County · Arkansas

St. Francis County, Arkansas

St. Francis County, Arkansas. St. Francis County had 21,800 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 5.6% since 2020, while Arkansas grew 3.4%. It holds 10 places (9 cities, villages and boroughs and 1 census-designated) and 7 census tracts. GEOID 05123.

St. Francis County is the county of the Forrest City, AR micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

21,800

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 23,090 · ACS 2020-2024: 22,400

Median household income

$42,574

±$6,151 (90% margin)
Arkansas: $60,773

Median home value

$90,900

±$7,692 (90% margin)
Arkansas: $188,000

Median gross rent

$779

±$54 (90% margin)
Arkansas: $947

How many people live in St. Francis County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 23,090 residents in St. Francis County. The Census Bureau estimates 21,800 for July 1, 2025, down 5.6% since 2020, while Arkansas grew 3.4%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 22,400 over 635 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −308 (22,711)
2021→2022 −351 (22,360)
2022→2023 −280 (22,080)
2023→2024 −141 (21,939)
2024→2025 −139 (21,800)

St. Francis County in Arkansas. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	St. Francis County	Arkansas	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	22,400	3,049,391	−3,500
Households	7,783±327	1,205,987	−1,605
Average household size	2.50±0.10	2.46	no clear change
Housing units	9,570±88	1,394,673	−1,420

St. Francis County's population since 2000

From 29,329 in 2000 to 21,800 in 2025: down 25.7%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 29,329
2005 (estimate) 28,639
2010 Census 28,258
2015 (estimate) 26,600
2020 Census 23,090
2025 (estimate) 21,800

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in St. Francis County?

St. Francis County holds 10 places: 9 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Forrest City with 12,308 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in St. Francis County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Forrest City	city	13,015	12,646±19	$35,689	$92,000	37.7%	100%
Hughes	city	1,056	886±246	$43,250	$69,800	41.6%	100%
MadisonGEOID 0543280	city	759	476±179	$55,893	$120,400	24.2%	100%
Palestine	city	506	800±193	$36,090	$67,900	27.6%	100%
Caldwell	town	451	441±185	$68,375	$123,500	7.7%	100%
ColtGEOID 0514950	city	293	510±196	$22,188	$93,800	46.5%	100%
WheatleyGEOID 0574840	city	279	374±200	$66,607	$170,800	3.7%	100%
WidenerGEOID 0575560	town	212	238±130	$45,938	$41,800	8.8%	100%
GoodwinGEOID 0527610	CDP	113	56±46	not published	$87,500	0.0%	100%
JennetteGEOID 0535040	town	118	86±43	$62,500	$137,500	8.1%	0%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in St. Francis County?

The median resident of St. Francis County is 40.1 years old; 21.2% are under 18 and 17.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic Black residents at 54.4%, then non-Hispanic white residents at 39.3%. 2.2% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	St. Francis County	Arkansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	40.1±0.6	38.5	+1.3
Under 18 years	21.2%±0.1 pts	23.1%	–
65 years and over	17.9%±0.3 pts	17.6%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3.7%	9.0%	−1.5 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	39.3%±0.4 pts	67.4%	−0.7 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	54.4%±0.5 pts	14.6%	+1.3 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	1.6%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.3%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.2 pts	0.4%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.1%±0.6 pts	6.3%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	2.2%±0.9 pts	5.4%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.8%±1.1 pts	8.3%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	5.7%±0.9 pts	7.4%	–
With a disability	23.8%±2.4 pts	18.0%	–
No health insurance coverage	8.2%±1.8 pts	9.0%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	85.9%±2.0 pts	88.7%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	14.2%±2.7 pts	25.7%	+3.8 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	6.0%±1.8 pts	9.5%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.7%±0.4 pts	2.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in St. Francis County earn?

Half of St. Francis County's 7,783 households earn less than $42,574 a year (±$6,151), against $60,773 in Arkansas. In 2015-2019 it was $43,503 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 28.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	St. Francis County	Arkansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$42,574±$6,151	$60,773	no clear change
Mean household income	$58,099±$5,078	$84,759	–
Per capita income	$22,140±$1,819	$34,225	no clear change
People below the poverty line	28.5%±4.0 pts	16.0%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	42.4%±8.5 pts	21.1%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	24.3%±3.9 pts	10.2%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	82.7%±2.9 pts	86.7%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in St. Francis County?

Owners occupy 55.5% of St. Francis County's occupied homes and renters 44.5%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $90,900 by its owner (±$7,692). The median renter pays $779 a month including utilities, and 43.7% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	St. Francis County	Arkansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$90,900±$7,692	$188,000	+$11,397
Median gross rent	$779±$54	$947	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	43.7%±7.7 pts	35.9%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,009±$73	$1,345	–
Owner-occupied homes	55.5%±3.8 pts	66.4%	no clear change
Housing units	9,570±88	1,394,673	−1,420
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.6%±1.8 pts	1.1%	–
Rental vacancy rate	6.9%±3.2 pts	6.4%	–
Single-family detached homes	65.9%±3.2 pts	70.0%	–
Mobile homes	13.5%±2.5 pts	11.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.9%±0.6 pts	2.1%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	3.7%±1.5 pts	4.1%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is St. Francis County building?

Builders took permits for 1 new housing units across St. Francis County in 2025 (1 single-family), 0.0 per 1,000 residents.

2019 1 units
2020 3 units
2021 9 units
2022 0 units
2023 5 units
2024 3 units
2025 1 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in St. Francis County get to work?

81.7% of St. Francis County's workers drive alone and 3.0% work from home. The average trip to work takes 23.0 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 9.2%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	St. Francis County	Arkansas	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	46.3%±2.5 pts	58.4%	–
Unemployment rate	9.2%±2.5 pts	4.9%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	81.7%±3.9 pts	78.9%	–
Carpooled	11.9%±3.4 pts	9.4%	–
Public transportation	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.3%	–
Walked	1.6%±1.1 pts	1.4%	–
Worked from home	3.0%±1.6 pts	8.8%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	23.0 min±2.1	22.5 min	+3.8 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are St. Francis County's census tracts?

St. Francis County is divided into 7 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $23,235 (Tract 9604) to $52,426 (Tract 9602.02).

Census tracts of St. Francis County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 960105123960100	Hughes (16%)	2,202	2,077±295	$50,385	$65,900	$428	22.7%
Tract 9602.0105123960201	Caldwell (18%)	2,081	1,984±314	$45,337	$89,100	$723	24.5%
Tract 9602.0205123960202	Madison (13%)	3,083	2,842±342	$52,426	$103,200	$589	16.4%
Tract 960305123960300	Wheatley (14%)	2,126	2,294±275	$50,893	$98,100	$810	15.7%
Tract 960405123960400	Forrest City (95%)	3,965	4,112±556	$23,235	$67,400	$722	43.6%
Tract 960505123960500	Forrest City (92%)	2,954	2,959±423	$50,456	$138,100	$814	23.9%
Tract 960605123960600	Forrest City (83%)	6,679	6,132±604	$36,604	$84,000	$880	38.9%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does St. Francis County compare with Arkansas's other counties?

St. Francis County's rank among Arkansas's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	27th of 75
Growth 2020-2025	62nd of 75
Residents per square mile	27th of 75
Median household income	66th of 75
Median home value	68th of 75
Median gross rent	30th of 75
Poverty rate	3rd of 75
Bachelor's degree or higher	59th of 75
Median age	49th of 75

Every county in Arkansas

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for St. Francis County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.