Sharp County, Arkansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sharp 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.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 93% of counties in Arkansas
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 85% of counties in Arkansas
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 89% of counties in Arkansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sharp County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,772 | 3,049,066 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 29.3 | 57.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.54% | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.3 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,856 | 1,205,703 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sharp County grew by 0.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,772 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sharp County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 24.3% of residents. That is 6.2 points above Arkansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,069 17.3% -4.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,921 16.4% -4.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,797 21.4% +2.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,319 24.3% +6.2 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 51.3% of the people living in Sharp County and men 48.7%.
- Women 51.3% Arkansas 50.6%
- Men 48.7% Arkansas 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sharp County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sharp County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Sharp County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,714 | $60,940 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.62% | 4.58% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.1% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sharp County is about 27% lower than in Arkansas.
Housing
| Metric | Sharp County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $57,405 | $111,957 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $766 | $947 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.8% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sharp County is about 6.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $766 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sharp County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 189 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sharp County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.7 | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.4 | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 189 | 155 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,869 | $4,807 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.2% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,681 | 6,306 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 647 | 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 Sharp County is 23 minutes, longer 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
Sharp County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Sharp County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10.8% | 22.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 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
Sharp County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Sharp County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.9 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 27.1% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.3% | 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).
Sharp County, AR Compared With Nearby Counties
How Sharp County, AR compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp County, AR | 17,772 | $44,714 #2/2 | $57,405 #1/2 | 22.7 min #2/2 |
| Independence County, AR | 38,178 | $56,758 | $18,924 | 17.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sharp County, Arkansas.
How many people live in Sharp County, Arkansas?
About 17,772 people live in Sharp County, Arkansas, in 6,856 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 48.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Sharp County, Arkansas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sharp County, Arkansas has 29 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 34% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sharp County, Arkansas?
The median home costs 1.3 times the median household income ($57,405 against $44,714), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $766 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Sharp County, Arkansas?
Unemployment in Sharp County, Arkansas is 8.1%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Sharp County, Arkansas?
10.8% of adults in Sharp County, Arkansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 9), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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