economic indicators for women in...

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Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County

Economic Indicatorsfor Women in Arkansas:

State, Region and County

womensfoundationarkansas.org

OUR MISSIONTo Engage Our Community To Promote Women And Girls In Arkansas So They Can Realize Their Full Potential


WFA REPORT COMMITTEEJannie Cotton, M.S.Chief Executive OfficerProfessional Counseling Associates

Sarah Beth Estes, Ph.D.Co-Lead ResearcherAssociate ProvostUA Little Rock

Zenobia Harris, DNP, MPH, BSNExecutive DirectorArkansas Birthing Project

Lee Lee Doyle, M.A., PhD.Professor Emeritus

Tionna Jenkins, Ph.D., M.P.H.Senior Program AdvisorClinton Foundation

Adriana Lopez-Ramirez, Ph.D. Co-Lead ResearcherAssociate Professor of SociologyUA Little Rock

Karama Neal, Ph.D.ChairChief Operating OfficerSouthern Bancorp Community Partners

Neveen Shafik-Amin, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of SociologyUA Little Rock

Arkansas EconomicDevelopment InstituteResearch and Technical Assistance

Alison WileyKevin KoonceInderpreet FamahanGeoffrey JosephDavid RassmussenGregory Hamilton

Research SupportMichael NesbitUA Little Rock Graduate Student

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Women’s Foundation of Arkansas womensfoundationarkansas.org


WomensFoundationArkansas

@wfaphilanthropy

@WomensFoundationArkansas

© Copyright 2018, Women’s Foundation of Arkansas

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas:State, Region and County

Introduction 6

Poverty and Opportunity Indicators 7

Women Living Above Poverty 8

Women Headed Household with Children in Poverty 10

Health Insurance among Non-Elderly Women 11

Education 12

Employment and Earnings Indicators 16

Labor Force Participation 16

Earnings and Earnings Ratio 18

Women in Business/Management and related occupations 22

Businesses Owned by Women 24

Conclusion 25

Appendix I: Methodology 26

Appendix II: Women’s Status by Race/Ethnicity, Arkansas and United States 28

Appendix III: Demographic Tables 30

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CONTENTS

Contents

CONTENTSList of Maps and Figures

Figure 1.a. Percent Arkansans Living Above Poverty, Aged 18 and Older 8Figure 1.b. Percent of Women Living Above Poverty, Aged 18 and Older 9Figure 2. Percent of Arkansas with Health Insurance Coverage, Aged 18-64 11Figure 3.a. Percent of Arkansans with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older 12Figure 3.b. Percent of Women with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older 13 Figure 4.a. Percent of Arkansans without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and Older 14Figure 4.b. Percent of Women without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and Older 15Figure 5.a. Percent of Arkansans in the Civilian Labor Force, Aged 16 and Older 16Figure 5.b. Percent of Women in the Civilian Labor Force, Aged 16 and Older 17Figure 6.a. Median Earnings for Arkansans Employed Full-Time, Full-Year, Aged 16 and Older 18Figure 6.b. Median Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women, Aged 16 and Older 19Figure 7.a. Ratio of Women’s to White Men’s Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Arkansans 20Figure 7.b. Ratio of Women’s to Men’s Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women 21Figure 8.a. Percent of Arkansans in Business/Management and Related Occupations 22Figure 8.b. Percent of Women in Business/Management and Related Occupations 23Figure 9. Business Ownership in Arkansas 24

Map 1a. Percent of Women Living Above Poverty, Aged 18 and Older 9Map 1b. Percent Women-Headed Households with Children Under 18 in Poverty 10Map 2. Percent of Women with Health Insurance, Aged 18-64 11Map 3. Percent of Women with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older 13Map 4. Percent of Women without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and Older 15Map 5. Percent of Women in the Civilian Labor Force, Aged 16 and Older 17Map 6. Median Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women, Aged 16 and Older 19Map 7. Ratio of Women’s to Men’s Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women 21Map 8. Percent of Women in Business/Management and Related Occupations 23Map 9. Percent of Businesses Owned by Women 24

List of Maps, Figures, and Tables

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The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas (WFA) is the only statewide foundation that focuses solely on women

and girls in Arkansas.

Introduction

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Since the mid-90s, The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has routinely produced reports on women’s status across a range of areas, including employment and earnings, political participation, poverty and opportunity, reproductive rights, health and well-being, and work and family. Arkansas consistently performs poorly on most of the indicators of women’s status, both absolutely, and in comparison to other states. The 2015 Status of Women in the States Report ranks Arkansas 50th on a composite index assessing poverty and opportunity, and 47th on employment and earnings. The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas is dedicated to improving the economic viability of women and girls; there is plenty of evidence to suggest that this work is urgently needed.

Yet we also know that women’s status is not uniform, that it varies according to many factors, including but not limited to age, social class, geographic location, and race/ethnicity. With this report we further our mission of engaging our community to promote women and girls in Arkansas by enhancing our understanding of the nuance and variation in women’s economic status within our state. In this investigation we report economic status indicators at the state level by race and ethnicity, at the regional level where possible by two broad race/ethnic categories, and at the county level for all women.

By investigating several of the most common economic and employment indicators, we intend to provide a benchmark for future research

efforts (our own, and we hope, others) designed to better understand local constraints and opportunities experienced by women in our state. We also intend for this report to provide relevant information to stakeholders—community organizations, businesses, foundations and government—for use in grant and policy-making that will strengthen women’s status. Doing so is imperative to the economic health of our state and the well being of the communities in which we live.

The WFA is dedicated to improving the economic viability of women and girls; there is plenty of evidence to suggest that this work is urgently needed.

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E C O N O M I C I N D I C A T O R S

We follow the methodological lead of the IWPR for most of the indicators we consider in this report. IWPR chose

indicators based on the principles of “relevance, representativeness, reliability, efficiency, and comparability of data across all states and the District of Columbia” (Hess et al, 2015). Indicators of this quality from reliable data sources will serve

as benchmarks over time as we work to improve the status of women in Arkansas. We rely on federally generated data, including the American Community Survey five year estimates (2012-2016), the 2012 Survey of Business Owners and The Integrated Public Use Microdata Series.

The IWPR Poverty and Opportunity Index is comprised of three indicators, Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance, Percent Women with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, and Percent of Women Above Poverty. We investigate these indicators, and include a fourth, Percent of Women-headed Households with Children in Poverty.

The IWPR Employment and Earnings Index is comprised of four indicators, Women’s Median Annual Earnings, Ratio of Women’s to White Men’s Earnings, Women’s Labor Force Participation, and Percent of Employed Women in Managerial or Professional Occupations. We include these indicators, as well as one assessing Women’s Business Ownership.

Where possible, we look at each indicator at the state level for women and men by race/ethnicity, at the regional level for women of color and white women, and at the county level for all women. With some indicators, some data is not available for each level of analysis. Please see Appendix I: Methodology for information about indicators, data sources, and missing data.

We adopted the regions used by the Arkansas Economic Development Institute to develop their Arkansas’ REMI Model (Regional Economic Models Incorporated). In the current REMI Model, the state’s counties are grouped into five regions. These regions are the Northwest Region, Northeast Region, Central Region, Southwest Region, and the Southeast Region.

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Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Economic Indicators

Living Above PovertyAcross racial and ethnic groups, men are more likely than women to live above poverty levels, with 86.1 percent of all men living above poverty in contrast 81.5 percent of all women in Arkansas

»» More than 80 percent of Asian and White women live above poverty, at 85.3 percent and 84.1 percent, respectively.

»» In contrast, only around 70 percent of Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Black women live above poverty.

81.5

69.7

74.8

85.3

71.3

69.9

84.1

73.4

86.1

75.5

80.6

85.9

78.5

78.8

88.2

79.9

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Total Black Native American

Asian Pacific Islander

Hispanic/ Latino

White Other Race / Two or More

Races

Figure 1.a. Percent of Arkansans Living Above Poverty, Aged 18 and Older

Women Men

Women in Arkansas are less likely to live above the poverty level than women nationally. Statewide, 81.5 percent of women live above poverty, in contrast to 85.1 percent of women nationally.

AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL THERE ARE LARGE GAPS IN WOMEN’S POVERTY STATUS.»» Women in Central and Northwest Arkansas are least likely to live in poverty, with 83.9 percent

of women in Central Arkansas and 82.7 percent in Northwest Arkansas living above poverty.

»» Women in Northeast and Southeast Arkansas are least likely to live above poverty regardless of race/ethnicity, yet the race/ethnic gap in both regions is larger than the race/ethnic gap in North-west or Central Arkansas.

»» The smallest racial/ethnic gap in women’s poverty status is in Northwest Arkansas, with 75.6 percent of women of color and 83.4 percent of white women living above poverty.

»» The largest gap is in Southeast Arkansas, where 83.7 percent of white women live above poverty in contrast to 65.5 percent of women of color. This is an 18.2 percent gap.

P O V E R T Y A N D O P P O R T U N I T Y

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23 Arkansas counties are in the lowest category of

women living above poverty.

CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

70.9

Poinsett79.3

Washington80.4

Little River79.7

Randolph81.3

Baxter87.3

Calhoun80.0

Perry83.0

Columbia74.5

Grant87.1

Sebastian78.6

Lonoke86.9

Newton77.2

Pike83.2

Craighead81.7

Lincoln77.8

St. Francis76.4

Cleburne83.3

Chicot68.5

Cleveland77.8

Carroll82.1

Clay76.2

Arkansas78.8

Pulaski84.0

Howard82.0

Union80.9

Nevada72.2

Crittenden76.7

Fulton80.8

Pope80.7

Desha69.0

Garland80.8

Miller77.8

White81.0

Dallas85.6

Lawrence75.5

Stone75.9

Monroe72.7

Madison79.6

Marion78.2

Franklin79.9

Prairie79.2

Hempstead75.8

Lee68.6

Conway80.5

Jackson73.6

Drew72.7

Cross78.0

Clark73.4

Crawford82.6

Izard81.0

Scott80.1

Lafayette71.6

Mississippi74.8

Greene81.5

Faulkner82.4

Jefferson76.0

Polk77.8

Boone82.2

Johnson78.3

Ouachita72.9

Benton89.5

Saline91.6

Searcy80.0

Bradley70.9

Yell82.1

Sharp75.1

Logan80.6

Independence79.9

Woodruff75.4

Ashley82.1

Montgomery82.4

Sevier79.0

VanBuren80.6

HotSpring

81.6

68.5% - 76.7%

76.8% - 84.0%

84.1% - 91.6%

US:State:

Northwest: Northeast: Central: Southwest: Southeast:

85.1%81.5%

82.7%78.1%83.9%78.4%76.6%

Map 1a. Percent of Women Living Above Poverty, Aged 18 and Older

SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, 2012-2016 AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY 5-YEAR ESTIMATES

75.6

65.9

75.7

67.3

65.5

83.4

81.8

86.5

82.6

83.7

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Northwest Northeast Central Southwest Southeast

Figure 1.b. Percent of Women Living Above Poverty, Aged 18 and Older

Women of Color White Women Regional Total

AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, THERE IS LARGE VARIATION IN WOMEN’S POVERTY STATUS. »» In only 6 Arkansas counties do more than 84 percent of women live above poverty. Women are least likely

to live in poverty in Saline, Benton, Baxter, Grant, Lonoke, and Dallas counties. Four of these counties, Saline, Lonoke, Grant and Dallas, cluster toward the central part of the state (though are in 3 different regions), and two, Benton and Baxter, are in the Northwest region.

»» 23 Arkansas counties are in the lowest category of women living above poverty. Within this group of counties, there are 3 in which fewer than 70 percent of women live above poverty, including Lee (North-east Region), Desha (Southwest Region), and Chicot (Southwest Region). This means almost a third of women in these counties live in poverty.

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Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Poverty and Opportunity

P O V E R T Y A N D O P P O R T U N I T Y Women Headed Household with Children in PovertyThe American Community Survey does not offer data on women headed households in poverty by racial/ethnic status at the state level or county level. We offer this information for all women at the county and region level to better understand the concentration of poverty among women.

The rate of living in poverty for women headed households with children under 18 is higher in Arkansas than the national average, at 46.8 percent compared to 39.7 percent nationally. In Arkansas, almost half of women who head their own households and have children under 18 live in poverty.

» Women householders with children in Central Arkansas are less likely to live in poverty than in any other region, at 37.9 percent. The next lowest rates are found in Northwest and Northeast Arkansas, at 48.2 percent and 50.9 percent respectively.

» The rate of living in poverty for women householders with children in the Southwest and Southeast regions is virtually identical, at 56.8 percent and 57.4 percent, respectively.

» The lowest rate living in poverty among women householders with children is in Saline County, at 19.1 percent. The highest rate is in Drew County, with approximately three-quarters of women householders with children living in poverty.

The rate of living in poverty for women headed households with children under 18 is higher in Arkansas than the national average, at

46.8%

CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

61.7

Poinsett46.4

Washington46.4

Little River47.4

Randolph41.8

Baxter46.3

Calhoun70.8

Perry

Columbia53.1

Grant42.0

Sebastian57.3

Lonoke31.0

Newton

Pike49.2

Craighead45.0

Lincoln

St. Francis39.8

Cleburne61.1

Chicot69.8

Cleveland59.2

Carroll Clay59.6

Arkansas42.8

Pulaski38.7

Howard57.0

Union54.5

Nevada65.6

Crittenden49.4

Fulton50.0

Pope51.8

Desha70.1

Garland41.6

Miller59.4

White44.0

Dallas

Lawrence49.3

Stone

Monroe44.6

Madison48.2

Marion66.0

Franklin55.4

Prairie49.2

Hempstead51.2

Lee59.7

Conway51.6

Jackson62.7

Drew74.0

Cross45.1

Clark51.7

Crawford49.0

Izard71.8

Scott66.8

Lafayette69.8

Mississippi61.5

Greene51.9

Faulkner34.9

Jefferson52.2

Polk61.3

Boone51.7

Johnson66.9

Ouachita66.5

Benton33.9

Saline19.1

Searcy53.0

Bradley73.9

Yell45.8

Sharp60.9

Logan56.1

Independence53.0

Woodruff56.5

Ashley58.1

Montgomery59.4

Sevier52.6

VanBuren58.0

HotSpring

49.9

NA

NA NA

NA

NANA

19.1% - 45.1%

45.2% - 58.1%

58.2% - 74.0%

US:State:


39.7%46.8%

48.2%50.9%37.9%56.8%57.4%

Map 1b. Percent Women-Headed Households with Children Under 18 in Poverty


NA = MARGIN OF ERROR IS TOO LARGE TO REPORT THE ESTIMATE (COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION EXCEEDS 25 PERCENT

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Health Insurance among Non-Elderly WomenAcross all racial/ethnic categories, women are more likely than men to have health insurance coverage.

» Over 80% of Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and White women have health insurance coverage, at 83.1 percent, 83.8 percent, and 83.9 percent, respectively.

» Health insurance coverage is the lowest among Hispanic women, of whom 59 percent have health insurance.

The percent of Arkansan women with health insurance coverage, at 83.2, is a little lower than the percent of women with health insurance nationally, at 85.3.

» Women in Central Arkansas have the highest rate of insurance coverage at 85.4 percent, followed by women in Southeast Arkansas at 83.2 percent.

» Women in Southwest Arkansas are the least likely to have health insurance coverage, at a rate of 79.6 percent.

THE REGIONS MASK A GREAT DEAL OF VARIATION AT THE COUNTY LEVEL.

» While 9 of the counties with the lowest rates of women’s insurance are in Southwest Arkansas (Polk, Sevier, Howard, Miller, Pike, Montgomery, Lafayette, and Nevada), 8 are in Northwest Arkansas (Carroll, Van Buren, Newton, Izard, Madison, Searcy, Sharp, and Stone) and 6 in Northeast Arkansas (Woodruff, Monroe, Poinsett, Jackson, Mississippi, and Phillips).

» Three counties in Southeast Arkansas have insurance rates higher than or approximately equivalent to the national average (Arkansas County at 86.5 percent, Drew County at 85.2 percent and Grant County at 86.8 percent), while two, Bradley and Chicot Counties, are below 80 percent.

CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

79.8

Poinsett78.1

Washington83.7

Little River81.3

Randolph81.8

Baxter87.4

Calhoun81.7

Perry83.0

Columbia81.9

Grant86.8

Sebastian81.2

Lonoke86.1

Newton78.1

Pike77.7

Craighead83.3

Lincoln81.2

St. Francis81.9

Cleburne80.9

Chicot78.1

Cleveland83.6

Carroll73.3

Clay82.1

Arkansas86.5

Pulaski86.2

Howard76.2

Union80.8

Nevada79.8

Crittenden83.4

Fulton86.1

Pope83.1

Desha82.1

Garland79.7

Miller76.6

White83.6

Dallas82.5

Lawrence80.7

Stone79.5

Monroe77.5

Madison79.1

Marion82.4

Franklin85.8

Prairie81.3

Hempstead80.1

Lee82.4

Conway83.5

Jackson78.7

Drew85.2

Cross85.0

Clark84.8

Crawford82.2

Izard78.5

Scott85.0

Lafayette79.5

Mississippi79.1

Greene83.2

Faulkner86.1

Jefferson83.7

Polk73.0

Boone85.1

Johnson82.4

Ouachita84.9

Benton84.0

Saline89.0

Searcy79.1

Bradley76.3

Yell83.4

Sharp79.1

Logan82.3

Independence80.7

Woodruff77.1

Ashley80.7

Montgomery78.9

Sevier73.3

VanBuren76.3

HotSpring

82.0

73.0% - 79.8%

79.9% - 84.0%

84.1% - 89.0%

US:State:


85.3%83.2%

82.7%81.7%85.4%79.6%83.2%

Map 2. Percent of Women with Health Insurance, Aged 18-64

83.2

83.1

72.1

83.8

59.0

83.9

71.3

79.1

75.6

76.7

81.6

56.9

80.4

66.2

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Asian/Pacfic Islander

Hispanic/Latino White Other Race / Two or More

Races

Figure 2. Percent of Arkansans with Health Insurance Coverage, Aged 18-64

Women Men


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Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Poverty and Opportunity

E D U C AT I O NBachelor Degree CompletionMore Arkansas women hold bachelor degrees than men, at 22.2 percent and 20.8 percent. This is true across racial/ethnic categories, except for Native women and men, with 14.8 percent of each holding bachelors degrees.

» Asian women (45.8 percent) are more likely than women of any other race/ethnic group to have completed a bachelor’s degree. Yet the gender gap in degree completion is largest in this race/ethnic group, with 56.3 percent of Asian men holding a bachelors degree.

» Bachelor degree attainment is lowest among Hispanic men and women, with 7.4 percent of men and 10.5 percent of women holding bachelor’s degrees.

14

17.5

16.2

15.5

36.2

43.2

12.6

32.1

15.7

19.2

20.3

11.4

24.2

48.8

14.2

40.3

0%

20%

40%

60%



Hispanic/ Latino

White Other Race / Two

or More Races

Figure 4.a. Percent of Arkansans without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and Older

Women Men

22.2

17.0

14.8

45.8

10.5

23.0

16.3

20.8

11.5

14.8

56.3

7.4

22.2

12.6

0%

20%

40%

60%



Hispanic/ Latino


or More Races

Figure 3.a. Percent of Arkansans with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older

Women Men

NA NA

The percentage of women in Arkansas holding bachelor’s degrees (22.2) is approximately 10 percent lower than the national figure of 30.5. Within the state, the percentage of women in Central Arkansas holding a bachelors degree is 27.2, closer to the national figure.

» The percentage of women holding bachelor’s degrees in Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Arkansas are very similar, at 17.4, 17.6 and 16.3 respectively. Approximately 10 percent fewer women in these regions have bachelor’s degrees than in Central Arkansas (27.2 percent).

» In Northwest Arkansas, the percentage of women of color with a bachelor’s degree is marginally higher than white women, at 23.6 percent compared to 22.3 percent.

» Degree attainment is similar across the two racial/ethnic groups in Southeast Arkansas, with 18.1 percent of women of color and 18.7 percent of white women holding at least a bachelor’s degree.

» The racial/ethnic gap is largest in Southwest Arkansas, with 11.6 percent of women of color having completed a bachelor’s degree, in contrast to 18.3 percent of white women.

22.2%

of women in Arkansas hold bachelor’s degrees

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CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

12.1

Poinsett9.2

Washington30.8

Little River13.0

Randolph15.4

Baxter19.0

Calhoun11.5

Perry11.8

Columbia22.5

Grant20.2

Sebastian18.6

Lonoke20.9

Newton19.0

Pike16.4

Craighead27.1

Lincoln13.5

St. Francis13.4

Cleburne14.9

Chicot14.9

Cleveland16.4

Carroll16.2

Clay13.5

Arkansas12.9

Pulaski33.2

Howard17.0

Union20.9

Nevada16.7

Crittenden18.6

Fulton13.1

Pope22.6

Desha14.4

Garland20.3

Miller17.1

White20.5

Dallas12.3

Lawrence17.0

Stone16.0

Monroe8.8

Madison13.2

Marion16.1

Franklin13.2

Prairie16.3

Hempstead14.0

Lee11.8

Conway16.7

Jackson7.6

Drew20.5

Cross17.0

Clark24.9

Crawford14.6

Izard12.9

Scott13.9

Lafayette10.9

Mississippi13.0

Greene18.1

Faulkner30.5

Jefferson20.2

Polk14.8

Boone15.5

Johnson16.3

Ouachita15.7

Benton28.9

Saline24.8

Searcy18.5

Bradley16.0

Yell15.6

Sharp10.7

Logan15.4

Independence18.2

Woodruff9.2

Ashley15.2

Montgomery12.7

Sevier11.5

VanBuren13.5

HotSpring

14.4

7.6% - 15.2%

15.3% - 22.6%

22.7% - 33.2%

US:State:


30.5%22.2%

22.3%17.4%27.2%16.3%17.6%

Map 3. Percent of Women with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older

26.5

23.0

13.5

24.7

20.3

13.3

15.0

9.9 14

.7

12.7

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%


Figure 4.b. Percent of Women without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and Older


23.6

13.4

24.7

11.6

18.1

22.3

18.8

28.0

18.3

18.7

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%


Figure 3.b. Percent of Women with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older


COUNTY-LEVEL VARIATION IN BACHELOR DEGREE HOLDING IS RELATED TO THE LOCATION OF LARGE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

» The seven counties with the highest percentage of women who have completed bachelor’s degrees are the home to or adjacent to the coun0ties in which large institutions of higher education are located. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is located in Washington County, which is adjacent to Benton County. Arkansas State University is located in Craighead County. The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is in Pulaski County, to which Saline County is adjacent. Faulker County houses the University of Central Arkansas. Henderson State University is located in Clark County.

