Yell County, Arkansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Yell 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 average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 88% of counties in Arkansas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Yell County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,123 | 3,049,066 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 21.2 | 57.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.08% | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.1 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,319 | 1,205,703 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Yell County declined by 8.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,123 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Yell County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.3% of residents. That is 2.1 points above Arkansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,989 19.8% -1.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,982 19.8% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,295 21.3% +2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,533 17.6% -0.5 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 49.1% of the people living in Yell County and men 50.9%.
- Women 49.1% Arkansas 50.6%
- Men 50.9% Arkansas 49.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Yell County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Yell County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Yell County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,169 | $60,940 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.09% | 4.58% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Yell County is about 5% lower than in Arkansas.
Housing
| Metric | Yell County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $87,137 | $111,957 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $734 | $947 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.5% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Yell County is about 9.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $734 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Yell County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 152 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Yell County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.2 | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.4 | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 152 | 155 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,698 | $4,807 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.1% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,163 | 6,306 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 531 | 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 Yell County is 18 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
Yell County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Yell County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.3% | 22.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 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
Yell County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Yell County | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.9 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.2% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.4% | 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).
Yell County, AR Compared With Nearby Counties
Yell County, AR is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 20,123 residents against a local median of 26,012. Yell County, AR sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 13% above the local median at $87,137 against $77,340. Yell County, AR has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yell County, AR | 20,123 | $58,169 #2/4 | $87,137 #2/4 | 18.2 min #3/4 |
| Logan County, AR | 21,212 | $58,616 | $158,804 | 21.6 min |
| Garland County, AR | 100,035 | $57,868 | $77,340 | 17.2 min |
| Johnson County, AR | 26,012 | $45,972 | $18,708 | 17.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Yell County, Arkansas.
What is the population of Yell County, Arkansas?
About 20,123 people live in Yell County, Arkansas, in 8,319 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 38.1, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Yell County, Arkansas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Yell County, Arkansas has 21 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 25% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Yell County, Arkansas?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($87,137 against $58,169), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $734 a month takes about 15% 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 Yell County, Arkansas?
Unemployment in Yell County, Arkansas is only 3.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Yell County, Arkansas?
13.3% of adults in Yell County, Arkansas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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