Forrest City, AR

Census Place

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2024 Population
12,646
US Senator
John Boozman
Republican Party
US Senator
Tom Cotton
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
36.9
1.93% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
37.7%
4.29% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$35,689
6.46% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$92,000
4.78% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
3,484
2.49% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Forrest City, AR reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.7% of the residents in Forrest City, AR are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Forrest City, AR are East Arkansas Community College (625 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Forrest City, AR was $92,000, and the homeownership rate was 39.2%.

Most people in Forrest City, AR drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Forrest City, AR was 2 cars per household.

United StatesArkansasSt. Francis County, ARForrest City, AREast Arkansas PUMA, AR

Population & Diversity

Forrest City, AR is home to a population of 12.6k people, from which 96.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.5% of Forrest City, AR residents were born outside of the country (442 people).

In 2024, there were 3.51 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.25k people) in Forrest City, AR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.63k White (Non-Hispanic) and 322 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.7%
2024 Citizenship
97.3%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.7% of Forrest City, AR residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Forrest City, AR was 97.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Forrest City, AR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Forrest City, AR
  1. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    9.25k ± 332
  2. White (Non-Hispanic)
    2.63k ± 298
  3. White (Hispanic)
    322 ± 51
4.82%
Hispanic Population
609 people

In 2024, there were 3.51 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.25k people) in Forrest City, AR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.63k White (Non-Hispanic) and 322 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

4.82% of the people in Forrest City, AR are hispanic (609 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Forrest City, AR as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Arkansas.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    66,711 ± 6,271 people
  2. El Salvador
    16,390 ± 3,135 people
  3. India
    10,242 ± 2,480 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Arkansas was Mexico, the natal country of 66,711 Arkansas residents, followed by El Salvador with 16,390 and India with 10,242.

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Foreign-Born Population

3.5%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
442 people
2.74%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
351 people

As of 2024, 3.5% of Forrest City, AR residents (442 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Forrest City, AR was 2.74%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Forrest City, AR compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    71 ± 68
  2. Gulf War (1990s)
    58 ± 54
  3. Gulf War (2001-)
    48 ± 51

Forrest City, AR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.22 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Forrest City, AR.

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Economy

The economy of Forrest City, AR employs 3.48k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Forrest City, AR were Health Care & Social Assistance (611 people), Retail Trade (553 people), and Manufacturing (447 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($53,023), Transportation & Warehousing ($52,857), and Public Administration ($45,855).

Employment

Occupations

3.48k
2024 Value
± 524
−2.49%
1 Year decline
± 21.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forrest City, AR declined at a rate of −2.49%, from 3.57k employees to 3.48k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Forrest City, AR, are Production Occupations (481 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (403 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (338 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Forrest City, AR.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Arkansas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Arkansas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

3.48k
2024 Value
± 524
−2.49%
1 Year decline
± 21.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forrest City, AR declined at a rate of −2.49%, from 3.57k employees to 3.48k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Forrest City, AR, are Health Care & Social Assistance (611 people), Retail Trade (553 people), and Manufacturing (447 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Forrest City, AR, though some of these residents may live in Forrest City, AR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$26,448
Median earning men ± $5,819
$27,764
Median earning women ± $7,135

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($51,806), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($51,181), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($50,612).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($53,967), Manufacturing ($35,878), and Public Administration ($32,003).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Arkansas.
Y-Axis
2.24%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.35M people employed in Arkansas. This represents a 2.24% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.69%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Arkansas.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Arkansas went to Donald J. Trump with 64.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.6%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

John Boozman and Tom Cotton are the senators currently representing the state of Arkansas. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Arkansas is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Forrest City, AR. Showing the available data for Arkansas.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (64.2%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (33.6%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (1.12%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Arkansas went to Donald J. Trump with 64.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.6%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.12%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Arkansas for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Arkansas

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Arkansas.
John Boozman
Senator from Arkansas3
Assumed office on January 3, 2011
Tom Cotton
Senator from Arkansas2
Assumed office on January 3, 2015

John Boozman and Tom Cotton are the senators currently representing Arkansas.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Arkansas over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Forrest City, AR awarded 625 degrees. The student population of Forrest City, AR in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 435 male students and 838 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Forrest City, AR are White (327 and 52.4%), Black or African American (265 and 42.5%), Two or More Races (19 and 3.04%), and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders (4 and 0.641%).

The largest universities in Forrest City, AR by number of degrees awarded are East Arkansas Community College (625 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Forrest City, AR are Liberal Arts & Sciences (153 and 24.5%), Truck, Bus, & Commercial Vehicle Operator & Instructor (99 and 15.8%), and General Biological Sciences (61 and 9.76%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,273 students enrolled in Forrest City, AR, 34.2% men and 65.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 638 records, of which 65.7% were women and 34.3% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Liberal Arts & Sciences
    109 degrees awarded
  2. General Biological Sciences
    61 degrees awarded
  3. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT Paramedic)
    23 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Forrest City, AR was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 109 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Forrest City, AR according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
East Arkansas Community College
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
625 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was East Arkansas Community College with 625 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 231 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Forrest City, AR, which is 0.586 times less than the 394 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 327 degrees mean that there were 1.23 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 265 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,108) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,020) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Forrest City, AR was $92,000 in 2024, which is 0.277 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $87,800 to $92,000, a 4.78% increase. The homeownership rate in Forrest City, AR is 39.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Forrest City, AR have an average commute time of 16.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Forrest City, AR is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$92,000
Median Property Value 2024
±$14,159
$1,503
Median Property Taxes
±$312

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Forrest City, AR the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Forrest City, AR compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

39.2%
Homeownership
2024
69.8%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 39.2% of the housing units in Forrest City, AR were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 38%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Forrest City, AR compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$35,689
Median Household Income
± $8,903
3.83k
Number of Households
± 486

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.83k households in Forrest City, AR grew to $35,689 from the previous year's value of $33,522.

The following chart displays the households in Forrest City, AR distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Forrest City, AR is from Arkansas.
0.448
2023 Wage GINI in Arkansas
0.452
2022 Wage GINI in Arkansas

In 2023, the income inequality in Arkansas was 0.448 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.73% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Arkansas was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Arkansas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Arkansas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (79.2%)
  2. Carpooled (13.1%)
  3. Worked At Home (2.66%)

In 2024, 79.2% of workers in Forrest City, AR drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (13.1%) and those who worked at home (2.66%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

16.4 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Forrest City, AR have a shorter commute time (16.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.51% of the workforce in Forrest City, AR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Forrest City, AR compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Forrest City, AR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Forrest City, AR have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

37.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Forrest City, AR (3.67k out of 9.75k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females < 5, followed by Males < 5 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Forrest City, AR is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

89.3% of the population of Forrest City, AR has health coverage, with 21.1% on employee plans, 48.5% on Medicaid, 9.53% on Medicare, 9.48% on non-group plans, and 0.634% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Arkansas see 1,478 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,478 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2044 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 368 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47% were men and 53% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.9% under 18 years, 25.6% between 18 and 34 years, 32.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47% were men and 53% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

10.7%
Uninsured
21.1%
Employer Coverage
48.5%
Medicaid
9.53%
Medicare
9.48%
Non-Group
0.634%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Forrest City, AR grew by 21% from 8.88% to 10.7%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Forrest City, AR changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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