» Jackson County (Northeast Region) is lowest on the ranking of counties in percent of women with a bachelor’s degree, at 7.6. The three other counties in the state in which fewer than 10 percent of women have a bachelor’s degree are also located in the Northeast Region (Poinsett, Woodruff, and Monroe).



13

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Education

E D U C AT I O NLess than high school educationMore Arkansan men than Arkansan women have not finished high school, at 15.7 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

» In terms of race and ethnicity, we observe important differences in Arkansas. Four out of ten Hispanic women do not have a high school degree, (43.2 percent), followed by women who identify as other or with two or more races (32.1 percent). Among Black women, 17.5 percent have not completed high school, while 12.6 percent of White women do not have a high school degree.

14

17.5

16.2

15.5

36.2

43.2

12.6

32.1

15.7

19.2

20.3

11.4

24.2

48.8

14.2

40.3

0%

20%

40%

60%



Hispanic/ Latino


or More Races

Figure 4.a. Percent of Arkansans without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and Older

Women Men

22.2

17.0

14.8

45.8

10.5

23.0

16.3

20.8

11.5

14.8

56.3

7.4

22.2

12.6

0%

20%

40%

60%



Hispanic/ Latino


or More Races

Figure 3.a. Percent of Arkansans with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older

Women Men

NA NA

While the percentage of women in Arkansas who have not completed high school (14) is higher than the national figure of 12.4 percent, the difference is much smaller than for bachelor degree attainment. Yet the regional patterns mirror those found for bachelor degree attainment.

» The lowest percent of women who have not completed a high school education is found in Central Arkansas (10.7 percent).

» The percentage of women who have not completed a high school education is similar across the 4 remaining regions, ranging from 14.4 percent in Northwest Arkansas to 17.5 percent in Southwest Arkansas.

» The difference in high school completion by racial/ethnic group is smallest in Central Arkansas, with 9.9 percent of white women and 13.5 percent of women of color who have not completed high school.

» The largest racial/ethnic difference is found in Northwest Arkansas, with 13.3 percent of white women and 26.5 percent of women of color not having a high school degree.

13.5% of women of colorin Central Arkansas are without a high school degree.

14


IN 15 ARKANSAS COUNTIES, 20 PERCENT OR MORE OF WOMEN HAVE NOT COMPLETED HIGH SCHOOL.

» In two counties, almost one-third of women have not completed high school. In Sevier County, located in the Southwest Region, 28.9 percent of women have not completed high school. The percentage is almost identical in Lee County, located in the Northeast region, at 28.6 percent.

» Women in Faulkner and Pulaski Counties are most likely to have completed high school, with only 8.5 percent of women in Faulkner and 9.6 percent in Pulaski without a high school degree.

CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

23.1

Poinsett21.4

Washington15.8

Little River14.7

Randolph16.2

Baxter11.3

Calhoun15.6

Perry17.3

Columbia14.7

Grant9.6

Sebastian16.0

Lonoke10.9

Newton19.4

Pike17.6

Craighead11.3

Lincoln16.0

St. Francis22.1

Cleburne14.8

Chicot17.9

Cleveland12.0

Carroll14.2

Clay19.0

Arkansas17.8

Pulaski9.6

Howard20.6

Union16.6

Nevada17.7

Crittenden17.4

Fulton14.0

Pope14.6

Desha22.8

Garland11.6

Miller13.3

White15.4

Dallas17.0

Lawrence17.4

Stone22.9

Monroe22.1

Madison17.9

Marion10.7

Franklin18.2

Prairie16.0

Hempstead20.0

Lee28.6

Conway13.8

Jackson21.1

Drew18.9

Cross18.2

Clark12.7

Crawford14.1

Izard15.4

Scott23.5

Lafayette20.6

Mississippi18.9

Greene13.6

Faulkner8.5

Jefferson14.0

Polk14.6

Boone12.8

Johnson16.6

Ouachita15.3

Benton12.3

Saline10.3

Searcy13.3

Bradley15.3

Yell22.5

Sharp13.9

Logan14.7

Independence14.5

Woodruff20.3

Ashley16.4

Montgomery17.0

Sevier28.9

VanBuren12.1

HotSpring

12.3

8.5% - 14.2%

14.3% - 19.4%

19.5% - 28.9%

US:State:


12.4%14.0%

14.4%16.8%10.7%17.5%15.5%

Map 4. Percent of Women without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and Older


26.5

23.0

13.5

24.7

20.3

13.3

15.0

9.9 14

.7

12.7

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%


Figure 4.b. Percent of Women without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and Older


23.6

13.4

24.7

11.6

18.1

22.3

18.8

28.0

18.3

18.7

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%


Figure 3.b. Percent of Women with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and Older


In theSouthwest Region,

28.9%

of women do not have a high school

degree.

15

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Education

Women’s Foundation of Arkansas

E M P L O Y M E N T A N D E A R N I N G S

Labor Force ParticipationArkansan women’s labor force participation rate is about 10 percent lower than men’s at 53.1 percent compared to 63.4 percent.

» Black women are in the labor market at a higher rate (58.6) than Black men (56.5) and than women from other racial/ethnic categories.

» Pacific Islanders (55.1 percent), Asian (57.1 percent) , and Hispanic Women (55.8 percent) all have higher labor force participation rates than Native American (46.2 percent) and White women (52 percent).

53.1

58.6

46.2

57.1

55.1

55.8

52.0

54.8

63.4

56.5

60.9

74.1

84.0

78.8

64.0

72.9

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%



Hispanic/ Latino


or More Races

Figure 5.a. Percent of Arkansans in the Civilian Labor Force, Aged 16 and Older

Women Men

Women’s labor force participation rate is lower in Arkansas (53.1 percent) than the national rate of 58.3 percent.

» Labor force participation among women is highest in Central Arkansas at 56.4 percent, and lowest in Southwest Arkansas at 50.1 percent.

» Women of color are more likely to be in the labor force than white women in each of the 5 regions.

Women’s labor force participation rate in Arkansas is

53.1%

16


CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

49.9

Poinsett46.8

Washington56.3

Little River46.3

Randolph45.9

Baxter45.9

Calhoun47.1

Perry47.5

Columbia51.4

Grant54.1

Sebastian51.7

Lonoke58.6

Newton46.4

Pike47.6

Craighead56.6

Lincoln47.1

St. Francis51.1

Cleburne43.7

Chicot48.1

Cleveland46.8

Carroll49.6

Clay49.7

Arkansas54.1

Pulaski58.8

Howard49.7

Union51.4

Nevada45.1

Crittenden56.2

Fulton42.5

Pope54.8

Desha49.7

Garland50.0

Miller55.0

White50.1

Dallas49.1

Lawrence46.6

Stone37.7

Monroe53.7

Madison49.3

Marion39.4

Franklin49.2

Prairie50.3

Hempstead48.6

Lee44.6

Conway49.6

Jackson30.9

Drew52.7

Cross49.8

Clark55.4

Crawford51.7

Izard42.7

Scott56.5

Lafayette44.7

Mississippi53.4

Greene51.6

Faulkner58.6

Jefferson53.9

Polk44.1

Boone50.5

Johnson47.7

Ouachita50.9

Benton56.4

Saline59.0

Searcy44.1

Bradley44.9

Yell50.4

Sharp39.6

Logan51.0

Independence49.4

Woodruff47.9

Ashley49.3

Montgomery39.1

Sevier53.6

VanBuren39.7

HotSpring

49.2

30.9% - 45.1%

45.2% - 51.7%

51.8% - 59.0%

US:State:


58.3%53.1%

52.0%51.3%56.4%50.1%51.6%

Map 5. Percent of Women in the Civilian Labor Force, Aged 16 and Older

57.1

56.4

60.7

55.2

55.0

51.6

49.7

55.1

48.1

49.4

0%

15%

30%

45%

60%

75%


Figure 5.b. Percent of Women in the Civilian Labor Force, Aged 16 and Older


NOT APPARENT AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL IS THE DRAMATIC COUNTY-LEVEL VARIATION IN WOMEN’S LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE.

» Women’s labor force participation is highest in four counties in the Central Region: Saline (59 percent), Pulaski (58.8 percent), Lonoke (58.6 percent) and Faulkner (58.6 percent).

» The lowest rate of women’s labor force participation, 30.9 percent is in Jackson County (Northeast region).

» Eight (Marion, Searcy, Van Buren, Cleburne, Stone, Izard, Fulton and Sharp) of the fifteen counties in which women’s labor force participation rates are lowest are located in the central area of the Northwest Region.


Women’s labor force participation is highest in four

counties in the Central Region.

17

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Employment and Earnings

E M P L O Y M E N T A N D E A R N I N G SEarningsMedian earnings for women in Arkansas, $31,790, are lower than men’s earnings at $40,867.

» Median earnings among White women are higher than for women of any other racial/ethnic background.

» Earnings for Pacific Islander and Hispanic women are lower than that of women from other racial/ethnic backgrounds, at $22,944 and $22,520, respectively.

» Earnings for Native ($30,423) and Asian ($31,210) women are higher than earnings for Black women ($28,018).

66.1

71.8

73.6

54.1

53.1

78.0

63.2

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

Black Native American


Hispanic/ Latino


or More Races

Figure 7.a. Ratio of Women's to White Men's Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Arkansans

$31,

790

$28,

018

$30,

423

$31,

210

$22,

944

$22,

520

$33,

049

$26,

788 $4

0,86

7

$31,

782

$35,

542

$56,

952

$25,

435

$26,

990 $4

2,37

8

$32,

651

$0

$15,000

$30,000

$45,000

$60,000



Hispanic/ Latino

White Other Race / Two or More Races

Figure 6.a. Median Earnings for Arkansans Employed Full-Time, Full-Year, Aged 16 and Older

Women Men

Median earnings for Arkansan women ($31,790) are lower than that for women nationally, at $39,923.

» Women in Central Arkansas have the highest median earnings ($31,952) and women in Southwest Arkansas, the lowest ($30,010).

