16.5 min |
| Poinsett County, AR | 22,543 | $47,208 | $33,456 | 22.3 min |
| Crittenden County, AR | 47,563 | $56,430 | $164,627 | 18.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cross County, Arkansas.
How big is Cross County, Arkansas by population?
About 16,543 people live in Cross County, Arkansas, in 6,483 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Cross County, Arkansas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cross County, Arkansas has 27 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 31% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Cross County, Arkansas?
The median home costs 1.2 times the median household income ($59,218 against $50,913), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $764 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Cross County, Arkansas?
Unemployment in Cross County, Arkansas is 10.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Cross County, Arkansas?
15.0% of adults in Cross County, Arkansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →