Helena-West Helena, AR

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2022 Population

16,373

US Senator

John Boozman

Republican Party

US Senator

Tom Cotton

Republican Party

2022 Median Age

39.7

1.02% 1-year increase

2022 Poverty Rate

30.5%

8.66% 1-year decrease

2022 Median Household Income

$37,458

16.2% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Helena-West Helena, AR is home to a population of 16.4k people, from which 99.3% are citizens.

As of 2022, 1.09% of Helena-West Helena, AR residents were born outside of the country (178 people).

In 2022, there were 1.83 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.1k people) in Helena-West Helena, AR than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.53k White (Non-Hispanic) and 215 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%

2022 Citizenship

100%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 99.3% of Helena-West Helena, AR residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Helena-West Helena, AR was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Helena-West Helena, AR

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
10.1k ± 162
White (Non-Hispanic)
5.53k ± 57
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
215 ± 121

2.16%

Hispanic Population

354 people

2.16% of the people in Helena-West Helena, AR are hispanic (354 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Helena-West Helena, AR as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Arkansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
66,868 ± 6,279 people
El Salvador
15,793 ± 3,077 people
India
10,798 ± 2,547 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Arkansas was Mexico, the natal country of 66,868 Arkansas residents, followed by El Salvador with 15,793 and India with 10,798.

Foreign-Born Population

1.09%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

178 people

0.42%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

71 people

As of 2022, 1.09% of Helena-West Helena, AR residents (178 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Helena-West Helena, AR was 0.42%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
305 ± 90
Gulf War (1990s)
65 ± 47
Gulf War (2001-)
59 ± 46

Helena-West Helena, AR has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.69 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Helena-West Helena, AR.

Economy

The economy of Helena-West Helena, AR employs 5.65k people. In 2022, the largest industries in Helena-West Helena, AR were Manufacturing (902 people), Retail Trade (884 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (827 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($221,000), Utilities ($65,433), and Wholesale Trade ($62,417).

Employment

Occupations

5.65k

2022 Value

± 565

2.33%

1 Year growth

± 14.1%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Helena-West Helena, AR grew at a rate of 2.33%, from 5.53k employees to 5.65k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Helena-West Helena, AR, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (687 people), Sales & Related Occupations (643 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (561 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Helena-West Helena, AR.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

5.65k

2022 Value

± 565

2.33%

1 Year growth

± 14.1%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Helena-West Helena, AR grew at a rate of 2.33%, from 5.53k employees to 5.65k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Helena-West Helena, AR, are Manufacturing (902 people), Retail Trade (884 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (827 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Helena-West Helena, AR, though some of these residents may live in Helena-West Helena, AR and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$39,825

Median earning men ± $3,926

$27,901

Median earning women ± $5,391

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Wholesale Trade ($62,417), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($47,200), and Public Administration ($45,511).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Manufacturing ($42,917), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($36,691), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($28,542).

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.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

28
Other Services (except Public Administration)
23
Retail Trade
19
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$32.3k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$22.4k
Wholesale Trade
$20.1k
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Helena-West Helena, AR was $74,100 in 2022, which is 0.223 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $73,400 to $74,100, a 0.954% increase. The homeownership rate in Helena-West Helena, AR is 53.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Helena-West Helena, AR have an average commute time of 20.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Helena-West Helena, AR is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$74,100

Median Property Value 2022

±$11,474

$3,318

Median Property Taxes

±$378

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 Helena-West Helena, AR the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

53.7%

Homeownership

2022

54.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 53.7% of the housing units in Helena-West Helena, AR were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 52.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Helena-West Helena, AR compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$37,458

Median Household Income

± $4,178

6.18k

Number of Households

± 556

In 2022, the median household income of the 6.18k households in Helena-West Helena, AR grew to $37,458 from the previous year's value of $32,235.

The following chart displays the households in Helena-West Helena, 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 - $15k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Helena-West Helena, AR is from Arkansas.

0.445

2024 Wage GINI in Arkansas

0.448

2023 Wage GINI in Arkansas

In 2024, the income inequality in Arkansas was 0.445 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.844% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Arkansas was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022

Drove Alone (79.7%)
Carpooled (12%)
Worked At Home (4.47%)

In 2022, 79.7% of workers in Helena-West Helena, AR drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12%) and those who worked at home (4.47%).

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.

Commute Time

20.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Helena-West Helena, AR have a shorter commute time (20.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.03% of the workforce in Helena-West Helena, AR have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Helena-West Helena, AR distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Helena-West Helena, AR have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

30.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Helena-West Helena, AR (4.95k out of 16.2k 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 Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Helena-West Helena, AR is Black, followed by White and Two Or More.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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