» There is essentially no racial/ethnic difference across our broad categories in women’s earnings in the Northwest Region. Median earning among women of color is $28,380 and among white women is $28,411.

» The racial/ethic difference in earnings is greatest in southern Arkansas. There is an approximate $10,000 gap in median earnings between women of color ($32,995) and white women ($22,841) in Southeast Arkansas and an $8000 gap in Southwest Arkansas.

In Southeast Arkansas,there is an approximate

$10,000 gap in median earnings between women of color.

18


CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSW

Phillips26,016

Poinsett29,285

Washington33,507

Little River28,594

Randolph29,736

Baxter28,830

Calhoun24,724

Perry30,541

Columbia31,073

Grant32,396

Sebastian29,207

Lonoke36,129

Newton30,000

Pike28,487

Craighead31,687

Lincoln33,317

St. Francis27,470

Cleburne27,767

Chicot24,802

Cleveland32,240

Carroll26,523

Clay27,207

Arkansas27,310

Pulaski36,678

Howard27,100

Union30,372

Nevada27,778

Crittenden34,531

Fulton25,575

Pope28,117

Desha28,966

Garland30,438

Miller30,417

White30,187

Dallas26,118

Lawrence29,219

Stone

Monroe29,946

Madison29,767

Marion25,926

Franklin32,002

Prairie31,587

Hempstead24,918

Lee27,193

Conway32,533

Jackson26,776

Drew31,053

Cross30,138

Clark31,370

Crawford31,080

Izard26,551

Scott25,521

Lafayette28,220

Mississippi28,891

Greene31,546

Faulkner33,534

Jefferson32,038

Polk26,457

Boone29,408

Johnson25,468

Ouachita28,165

Benton35,892

Saline38,300

Searcy27,044

Bradley26,672

Yell25,599

Sharp27,451

Logan28,456

Independence28,690

Woodruff27,076

Ashley26,845

Montgomery30,857

Sevier22,993

VanBuren30,859

Hot Spring28,915

NA

$22,993 - $28,220

$28,221 - $32,533

$32,534 - $38,300

US:State:


$39,923 $31,790

$28,643 $29,219 $31,952 $27,778 $30,010

Map 6. Median Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women, Aged 16 and Older

$28,

380

$25,

710

$29,

295

$22,

667

$22,

841

$28,

411

$30,

237

$34,

095

$30,

532

$32,

995

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000


Figure 6.b. Median Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women, Aged 16 and Older


76.6

%

63.8

%

65.7

%

54.4

%

53.2

%

76.7

%

75.0

%

76.4

%

73.2

%

76.8

%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Figure 7.b. Ratio of Women's to Men's Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women

Women of Color to White Men White Women to White Men

Regional Total Women to Men

ACROSS COUNTIES, MEDIAN EARNINGS RANGE FROM $22,993 IN SEVIER COUNTY (SOUTHWEST REGION) TO $38,300 IN SALINE COUNTY (CENTRAL REGION).

» Four of the 8 counties in which women’s median earnings are highest are in Central Arkansas (Falkner, Saline, Pulaski, and Lonoke). Two—Benton and Washington—are in the Northwest corner of the Northwest Region.

» The counties in which women’s median earnings are the lowest form a kind of circle around central Arkansas. Median wages are higher in counties in the corner of the Northeast and Southwest Regions.



19



E M P L O Y M E N T A N D E A R N I N G SEarnings RatioWe constructed an earnings ratio, comparing earnings of women from different racial/ethnic group to the largest group in the labor market, white men.

» The gap is smallest for Asian women (who earn 73.6 percent of white men) and largest for Hispanic women (who earn 53.1 percent of white men), and Pacific Islanders (54.1 percent of white men). The ratio of median wages for Black women and white men is 66.1 percent.

THE EARNINGS RATIO FOR ALL MEN AND WOMEN IN ARKANSAS IS QUITE CLOSE TO THE NATIONAL FIGURE, AT 77.8 PERCENT AND 79.6 PERCENT, RESPECTIVELY. THERE IS LITTLE VARIATION IN THE GENDER EARNINGS RATIO FOR ALL WOMEN AND ALL MEN BY REGION. » The gender gap in income is quite

similar for Northwest (77.9 percent), Northeast (78.8 percent) and Southwest Regions (77.9 percent).

» Central and Southwest Arkansas show larger gender gaps at 75.4 percent and 74.2 percent, respectively.

The earnings ratio for white women to white men shows a similar pattern, with little regional variation. However, the earnings ratio for women of color to white men varies by over 20% across regions.

» In Northwest Arkansas, women across both groups show similar gender gaps in earnings compared with white men, with women of color earnings 76.6 percent of white men’s median earnings, and white women, 76.7 percent.

» The gender gap for women of color is much greater in each of the other four regions, with women of color in Southwest and Southeast Arkansas earning almost 50% less than white men. The gender gap is 54.4 percent in Southwest Arkansas and 53.2 percent in Southeast Arkansas.

66.1

71.8

73.6

54.1

53.1

78.0

63.2

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

Black Native American


Hispanic/ Latino


or More Races

Figure 7.a. Ratio of Women's to White Men's Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Arkansans

$31,

790

$28,

018

$30,

423

$31,

210

$22,

944

$22,

520

$33,

049

$26,

788 $4

0,86

7

$31,

782

$35,

542

$56,

952

$25,

435

$26,

990 $4

2,37

8

$32,

651

$0

$15,000

$30,000

$45,000

$60,000



Hispanic/ Latino

White Other Race / Two or More Races

Figure 6.a. Median Earnings for Arkansans Employed Full-Time, Full-Year, Aged 16 and Older

Women Men

20


CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

78.1

Poinsett81.9

Washington82.1

Little River64.2

Randolph80.2

Baxter79.8

Calhoun58.7

Perry84.1

Columbia74.5

Grant70.7

Sebastian79.1

Lonoke76.4

Newton84.6

Pike79.6

Craighead82.3

Lincoln84.0

St. Francis85.6

Cleburne68.4

Chicot69.4

Cleveland68.6

Carroll82.0

Clay77.6

Arkansas77.8

Pulaski83.9

Howard84.1

Union61.3

Nevada65.0

Crittenden82.5

Fulton69.7

Pope75.1

Desha89.0

Garland75.5

Miller73.2

White71.1

Dallas73.7

Lawrence82.2

Stone

Monroe80.1

Madison72.2

Marion91.9

Franklin71.1

Prairie77.4

Hempstead68.6

Lee74.5

Conway76.8

Jackson68.8

Drew84.0

Cross74.8

Clark78.4

Crawford76.5

Izard80.6

Scott80.0

Lafayette59.4

Mississippi74.0

Greene77.1

Faulkner79.0

Jefferson77.2

Polk85.5

Boone79.6

Johnson74.7

Ouachita72.6

Benton77.1

Saline84.9

Searcy73.9

Bradley71.4

Yell68.4

Sharp81.7

Logan77.9

Independence81.1

Woodruff86.6

Ashley65.2

Montgomery91.1

Sevier68.5

VanBuren83.7

HotSpring

79.8

NA

58.7% - 71.4%

71.5% - 80.6%

80.7% - 91.9%

US:State:


79.6%77.8%

77.9%78.8%75.4%74.2%77.9%

Map 7. Ratio of Women’s to Men’s Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women

THE GENDER GAP IN EARNINGS WE SEE FOR ALL WOMEN AND MEN AT THE COUNTY LEVEL IS LIKELY RELATED TO THE RACE/ETHNIC PATTERNS WE SEE AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL.

» The smallest gender gaps are in Marion (Northwest Region) and Montgomery (Southwest Region) Counties, at 91.9 and 91.1 percent, respectively.

» The largest gaps, at 58.7 and 59.4 percent are in Calhoun and Layfayette Counties, also located in the Southwest Region.

$28,

380

$25,

710

$29,

295

$22,

667

$22,

841

$28,

411

$30,

237

$34,

095

$30,

532

$32,

995

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000


Figure 6.b. Median Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women, Aged 16 and Older


76.6

%

63.8

%

65.7

%

54.4

%

53.2

%

76.7

%

75.0

%

76.4

%

73.2

%

76.8

%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Figure 7.b. Ratio of Women's to Men's Earnings for Full-Time, Full-Year Employed Women

Women of Color to White Men White Women to White Men

Regional Total Women to Men



21


E M P L O Y M E N T A N D E A R N I N G S

38.2

31.8

32.3

40.6

19.1

40.2

25.2

27.3

16.4

27.0

55.0

10.7

28.9

16.3

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%



Hispanic/ Latino


or More Races

Figure 8.a. Percent of Arkansans in Business/Management and Related Occupations

Women Men

NA NA

Women in Business/Management and related occupations Thirty-eight point two percent of Arkansan women in the labor force are in business/management or science and arts occupations, in contrast to 27.3 percent of men.

» Asian and White women are more likely than women from other racial/ethnic backgrounds to be in business and management occupations, at 40.6 percent and 40.2 percent, respectively.

» A lower percentage of Black women and Native American women are in business and management occupations, at 31.8 percent and 32.3 percent, respectively.

» Hispanic women (19.1 percent) are the least likely to be employed in business and management occupations in Arkansas.

While the percentage of women in business and management occupations in the state is marginally lower than the percentage nationally (at 38.2 percent compared to 40.8 percent), the percentage of women in business and management in the Central Region (42.1 percent) is higher than the national average.

» The other four regions show similar percentages of women in business and management occupations, ranging from 36.6 percent in the Northwest Region to 34.8 percent in the Southwest Region.

» The distribution of women in business and management occupations by racial/ethnic group is uneven across the state. In Central Arkansas, 37.4 percent of women of color are in business/management occupations, in contrast to 43.7 percent of white women. This is an approximate 7 percent gap. In southwest Arkansas, the gap is much larger, at close to 15 percent, with 39.7 percent of white women in business and management occupations, and 24.8 percent of women of color.

The distribution of women in business and management occupations by racial/ethnic group is uneven across the state.

22


CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

31.6

Poinsett24.5

Washington40.4

Little River35.2

Randolph37.9

Baxter34.9

Calhoun30.6

Perry30.4

Columbia34.8

Grant40.2

Sebastian32.9

Lonoke43.0

Newton34.1

Pike33.8

Craighead40.2

Lincoln36.7

St. Francis32.4

Cleburne35.3

Chicot34.3

Cleveland40.0

Carroll32.1

Clay30.9

Arkansas30.7

Pulaski45.6

Howard35.1

Union39.5

Nevada34.2

Crittenden39.2

Fulton35.0

Pope34.1

Desha35.3

Garland35.8

Miller33.5

White38.0

Dallas25.2

Lawrence33.5

Stone42.0

Monroe25.8

Madison34.7

Marion27.3

Franklin31.3

Prairie36.1

Hempstead34.5

Lee26.8

Conway35.9

Jackson30.8

Drew41.8

Cross32.4

Clark36.6

Crawford37.1

Izard32.1

Scott39.2

Lafayette33.1

Mississippi29.9

Greene39.0

Faulkner39.9

Jefferson33.9

Polk40.2

Boone32.2

Johnson29.6

Ouachita33.6

Benton38.5

Saline42.1

Searcy34.0

Bradley34.1

Yell31.0

Sharp38.8

Logan35.4

Independence40.2

Woodruff39.9

Ashley40.7

Montgomery39.2

Sevier30.2

VanBuren40.9

HotSpring

39.2

24.5% - 31.6%

31.7% - 37.1%

37.2% - 45.6%

US:State:


40.8%38.2%

36.6%35.8%42.1%34.8%36.1%

Map 8. Percent of Women in Business/Management and Related Occupations



26.7

30 37

.4

24.8

32.4

37.9

38.4

43.7

39.7

40.0

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%


Figure 8.b. Percent of Women in Business/Management and Related Occupations


THE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT OCCUPATIONS VARIES BY A RANGE OF 20 PERCENT ACROSS ARKANSAS COUNTIES.

