Quality of Life Overview for Arkansas, Washington County

By Terrah Baker

It is said that the first step to solving a problem is recognizing that it’s there. That’s why each year since 2011 the Arkansas Community Foundation — with a mission to build community by “engaging people, connecting resources, and inspiring solutions” — releases a county-by-county look at the quality of life within the state.

The report, entitled Aspire Arkansas, covers everything from economics and education to health and community engagement. ACF President and CEO Heather Larkin said they use the report to measure where Arkansas stands and a guide to where they should go. Get the full report and specifics for your county at arcf.org/aspirearkansas

Here’s some of the numbers reported for Washington County during 2012:

Education

• Grade 3 literacy and Math: 72 – 84 % proficient
• Grade 8 literacy: 69 – 81 %, and Math: 53 – 70 % proficient
• Graduation Rate: 76.6 – 87.2 %
• Remediation Rate: 44.4 %
• Population 25 years+ with an associate’s degree: 4.8 %
• Population 25 years+ with a bachelor’s degree: 27.6 %
• Graduate or professional degree: 10.1 %

Health

• Infant mortality: 6.2 of 1,000 live births
• Low birth rate: 8.2 % of all births
• No prenatal care during first trimester: 19.5 % of all births
• Overweight/obese students (grades k – 10): 35.8 %
• Student drug usage during lifetime (grades 6 – 12): 25.5 %
• Adult obesity: 64.2 %
• Physically active adults: 54.2 % meet physical activity recommendations
• Smokers: 18.4 %
• Fluoridated Water: 99.3 % of county public water systems receiving fluoridated water

Families

• Birth to teens ages 11 – 17: 10 per 1,000 females
• Children in single-parent families: 31 %
• Single female-headed household: 16.8 %
• Children living in poverty: 27 %
• People living in poverty: 20 %
• Median household income: $39,230
• Unemployment rate: 6 %
• Median monthly mortgage: $1,214
• Median monthly rent: $671

Communities

• Voter participation: 52.4 %
• Charitable giving: 5.3 % of discretionary income

Numbers for Arkansas

• Graduation Rate: 82.7 % (ranked 44 in the U.S.)
• Associate’s degree completion: 5.9 % (ranked 49)
• Bachelor’s degree completion: 19.6 % (ranked 50)
• Graduate/professional degree completion: 6.6 % (ranked 51)
• Adult Obesity: 67.2 % (ranked 8 for most obese adults)
• Cigarette smokers: 22.9 % (ranked 4 for most smokers)
• Percent of children under 18 in single-parent families: 35.8 % (ranked 10 for highest rate)
• Children living in poverty: 27.8 % (ranked 5 for highest rate) (up from 24.6 % in 2006)
• People living in poverty: 19.3 % (ranked 4 for highest rate) (up from 17.3 % in 2006)
• Median household income: $38,889 (ranked 49) (up from $36,627 in 2006)
• Unemployment rate: 7.9 % (up from 5.3 % in 2006)
• Charitable giving: $1 billion or 6.3 % of discretionary income (ranked 7)