Health Profile of Arkansas
Arkansas Health Score
The Map AI Health Index is a score that reflects local life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment to help you quickly compare the overall health and well-being of different areas.
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C
Arkansas Below averageAmong the 5 least healthy states in US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Healthiest and Least Healthy Counties in Arkansas
- Benton County (101% of U.S. avg)
- Washington County (100% of U.S. avg)
- Newton County (100% of U.S. avg)
- Phillips County (92% of U.S. avg)
- Chicot County (94% of U.S. avg)
- Desha County (95% of U.S. avg)
Ranked by the Map AI Health Index, which combines life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and physical environment.
General Health Overview
| Metric | Arkansas | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy (years) | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Uninsured Population (%) | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Self-Rated Poor Health | 22.8% | 16.3% |
Life expectancy in Arkansas is 75.5 years, about 2.8 years shorter than the US average of 78.3 years. The uninsured rate is 9.0%, higher than the US average of 8.4%. Self-rated poor health is reported by 22.8% of residents, higher than the US average of 16.3%.
Population by Age
Older residents
1,076,595 residents in Arkansas are age 50 or older.
- 85+ 56,414 20,455 men · 35,959 women
- 75–84 159,876 69,839 men · 90,037 women
- 65–74 300,042 140,374 men · 159,668 women
- 50–64 560,263 275,601 men · 284,662 women
Younger residents
666,398 residents in Arkansas are age 17 or younger.
- 12–17 209,166 107,889 boys · 101,277 girls
- 7–12 198,860 102,156 boys · 96,704 girls
- 3–7 150,035 76,704 boys · 73,330 girls
- 0–3 108,337 55,558 boys · 52,779 girls
About 206,203 residents in Arkansas (6.8% of the population) are older than the area's life expectancy of 75.5 years.
The highlighted slice of the age axis is the share of residents older than the life-expectancy mark.
Disease Prevalence
| Disease / Condition | Arkansas | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 13.7% | 11.3% |
| Cancer | 7.1% | 6.9% |
| Heart Diseases | 8.7% | 7.1% |
| Adult Obesity | 39.0% | 34.3% |
The rate of heart disease in Arkansas is about 21% higher than in US. The rate of diabetes in Arkansas is about 21% higher than in US.
Health Behaviors
| Behavior | Arkansas | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 23.3% | 19.0% |
| Binge Drinking | 13.9% | 16.5% |
| Sedentary Lifestyle | 33.0% | 25.1% |
The rate of sedentary lifestyle in Arkansas is about 31% higher than in US. The rate of smoking in Arkansas is about 22% higher than in US. The rate of binge drinking in Arkansas is about 16% lower than in US.
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 5.5 million cigarettes a day, 163.7 million a month, or 2.0 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 60.0 million minutes a day and 21.9 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Arkansas is 75.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 1.51 lifetimes a day, or 552 lifetimes a year.
* Source: Shaw M, Mitchell R, Dorling D. "Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes." BMJ. 2000;320:53.
Illustrative only. This is not an estimate of how many people actually die from smoking each day or year - it's a rough, order-of-magnitude comparison meant to help grasp the scale of smoking in this area. We take no responsibility for any decisions made based on this figure.
Air Quality
| Metric | Arkansas | US Average |
|---|---|---|
| Air Pollution (μg/m³) | 7.47 | 6.09 |
With an annual average of 7.5 µg/m³ of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), air quality in Arkansas is good — generally safe air quality for the vast majority of residents.
Arkansas Health Compared With Nearby States
Arkansas is the 5th largest of the 6 states compared here, 3,049,066 residents against a local median of 4,610,276. Nothing separates Arkansas sharply from the states around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is obesity, 3% below the local median at 39.0% against 40.3%. Arkansas has the 3rd lowest obesity of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Life expectancy | Uninsured | Obesity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 3,049,066 | 75.5 yrs #3/6 | 9.0% #3/6 | 39.0% #3/6 |
| Missouri | 6,186,340 | 76.9 yrs | 8.8% | 38.1% |
| Mississippi | 2,946,497 | 74.7 yrs | 11.0% | 41.8% |
| Louisiana | 4,610,276 | 75.1 yrs | 7.8% | 40.3% |
| Oklahoma | 4,028,385 | 76.5 yrs | 12.9% | 39.0% |
| Alabama | 5,083,438 | 74.7 yrs | 9.2% | 41.3% |
Conclusion
Considering all these factors, Arkansas has an overall health index grade of C, making it about on par with the country as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about health in Arkansas.
How healthy is Arkansas?
Arkansas has a Map AI Health Index grade of C, based on life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment; a C grade means residents are close to the U.S. average.
Is Arkansas one of the healthiest states in the U.S.?
Arkansas ranks 47th healthiest out of 51 states in the U.S. by the Map AI Health Index, which measures life expectancy, disease rates, healthcare access, and the physical environment.
What is the life expectancy in Arkansas?
People in Arkansas can expect to live 75.5 years on average, 2.8 years shorter than the US average of 78.3.
What is the uninsured rate in Arkansas?
9.0% of residents in Arkansas have no health insurance, about 1 in 11 people, 0.6 points above the US rate of 8.4%.
How common is obesity in Arkansas?
39.0% of adults in Arkansas are classified as obese, about 1 in 3, 4.7 points above the US rate of 34.3%.
What health issue is more common in Arkansas than elsewhere?
Compared with the U.S. as a whole, physical inactivity stands out most: the adult rate here is 33.0%, about 31% higher than the US rate of 25.1%.
How many cigarettes do smokers in Arkansas go through, and how much life does that cost?
Assuming each smoker smokes 10 cigarettes a day, that's about 5.5 million cigarettes a day, 163.7 million a month, or 2.0 billion a year! At 11 minutes* of life lost per cigarette, that's about 60.0 million minutes a day and 21.9 billion a year lost to smoking overall - and since life expectancy in Arkansas is 75.5 years, that's roughly equivalent to 1.51 lifetimes a day, or 552 lifetimes a year.
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