» The largest percentage of women in business and management occupations is in Pulaski County, at 45.6 percent, while the smallest is in Poinsett County, at 24.5 percent.

» There is large variation within regions of percentage women in business and management occupations. For example, in Northeast Arkansas, 40.2 percent of women are employed in business or management occupations in Craighead County, which is adjacent to Poinsett County, the county with the lowest percentage of women (24.5) in these occupations.

» Twenty-five Arkansas counties are in the highest category of percentage of women in business and management (37.2-45.6 percent) and 16 are in the lowest (24.5-31.6 percent)

25Arkansas counties are in the highest

category of percentage of

women in business and management.

23



E M P L O Y M E N T A N D E A R N I N G S33

.5

59.9

42.7

35.8

40.6

30.7

42.6

54.3

38.0

53.2

55.6

51.0

55.7

56.2

53.2

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%



Hispanic/ Latino


or More Races

Figure 9. Business Ownership in Arkansas

Women Men

NA

Source: 2012 Survey of Business Owners

CENTCENT

NENE

NWNW

SESE

SWSWPhillips

41.1

Poinsett29.4

Washington32.1

Little River

Randolph26.9

Baxter26.8

Calhoun

Perry

Columbia34.7

Grant23.8

Sebastian30.1

Lonoke32.4

Newton

Pike22.3

Craighead29.8

Lincoln

St. Francis46.6

Cleburne26.7

Chicot37.3

Cleveland

Carroll30.6

Clay

Arkansas29.1

Pulaski34.4

Howard18.0

Union35.5

Nevada

Crittenden43.6

Fulton

Pope26.9

Desha43.1

Garland33.5

Miller28.2

White31.5

Dallas

Lawrence37.4

Stone24.8

Monroe18.6

Madison30.7

Marion37.1

Franklin18.6

Prairie

Hempstead33.1

Lee45.1

Conway35.6

Jackson37.6

Drew41.4

Cross39.4

Clark29.1

Crawford28.5

Izard16.8

Scott16.8

Lafayette

Mississippi36.4

Greene31.0

Faulkner32.8

Jefferson39.7

Polk27.7

Boone30.0

Johnson27.2

Ouachita30.4

Benton33.9

Saline30.2

Searcy29.3

Bradley

Yell37.4

Sharp34.0

Logan27.8

Independence25.2

Woodruff

Ashley34.6

Montgomery33.8

Sevier26.9

VanBuren19.0

HotSpring

28.1

NA NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

16.8% - 25.2%

25.3% - 34.7%

34.8% - 46.6%

US:State:


36.3%33.5%

30.3%34.3%33.1%30.3%36.3%

Map 9. Percent of Businesses Owned by Women

Businesses Owned by WomenWomen own thirty three percent of businesses in Arkansas while men own 54.3 percent. The totals for men and women do not sum to 100 percent because women and men own some businesses jointly.

» Men of every racial/ethnic background are more likely to own businesses than women of the same background with one exception. Of all businesses owned by Black individuals, Black women own 60 percent.

THE PERCENT OF BUSINESSES OWNED BY WOMEN IN ARKANSAS (33.5 PERCENT) IS LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL RATE OF 36.3 PERCENT. THERE IS LITTLE REGIONAL VARIATION IN WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP, BUT MUCH COUNTY-LEVEL VARIATION.

» Percent of women-owned businesses in Southeast Arkansas (36.3 percent) is the same as the national rate.

» The highest percentages of women’s business ownership are found in the eastern part of the state, with 36.6 percent of businesses in the Southeast Region owned by women and 34.3 percent the Northeast Region. Of the 16 counties with the highest percentage of women-owned businesses, 12 are in eastern Arkansas.

» Fifteen of the seventeen counties in the highest category of women’s business ownership exceed the national rate of 36.3 percent.



24


It is common for reports such as these to conclude by providing policy recommendations for ways to improve women’s status. Indeed the WFA has produced or

partnered with others on many such reports, suggesting pathways for policy-makers, advocates, and legislators to improving the status of women. Advocacy groups nationally and in the state have proposed solutions to poverty among women and children, to employment hurdles, and to address the gender gap in wages among full-time employed adults. We maintain that implementing policies aimed at improving women’s status will improve the lives of individuals in our state.

However, our focus for this report is not to advocate for specific policy initiatives. Instead, we use this report to provide a foundation for future research that intentionally investigates the nuance and variation in women’s status, and that seeks to provide data we need to answer pressing questions about women’s status for all women in Arkansas. In this report we see that the economic status of Arkansan women is related to other aspects of women’s lives, such as where women reside and women’s race/ethnic background.

The advantage of using Census data for such a pursuit is that the data are reliable, representative, and replicates, so change in women’s status can be measured. But Census data are limited in what is available. For example, while we can examine employment

patterns, poverty status, and income, we cannot use Census data to answer questions about women’s financial literacy, banking habits, or asset availability. To understand more about this behavior in our state requires a focused approach relying on other existing data sources, and the creation of new data to answer those questions.

Moreover, the Census data give us a snapshot of women’s status but it does not explain why we see that patterns we do. We can make inferences based on the history of race and gender relations in our state about these patterns, but this knowledge doesn’t help us understand all of what we see, especially when there are deviations from these patterns. That is why the next step for WFA is to use this report in community conversations about what explains the findings herein, and what community members think might be helpful at a local level to improve the lives of women. We invite stakeholders to join us in expanding the conversation about the indispensible role of women in the economic vitality of our state.

ReferencesHess, Cynthia, Jessica Mill, Jeff Hayes, and Ariane Hegewisch. 2015. “The Status of Women in the States: 2015.” Institute for Women’s Policy Research: Washington DC.

C O N C L U S I O N

1. Arkansas ranked 47 in political participation, 43 in reproductive rights, 47 in health and well being but 8 in work and family, a category that includes elder/dependent care and child care, on which Arkansas ranks relatively higher.

2. Sample size restrictions prevented a more nuanced investigation of women’s status by race and ethnicity across regions.

3. These groupings of counties utilized several criteria. A primary criterion was the commuter patterns into the state’s seven metropolitan statistical areas. It was desirable to have regions reflect the daily movement of people from their place of residence to their place of work as much as possible. A second consideration was the Fayetteville Natural Gas Play. Counties that participated in this play are likely to have similar economies and responses to changing economic conditions. A final major consideration for the county groupings was Arkansas’s diagonal line that sep-arates the mountainous areas of the state from the delta flatlands. In some research, this diagonal becomes a baseline to explore the state’s demographic characteristics, economic activities, and differences in economic status.

4. Racial/ethnic identification data is not available at the county-level for this variable so we are unable to make race/ethnic comparisons at the region level.

5. Small sample sizes for women of color mean that many counties were excluded from this indicator for women of color, which is the case for many indicators for women of color in Northwest Arkansas (see methodological appendix). Results for this region should be interpreted with this in mind.

6. This does not mean that there isn’t racial ethnic variation in earnings in the region, but that our broad race/ethnic categories are similar. When we investigated this finding we found that the median earnings for Black women was $28,210, White women, 28,411, and Hispanic women $21,957.

7. Small sample sizes mean we are unable to investigate ownership of business by race/ethnicity and region.

8. See, for example, 1973/2013: A Then and Now Report on the Status of Women in Arkansas, Our Common Journey: The Economics of Educating Women in Arkansas, and Women’s Social and Economic Status in Arkansas, Interim Study. Find these and others online at http://womensfoundationarkansas.org/resources/research/.

We invite stakeholders to join us in expanding the conversation about

the indispensible role of women in the economic

vitality of our state.

25

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Conclusion

A P P E N D I X I

T he data in Women in Arkansas: Economic Indicators report come from federal government agencies; tables, figures and maps are based on the Arkansas Economic Development Institute analysis of two nationwide surveys, the American Community Survey (ACS) and the 2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO). Most of the indicators

were constructed using ACS summary tables with aggregate data, accessed through American FactFinder; when summary tables were not available, we used the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) online data analysis system, Version 7.0, developed by the University of Minnesota (Ruggles et al. 2017).

The tables, figures, and maps present data for individuals or households, disaggregated by race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity are self-identification categories in the sense that the information provided by the person determines the racial and ethnic group to which that person (and other household members) belongs. When the number of cases allowed it, our analysis distinguishes the following racial categories: White, Black (which includes those who identified as Black or African-American), Native American (which includes those who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native), Asian, Pacific Islander (which includes those who identified as Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian), and other (which includes those who identified with two or more races). The indicators are also disaggregated by ethnicity, and we included data for Hispanics (or Latinos), which can be of any race. To prevent double-counting, our analysis separates Hispanics from racial categories.

One of the limitations of examining differences in economic indicators for women of different racial and ethnic affiliations, is that eventually the number of cases becomes very small to provide unbiased indicators, especially for small geographic areas or populations. For indicators at the regional-level, we present the information for two groups, white women and women of color. Women who indicated their race/ethnic category as “white” are included in the white women category. Under the category women of color, we included race/ethnic minorities, i.e. women who self-identified as Black or African-American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, or any race other than White. Women of two or more races were also included in this category of women of color. Since Hispanics can be of any race, both categories include Hispanics or Latinas.

Most of our indicators at county-level were constructed using five years of data (2012-2016) to ensure an adequate sample size. Five-year estimates provide the largest sample size for very small populations and geographic areas, and are the most reliable and precise estimations. We used margins of error to determine if the coefficient of variance for the data met the minimum threshold of 25 percent. When the CV was greater than 25 percent, the data are not presented. To be consistent and to provide the most recent data available in American FactFinder, we also used this combined data file to construct state and national-level indicators. The ACS 5-year estimates are constructed as period estimate and reflect the average characteristics over the entire 60 month period.

All ACS estimates accessed through American FactFinder are weighted with the corresponding individual or household weight. The indicators that were estimated using ACS IPUMS person-level data were also weighted using the appropriate sample weights. Weights included with the ACS IPUMS data adjust for the mixed geographic sampling rates, nonresponse rates, and individual sampling probabilities. Estimates from the ACS IPUMS samples may not be consistent with summary table ACS estimates due to the additional sampling error.

