Garland County, Arkansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Garland 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 average
-
D
Income Well below averageWealthier than 74% of counties in Arkansas
-
D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 91% of counties in Arkansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Garland County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 100,035 | 3,049,066 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 136.3 | 57.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.37% | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.0 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 43,667 | 1,205,703 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Garland County grew by 3.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 100,035 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Garland County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.8% of residents. That is 5.7 points above Arkansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 17,250 17.2% -4.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 18,710 18.7% -2.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 20,063 20.1% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 23,851 23.8% +5.7 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 51.6% of the people living in Garland County and men 48.4%.
- Women 51.6% Arkansas 50.6%
- Men 48.4% Arkansas 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Garland County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Garland County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Garland County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,868 | $60,940 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.76% | 4.58% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Garland County is about 5% lower than in Arkansas.
Housing
| Metric | Garland County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $77,340 | $111,957 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $966 | $947 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.4% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Garland County is about 6.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $966 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Garland County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 143 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Garland County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.2 | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.4 | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 143 | 155 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,441 | $4,807 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,386 | 6,306 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,092 | 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 Garland County is 17 minutes, shorter than the 19 minutes 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
Garland County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Garland County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23.7% | 22.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.25 | 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
Garland County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Garland County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.3 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.1% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.4% | 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).
Garland County, AR Compared With Nearby Counties
Garland County, AR is the 2nd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 100,035 residents against a local median of 33,176. The measure that sets Garland County, AR apart most is commute: 17.2 min, 34% below the local median of 26.1 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 8.3 min on commute, so Garland County, AR sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Garland County, AR has the lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garland County, AR | 100,035 | $57,868 #3/4 | $77,340 #4/4 | 17.2 min #1/4 |
| Hot Spring County, AR | 33,176 | $56,674 | $88,995 | 26.5 min |
| Saline County, AR | 127,467 | $79,874 | $192,380 | 26.1 min |
| Yell County, AR | 20,123 | $58,169 | $87,137 | 18.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Garland County, Arkansas.
How big is Garland County, Arkansas by population?
About 100,035 people live in Garland County, Arkansas, in 43,667 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 46.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
Is Garland County, Arkansas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Garland County, Arkansas has 136 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.6 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Garland County, Arkansas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.3 times the median household income ($77,340 against $57,868), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $966 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Garland County, Arkansas?
23.7% of adults in Garland County, Arkansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), 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 →