Economic IndicatorsPercent Living Above Poverty. This report uses the official federal definition of poverty. Following the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive 14, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the family’s threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps).

M E T H O D O L O G Y

26


Percent of Women 18-64 Years Old with Health Insurance. The Census Bureau broadly classifies health insurance coverage as private or public. Private health insurance is a plan provided through an employer or union, a plan purchased by an individual from a private company, or TRICARE or other military health care. Public coverage includes the federal programs Medicare, Medicaid, and VA Health Care (provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs); the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); and local medical programs for indigents (this program is included only for the Pacific Islands). People who had no reported health coverage, or those whose only health coverage was Indian Health service, were considered uninsured.

Employed include all civilians 16 years old and over who were either (1) “at work” -- those who did any work at all during the reference week as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family business; or (2) were “with a job but not at work” -- those who did not work during the reference week but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons. Excluded from the employed are people whose only activity consisted of work around the house or unpaid volunteer work for religious, charitable, and similar organizations; also excluded are people on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.

Unemployed include all civilians 16 years old and over if they (1) were neither “at work” nor “with a job but not at work” during the reference week, and (2) were actively looking for work during the last 4 weeks, and (3) were available to accept a job. Also included as unemployed are civilians who did not work at all during the reference week, were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off, and were available for work except for temporary illness. The reference week is the calendar week preceding the date on which the respondents completed their questionnaires or were interviewed. This week may not be the same for all respondents.

Earnings. Following the Census Bureau, we defined earnings as the algebraic sum of wage or salary income and net income from self-employment. Earnings represent the amount of income received regularly before deductions for personal income taxes, Social Security, bond purchases, union dues, Medicare deductions, etc.

We used two indicators for earnings in this report. The first one corresponds to the median annual earnings of individuals aged 16 and older who worked full-time (35 hours or more per week), year round (50 to 52 weeks) in the last 12 months. The second indicator is the ratio of women’s median earnings to white men’s median earnings; this indicator was constructed for both white women’s median earnings compared to white men’s median earnings, and women of color’s median earnings compared to white men’s median earnings.

Percent of Women in Business, Management, Science, and Arts Occupations. Occupation describes the kind of work the person does on the job. For employed people, the data refer to the person’s job during the reference week. For those who worked at two or more jobs, the data refer to the job at which the person worked the greatest number of hours. This indicator shows the percent of civilian employed women 16 years and over who worked in professional occupations including business, management, science, and arts occupations. Even though previous studies include only women in business and managerial positions, since our main interest was to provide information for different racial and ethnic categories, we had to work with a broader category of professional occupations as provided by ACS summary tables which also include science and arts to avoid small sample sizes.

Percent of Businesses Owned by Women. For this indicator, we used the 2012 Survey of Business Owners, which provides the latest information available on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners that can be accessed through American FactFinder. This survey includes all nonfarm businesses filing Internal Revenue Service tax forms as individual proprietorships, partnerships, or any type of corporation, and with receipts of $1,000 or more. This indicator shows the percent of businesses, both with paid and no paid employees, that are owned by women, i.e., women have 51 percent or more of the stock or equity in the business.

References.Steven Ruggles, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Josiah Grover, and Matthew Sobek. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 7.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2017. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V7.0.

27

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Appendix I: Methodology

A P P E N D I X I IWomen’s Status by Race/Ethnicity, Arkansas and United States

Indicator BlackNative

American Asian

Native Hawaiian/

Pacific Islander

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

White

Other/ Two or More Races

Total

Percent of Women Living Above Poverty, Aged 18 and OlderArkansas 69.7 74.8 85.3 71.3 69.9 84.1 73.4 81.5United States 75.5 73.2 87.4 79.9 77.2 87.3 76.8 85.1Percent of Women with Health Insurance Coverage, Aged 18-64Arkansas 83.1 72.1 59.0 83.9 71.3 83.2United States 83.2 72.8 70.4 86.7 74.3 85.3Percent of Women with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher, Aged 25 and OlderArkansas 17.0 14.8 45.8 NA 10.5 23.0 16.3 22.2United States 22.2 15.2 49.8 16.4 16.1 31.5 18.2 30.5Percent of Women without a High School Degree, Aged 25 and OlderArkansas 17.5 16.2 15.5 36.2 43.2 12.6 32.1 14.0United States 14.4 19.0 15.4 13.9 32.8 10.4 29.9 12.4Percent of Women in the Civilian Labor Force, Aged 16 and OlderArkansas 58.6 46.2 57.1 55.1 55.8 52.0 54.8 53.1United States 62.3 55.5 58.2 62.0 58.9 57.4 60.9 58.3Median Earnings for Women Employed Full-Time, Full-Year, Aged 16 and OlderArkansas $28,018 $30,423 $31,210 $22,944 $22,520 $33,049 $26,788 $31,790United States $34,953 $32,000 $49,249 $34,512 $29,924 $40,971 $32,723 $39,923Ratio of Women's to White Men's EarningsArkansas 66.1 71.8 73.6 54.1 53.1 78.0 63.2 77.8United States 67.4 61.7 94.9 66.5 57.7 79.0 63.1 79.6Percent of Women in Business/Management and Related OccupationsArkansas 31.8 32.3 40.6 NA 19.1 40.2 25.2 38.2United States 33.5 31.8 49.2 28.1 25.5 42.8 26.4 40.8Percent of Business Owned by WomenArkansas 59.9 42.7 35.8 NA 40.6 30.7 42.6 33.5United States 58.9 48.0 39.1 45.6 44.5 33.2 45.6 36.3

83.887.2

Basic Demographic Indicators for Women by Race/Ethnicity, Arkansas and United States

Indicator BlackNative

American Asian

Native Hawaiian/

Pacific Islander


White

Other/ Two or More Races

Total

Median AgeArkansas 33.6 35.9 33.7 23.2 23.5 41.8 21.6 39.2United States 35.1 33.3 37.6 31.5 29.0 41.7 25.0 39.0Percent of households headed by a woman, no husband presentArkansas 28.8 11.0 9.1 NA 16.1 10.1 15.9 13.1United States 28.3 21.3 9.2 17.6 19.9 10.1 20.2 12.9

WOMEN’S STATUS BY RACE /E THN IC I T Y


28


29

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Appendix II: Women’s Status by Race/Ethincity

The advantage of using Census data for such a pursuit is that the data are reliable,

representative, and replicates, so change in women’s status

can be measured.

A P P E N D I X I I I D E M O G R A P H I C T A B L E S

30

County BlackNative

AmericanAsian

Native Hawaiian/

Pacific Islander


WhiteOther/ Two

or More Races

Arkansas 28.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0% 3.0% 70.8% 1.0%

Ashley 27.0% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 4.7% 70.4% 2.3%

Baxter 0.1% 0.6% 0.6% 0.0% 2.0% 97.2% 1.4%

Benton 1.3% 1.5% 3.4% 0.4% 15.5% 88.8% 4.7%

Boone 0.4% 1.1% 0.7% 0.0% 2.4% 96.0% 1.7%

Bradley 30.3% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 11.7% 62.5% 6.1%

Calhoun 22.2% 0.2% 0.0% 0.6% 4.1% 76.4% 0.6%

Carroll 1.4% 0.7% 0.8% 0.6% 14.2% 93.6% 2.9%

Chicot 55.3% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0% 6.1% 42.0% 2.1%

Clark 24.5% 0.2% 0.9% 0.0% 4.5% 71.1% 3.4%

Clay 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.0% 0.8% 97.1% 1.7%

Cleburne 0.1% 0.3% 0.7% 0.0% 1.9% 97.9% 0.9%

Cleveland 9.9% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 2.8% 89.0% 0.9%

Columbia 35.8% 0.3% 1.2% 0.0% 2.8% 58.7% 4.1%

Conway 12.2% 0.5% 0.1% 0.0% 4.0% 85.3% 1.8%

Craighead 14.5% 0.6% 1.1% 0.1% 4.2% 80.4% 3.3%

Crawford 1.5% 2.0% 1.8% 0.0% 6.8% 89.7% 5.0%

Crittenden 51.2% 0.2% 0.8% 0.1% 2.3% 43.8% 4.0%

Cross 23.5% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 2.2% 74.6% 1.6%

Dallas 41.7% 0.0% 2.6% 0.0% 2.6% 52.6% 3.2%

Desha 47.8% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 5.6% 48.5% 3.4%

Drew 28.8% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 3.6% 67.2% 3.8%

Faulkner 11.7% 0.3% 1.2% 0.1% 3.6% 83.5% 3.1%

Franklin 0.5% 3.4% 0.6% 0.2% 2.9% 93.5% 1.8%

Fulton 0.1% 0.6% 0.3% 0.0% 1.1% 96.5% 2.6%

Garland 7.8% 0.6% 0.8% 0.0% 4.8% 85.6% 5.2%

Grant 4.9% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0% 1.0% 93.1% 1.3%

Greene 0.9% 0.5% 0.1% 0.1% 2.9% 96.1% 2.3%

Hempstead 31.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 12.2% 62.2% 6.6%

Hot Spring 10.6% 0.5% 0.2% 0.0% 3.3% 85.8% 2.9%

Howard 21.6% 0.6% 0.2% 0.0% 11.3% 65.9% 11.8%

Independence 1.7% 0.5% 1.2% 0.0% 5.7% 92.7% 3.9%

Izard 0.1% 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 1.2% 97.6% 1.7%

Jackson 17.6% 0.3% 0.2% 0.0% 3.0% 79.4% 2.5%

Jefferson 57.5% 0.1% 0.7% 0.0% 1.7% 39.7% 2.0%

Johnson 1.2% 0.4% 1.4% 0.0% 12.6% 92.9% 4.2%

Lafayette 39.6% 0.0% 0.4% 0.0% 1.1% 59.6% 0.4%

Lawrence 0.7% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 1.4% 97.3% 1.6%

Distribution of Women of All Ages by Race/Ethnicity - Arkansas Counties, State, and US National Data

SOUR

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ENSU

S BU

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, 201

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16 A

MER

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COM

MUN

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SURV

EY 5

-YEA

R ES

TIM

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31

County BlackNative

AmericanAsian

Native Hawaiian/

Pacific

Hispanic or Latino (of any

WhiteOther/ Two

or More Races

Lee 61.1% 0.5% 0.1% 0.0% 1.0% 38.3% 0.0%

Lincoln 23.5% 0.7% 0.0% 0.0% 2.9% 73.8% 2.1%

Little River 20.6% 1.3% 0.0% 0.0% 2.2% 74.3% 3.8%

Logan 1.9% 1.1% 1.9% 0.0% 1.8% 93.1% 2.1%

Lonoke 6.4% 0.4% 0.9% 0.0% 3.7% 88.8% 3.6%

Madison 0.6% 0.7% 0.7% 0.0% 5.2% 95.3% 2.7%

Marion 0.4% 0.9% 0.5% 0.0% 2.3% 96.1% 2.1%

Miller 25.9% 0.6% 0.2% 0.1% 2.5% 70.0% 3.3%

Mississippi 36.3% 0.0% 0.2% 0.1% 3.6% 60.4% 3.1%

Monroe 41.4% 0.0% 0.8% 0.0% 1.9% 55.3% 2.6%

Montgomery 0.2% 1.1% 1.7% 0.0% 5.0% 92.4% 4.6%

Nevada 34.1% 0.3% 1.2% 0.0% 0.3% 64.0% 0.3%

Newton 0.0% 1.0% 0.8% 0.0% 1.0% 94.8% 3.4%

Ouachita 42.0% 0.3% 0.1% 0.0% 2.0% 55.6% 2.1%

Perry 2.1% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 1.1% 94.0% 3.6%

Phillips 63.9% 0.0% 0.1% 0.0% 1.3% 34.9% 1.1%

Pike 2.9% 0.0% 1.1% 0.0% 7.4% 89.0% 7.0%

Poinsett 6.2% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 2.6% 90.1% 3.5%

Polk 0.2% 1.5% 0.6% 0.0% 6.2% 92.3% 5.3%

Pope 3.1% 0.4% 1.1% 0.0% 7.8% 91.1% 4.3%

Prairie 15.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 84.0% 0.8%

Pulaski 37.2% 0.3% 2.2% 0.0% 5.2% 56.6% 3.7%

Randolph 0.7% 0.4% 0.1% 0.0% 1.5% 96.8% 2.0%

St. Francis 56.0% 0.2% 0.1% 0.0% 3.1% 41.0% 2.8%

Saline 6.2% 0.2% 1.1% 0.0% 4.1% 90.2% 2.2%

Scott 0.2% 1.8% 3.2% 0.0% 6.8% 89.9% 4.9%

Searcy 0.5% 1.7% 1.9% 0.0% 0.7% 93.7% 2.1%

Sebastian 6.5% 1.4% 4.5% 0.1% 12.7% 80.0% 7.5%

Sevier 4.6% 2.4% 0.6% 0.0% 31.0% 65.8% 26.6%

Sharp 0.4% 1.0% 0.4% 0.0% 2.1% 94.7% 3.5%

Stone 0.0% 0.5% 0.1% 0.0% 0.8% 97.7% 1.7%

Union 34.1% 1.0% 0.7% 0.0% 3.4% 63.4% 0.9%

Van Buren 0.5% 0.2% 0.3% 0.0% 2.5% 95.3% 3.7%

Washington 3.1% 0.9% 2.5% 2.2% 15.6% 79.2% 12.2%

White 4.1% 0.2% 0.7% 0.0% 3.8% 92.2% 2.9%

Woodruff 26.5% 0.0% 1.9% 0.0% 1.0% 70.3% 1.3%

Yell 3.5% 0.9% 1.6% 0.0% 18.3% 81.6% 12.4%

Southeast 38.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 3.4% 58.8% 2.3%

Central 20.4% 0.3% 1.4% 0.0% 4.4% 74.5% 3.4%

Southwest 23.0% 0.8% 0.7% 0.0% 7.0% 69.7% 5.7%

Northeast 22.7% 0.3% 0.5% 0.1% 3.0% 73.6% 2.8%

Northwest 2.2% 1.1% 2.3% 0.6% 10.7% 87.9% 5.9%Arkansas 16.0% 0.6% 1.4% 0.2% 6.6% 77.4% 4.3%United States 13.0% 0.8% 5.4% 0.2% 16.9% 73.1% 7.6%

Ap

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A P P E N D I X I I I

County Total Male Female County Total Male Female

Arkansas 41.2 41.0 41.3 Logan 42.8 42.7 42.8Ashley 41.5 39.5 42.9 Lonoke 35.8 34.6 36.8Baxter 51.8 50.4 52.8 Madison 42.3 41.4 43.3Benton 35.1 34.2 35.8 Marion 51.5 50.9 51.9Boone 42.4 40.6 43.9 Miller 37.6 36.1 40.4Bradley 40.9 38.9 43.3 Mississippi 35.9 34.0 37.7Calhoun 44.9 42.5 46.8 Monroe 45.5 44.7 46.1Carroll 44.4 44.1 45.0 Montgomery 49.2 47.9 50.0Chicot 43.7 40.9 45.7 Nevada 44.0 36.4 46.7Clark 33.6 31.6 35.7 Newton 47.9 47.2 48.7Clay 44.0 42.7 45.8 Ouachita 42.8 41.9 43.8Cleburne 47.9 46.7 49.3 Perry 43.7 42.5 44.9Cleveland 42.5 41.0 43.8 Phillips 37.3 35.5 39.1Columbia 36.0 34.5 36.8 Pike 41.4 41.4 41.4Conway 41.0 39.6 42.5 Poinsett 39.9 38.4 41.9Craighead 33.9 32.6 35.2 Polk 44.1 43.1 45.1Crawford 38.8 38.1 39.4 Pope 34.9 34.2 35.8Crittenden 34.7 33.1 35.8 Prairie 45.4 44.7 46.9Cross 40.3 38.2 41.9 Pulaski 36.5 34.9 37.9Dallas 43.4 41.0 45.2 Randolph 42.9 41.6 44.4Desha 39.3 39.3 39.3 St. Francis 38.0 36.9 40.0Drew 36.8 34.0 39.4 Saline 39.2 38.8 39.7Faulkner 31.9 31.5 32.4 Scott 42.0 40.6 43.3Franklin 41.0 40.1 41.7 Searcy 47.5 47.1 48.2Fulton 48.2 46.8 48.9 Sebastian 37.1 35.9 38.6Garland 44.1 42.8 45.6 Sevier 35.2 33.7 36.0Grant 39.3 39.1 39.6 Sharp 47.9 47.1 48.6Greene 38.2 36.9 39.3 Stone 49.1 47.1 51.0Hempstead 38.5 37.3 39.6 Union 39.5 37.7 41.1Hot Spring 40.9 39.1 42.6 Van Buren 47.2 46.4 48.0Howard 38.6 38.6 38.6 Washington 31.4 30.6 32.1Independence 39.2 37.7 40.9 White 36.1 35.1 37.2Izard 48.1 46.2 50.5 Woodruff 43.8 42.4 45.4Jackson 40.8 40.2 41.8 Yell 39.3 37.5 40.9Jefferson 38.7 36.5 40.8 Southeast 38.5 37.0 40.2Johnson 38.0 36.7 38.9 Central 36.6 35.6 37.7Lafayette 45.3 42.7 47.0 Southwest 39.1 37.7 40.6Lawrence 41.8 40.5 42.8 Northeast 37.0 35.9 38.2Lee 40.9 38.1 44.7 Northwest 36.9 36.1 37.8Lincoln 37.6 36.1 42.9 Arkansas 37.7 36.4 39.2Little River 41.6 38.4 44.0 United States 37.7 36.3 39.0

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

D E M O G R A P H I C T A B L E S


32


County Male Female

Ratio (males

per 100 females)

County Male Female

Ratio (males

per 100 females)

Arkansas 8,798 9,771 90.0 Logan 10,961 10,974 99.9Ashley 10,185 10,804 94.3 Lonoke 35,076 36,203 96.9Baxter 19,848 21,144 93.9 Madison 7,918 7,843 101.0Benton 121,493 123,738 98.2 Marion 8,105 8,299 97.7Boone 18,285 19,016 96.2 Miller 21,577 22,089 97.7Bradley 5,485 5,611 97.8 Mississippi 21,480 22,719 94.5Calhoun 2,679 2,531 105.8 Monroe 3,509 4,033 87.0Carroll 13,639 14,051 97.1 Montgomery 4,529 4,571 99.1Chicot 5,452 5,737 95.0 Nevada 4,489 4,179 107.4Clark 10,769 11,915 90.4 Newton 4,013 3,975 101.0Clay 7,490 7,712 97.1 Ouachita 11,647 13,081 89.0Cleburne 12,731 12,856 99.0 Perry 5,104 5,142 99.3Cleveland 4,216 4,205 100.3 Phillips 9,353 10,576 88.4Columbia 11,514 12,654 91.0 Pike 5,412 5,605 96.6Conway 10,306 10,754 95.8 Poinsett 11,833 12,298 96.2Craighead 50,128 52,756 95.0 Polk 9,887 10,403 95.0Crawford 30,446 31,481 96.7 Pope 31,051 32,056 96.9Crittenden 23,382 26,129 89.5 Prairie 4,093 4,241 96.5Cross 8,379 8,950 93.6 Pulaski 187,819 203,987 92.1Dallas 3,748 3,990 93.9 Randolph 8,679 8,905 97.5Desha 5,608 6,626 84.6 St. Francis 14,625 12,398 118.0Drew 9,034 9,654 93.6 Saline 56,728 58,849 96.4Faulkner 59,053 61,364 96.2 Scott 5,397 5,264 102.5Franklin 8,795 9,004 97.7 Searcy 3,974 3,964 100.3Fulton 6,031 6,155 98.0 Sebastian 62,214 65,137 95.5Garland 46,875 50,244 93.3 Sevier 8,586 8,607 99.8Grant 8,867 9,179 96.6 Sharp 8,345 8,682 96.1Greene 21,558 22,187 97.2 Stone 6,341 6,162 102.9Hempstead 10,653 11,555 92.2 Union 19,599 20,735 94.5Hot Spring 17,232 16,208 106.3 Van Buren 8,363 8,529 98.1Howard 6,493 6,994 92.8 Washington 109,797 110,133 99.7Independence 17,995 19,035 94.5 White 38,642 40,181 96.2Izard 6,980 6,481 107.7 Woodruff 3,266 3,607 90.5Jackson 8,579 8,916 96.2 Yell 10,731 10,985 97.7Jefferson 35,626 36,759 96.9 Southeast 101,893 103,659 98.3Johnson 12,928 13,097 98.7 Central 467,604 494,847 94.5Lafayette 3,498 3,629 96.4 Southwest 146,705 153,222 95.7Lawrence 8,310 8,605 96.6 Northeast 228,234 237,273 96.2Lee 5,575 4,206 132.5 Northwest 512,258 522,777 98.0Lincoln 8,622 5,313 162.3 Arkansas 1,456,694 1,511,778 96.4Little River 6,266 6,350 98.7 United States ######### ######### 96.9

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Number of Women and Men, Arkansas Counties, State, and United States


33

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County Appendix III: Demographic Tables

APPENDIX IIIM

ISSING DATA

Median Earnings Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Number of Missing Counties 37.3% 28 Number of Missing Counties 37.3% 28 Number of Missing Counties 42.7% 32Northwest 66.7% 14 66.7% 14 71.4% 15Northeast 41.2% 7 41.2% 7 35.3% 6

Central 20.0% 2 20.0% 2 30.0% 3Southwest 23.5% 4 23.5% 4 35.3% 6Southeast 10.0% 1 10.0% 1 20.0% 2

Baxter County, Arkansas Northwest Baxter County, Arkansas Northwest Baxter County, Arkansas NorthwestBoone County, Arkansas Northwest Boone County, Arkansas Northwest Boone County, Arkansas NorthwestCalhoun County, Arkansas Southwest Calhoun County, Arkansas Southwest Calhoun County, Arkansas SouthwestCarroll County, Arkansas Northwest Carroll County, Arkansas Northwest Clay County, Arkansas NortheastClay County, Arkansas Northeast Clay County, Arkansas Northeast Cleburne County, Arkansas NorthwestCleburne County, Arkansas Northwest Cleburne County, Arkansas Northwest Cleveland County, Arkansas SoutheastCleveland County, Arkansas Southeast Cleveland County, Arkansas Southeast Conway County, Arkansas CentralFranklin County, Arkansas Northwest Franklin County, Arkansas Northwest Franklin County, Arkansas NorthwestFulton County, Arkansas Northwest Fulton County, Arkansas Northwest Fulton County, Arkansas NorthwestGreene County, Arkansas Northeast Greene County, Arkansas Northeast Grant County, Arkansas SoutheastHot Spring County, Arkansas Central Hot Spring County, Arkansas Central Greene County, Arkansas NortheastIndependence County, Arkansas Northeast Independence County, Arkansas Northeast Hot Spring County, Arkansas CentralIzard County, Arkansas Northwest Izard County, Arkansas Northwest Independence County, Arkansas NortheastJackson County, Arkansas Northeast Jackson County, Arkansas Northeast Izard County, Arkansas NorthwestLawrence County, Arkansas Northeast Lawrence County, Arkansas Northeast Lawrence County, Arkansas NortheastLogan County, Arkansas Northwest Logan County, Arkansas Northwest Logan County, Arkansas NorthwestMadison County, Arkansas Northwest Madison County, Arkansas Northwest Madison County, Arkansas NorthwestMarion County, Arkansas Northwest Marion County, Arkansas Northwest Marion County, Arkansas NorthwestMontgomery County, Arkansas Southwest Montgomery County, Arkansas Southwest Montgomery County, Arkansas SouthwestNevada County, Arkansas Southwest Nevada County, Arkansas Southwest Nevada County, Arkansas SouthwestNewton County, Arkansas Northwest Newton County, Arkansas Northwest Newton County, Arkansas NorthwestPerry County, Arkansas Central Perry County, Arkansas Central Perry County, Arkansas CentralPike County, Arkansas Southwest Pike County, Arkansas Southwest Pike County, Arkansas SouthwestPrairie County, Arkansas Northeast Prairie County, Arkansas Northeast Polk County, Arkansas SouthwestRandolph County, Arkansas Northeast Randolph County, Arkansas Northeast Pope County, Arkansas NorthwestSearcy County, Arkansas Northwest Searcy County, Arkansas Northwest Prairie County, Arkansas NortheastStone County, Arkansas Northwest Stone County, Arkansas Northwest Randolph County, Arkansas NortheastVan Buren County, Arkansas Northwest Van Buren County, Arkansas Northwest Scott County, Arkansas Southwest

Searcy County, Arkansas NorthwestSharp County, Arkansas NorthwestStone County, Arkansas NorthwestVan Buren County, Arkansas Northwest

NorthwestNortheastCentral

Percent of females 25 years and over with less than a

high school diplomaRatio of Median Earnings

Southeast


SouthwestSoutheast

Southwest

Number Missing

Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Percent of Females in Management, Business,

Science, and Arts Occupations

Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Number of Missing Counties 24.0% 18 Number of Missing Counties 62.7% 47 Number of Missing Counties 8.0% 661.9% 13 Northwest 76.2% 16 14.3% 317.6% 3 Northeast 70.6% 12 0.0% 010.0% 1 Central 20.0% 2 10.0% 15.9% 1 Southwest 64.7% 11 5.9% 10.0% 0 Southeast 60.0% 6 10.0% 1

Baxter County, Arkansas Northwest Arkansas County, Arkansas Southeast Carroll County, Arkansas NorthwestClay County, Arkansas Northeast Ashley County, Arkansas Southeast Dallas County, Arkansas SouthwestCleburne County, Arkansas Northwest Baxter County, Arkansas Northwest Lincoln County, Arkansas SoutheastFranklin County, Arkansas Northwest Boone County, Arkansas Northwest Newton County, Arkansas NorthwestFulton County, Arkansas Northwest Bradley County, Arkansas Southeast Perry County, Arkansas CentralIzard County, Arkansas Northwest Calhoun County, Arkansas Southwest Stone County, Arkansas NorthwestLawrence County, Arkansas Northeast Carroll County, Arkansas NorthwestLogan County, Arkansas Northwest Clay County, Arkansas NortheastMadison County, Arkansas Northwest Cleburne County, Arkansas NorthwestMarion County, Arkansas Northwest Cleveland County, Arkansas SoutheastMontgomery County, Arkansas Southwest Conway County, Arkansas CentralNewton County, Arkansas Northwest Cross County, Arkansas NortheastPerry County, Arkansas Central Dallas County, Arkansas SouthwestRandolph County, Arkansas Northeast Franklin County, Arkansas NorthwestSearcy County, Arkansas Northwest Fulton County, Arkansas NorthwestSharp County, Arkansas Northwest Grant County, Arkansas SoutheastStone County, Arkansas Northwest Greene County, Arkansas NortheastVan Buren County, Arkansas Northwest Howard County, Arkansas Southwest

Independence County, Arkansas NortheastIzard County, Arkansas NorthwestJackson County, Arkansas NortheastJohnson County, Arkansas NorthwestLafayette County, Arkansas SouthwestLawrence County, Arkansas NortheastLee County, Arkansas NortheastLincoln County, Arkansas SoutheastLittle River County, Arkansas SouthwestLogan County, Arkansas NorthwestMadison County, Arkansas NorthwestMarion County, Arkansas NorthwestMonroe County, Arkansas NortheastMontgomery County, Arkansas SouthwestNevada County, Arkansas SouthwestNewton County, Arkansas NorthwestPerry County, Arkansas CentralPike County, Arkansas SouthwestPoinsett County, Arkansas NortheastPolk County, Arkansas SouthwestPrairie County, Arkansas NortheastRandolph County, Arkansas NortheastScott County, Arkansas SouthwestSearcy County, Arkansas NorthwestSharp County, Arkansas NorthwestStone County, Arkansas NorthwestVan Buren County, Arkansas NorthwestWoodruff County, Arkansas NortheastYell County, Arkansas Southwest

Percent of women 16 years and older in the Civilian

labor force

Percent of female householder, households below poverty level, with

children below 18


SouthwestSoutheast


SouthwestSoutheast

34

Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Proportion Missing

Number Missing

Number of Missing Counties 32.0% 24 Number of Missing Counties 40.0% 30 Number of Missing Counties 66.7% 5066.7% 14 71.4% 15 81.0% 1723.5% 4 35.3% 6 64.7% 1110.0% 1 10.0% 1 30.0% 323.5% 4 35.3% 6 76.5% 1310.0% 1 20.0% 2 60.0% 6

Baxter County, Arkansas Northwest Boone County, Arkansas Northwest Arkansas County, Arkansas SoutheastBoone County, Arkansas Northwest Carroll County, Arkansas Northwest Baxter County, Arkansas NorthwestCarroll County, Arkansas Northwest Clay County, Arkansas Northeast Boone County, Arkansas NorthwestClay County, Arkansas Northeast Cleburne County, Arkansas Northwest Bradley County, Arkansas SoutheastCleburne County, Arkansas Northwest Cleveland County, Arkansas Southeast Calhoun County, Arkansas SouthwestCleveland County, Arkansas Southeast Franklin County, Arkansas Northwest Carroll County, Arkansas NorthwestFranklin County, Arkansas Northwest Fulton County, Arkansas Northwest Clay County, Arkansas NortheastFulton County, Arkansas Northwest Grant County, Arkansas Southeast Cleburne County, Arkansas NorthwestGreene County, Arkansas Northeast Greene County, Arkansas Northeast Cleveland County, Arkansas SoutheastIzard County, Arkansas Northwest Independence County, Arkansas Northeast Conway County, Arkansas CentralLawrence County, Arkansas Northeast Izard County, Arkansas Northwest Cross County, Arkansas NortheastLogan County, Arkansas Northwest Johnson County, Arkansas Northwest Dallas County, Arkansas SouthwestMadison County, Arkansas Northwest Lawrence County, Arkansas Northeast Drew County, Arkansas SoutheastMarion County, Arkansas Northwest Logan County, Arkansas Northwest Franklin County, Arkansas NorthwestMontgomery County, Arkansas Southwest Madison County, Arkansas Northwest Fulton County, Arkansas NorthwestNewton County, Arkansas Northwest Marion County, Arkansas Northwest Grant County, Arkansas SoutheastPerry County, Arkansas Central Montgomery County, Arkansas Southwest Greene County, Arkansas NortheastPike County, Arkansas Southwest Nevada County, Arkansas Southwest Hempstead County, Arkansas SouthwestPolk County, Arkansas Southwest Newton County, Arkansas Northwest Hot Spring County, Arkansas CentralRandolph County, Arkansas Northeast Perry County, Arkansas Central Howard County, Arkansas SouthwestScott County, Arkansas Southwest Pike County, Arkansas Southwest Independence County, Arkansas NortheastSearcy County, Arkansas Northwest Polk County, Arkansas Southwest Izard County, Arkansas NorthwestStone County, Arkansas Northwest Prairie County, Arkansas Northeast Jackson County, Arkansas NortheastVan Buren County, Arkansas Northwest Randolph County, Arkansas Northeast Johnson County, Arkansas Northwest

Scott County, Arkansas Southwest Lafayette County, Arkansas SouthwestSearcy County, Arkansas Northwest Lawrence County, Arkansas NortheastSharp County, Arkansas Northwest Lincoln County, Arkansas SoutheastStone County, Arkansas Northwest Little River County, Arkansas SouthwestVan Buren County, Arkansas Northwest Logan County, Arkansas NorthwestYell County, Arkansas Southwest Madison County, Arkansas Northwest

Marion County, Arkansas NorthwestMonroe County, Arkansas NortheastMontgomery County, Arkansas SouthwestNevada County, Arkansas SouthwestNewton County, Arkansas NorthwestPerry County, Arkansas CentralPike County, Arkansas SouthwestPoinsett County, Arkansas NortheastPolk County, Arkansas SouthwestPope County, Arkansas NorthwestPrairie County, Arkansas NortheastRandolph County, Arkansas NortheastScott County, Arkansas SouthwestSearcy County, Arkansas NorthwestSevier County, Arkansas SouthwestSharp County, Arkansas NorthwestStone County, Arkansas NorthwestVan Buren County, Arkansas NorthwestWoodruff County, Arkansas NortheastYell County, Arkansas Southwest


Percent of females 25 years and over with a high school

diploma (includes equivalency)

Percent of females 25 years and over with some college

or Associate's degree

Percent of females 25 years and over with a Bachelor's

degree or higher

Southeast


SouthwestSoutheast

Southwest


SouthwestSoutheast

35



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