Part of series
2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2000 2019 2018
Data updates
Updated annually and as new data becomes available
Get email notifications -->
Media Contact
Neilsberg Research Media Relations
Share this page

Sharp County, Arkansas

County in AR, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

17,773
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

47.1
years ∙ half population younger than 47.1, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
17%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.3%
foreign-born population
98.7%Native
1.3% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Sharp County is a county in Arkansas, United States.
Location
County in AR, US
Co-ordinates
DEC36.173399° N, 91.471069° W
DMS36° 10′ 24.24″ N, 91° 28′ 15.85″ W

Population Density & area

29.4/sq mi (11.35/km²)
Total Area
606.6 sq mi (1,571.2 km²)
Land Area
604.6 sq mi (1,566 km²) · 99.67%
Water Area
2 sq mi (5.2 km²) · 0.33%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.9% male
Male 48.9%
Female 51.1%
males per 100 females
Sharp County 95.7
Arkansas 97.5
United States 98

Nativity

1.3%
foreign-born population
98.7%Native
1.3% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Sharp County 1.3%
Arkansas 5.4%
United States 14.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

47.1
years ∙ half population younger than 47.1, half older
Sharp County
47.1
Arkansas
38.5
United States
38.9

Dependency ratio

Low High
84.8
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Sharp County 84.8
Arkansas 68.6
United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 20.4% 23.1% 22%
Working age (18-64) 54.1% 59.3% 60.8%
Senior (65+) 25.5% 17.6% 17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 84.8 68.6 64.4
Child dependency ratio 37.7 39 36.1
Old-age dependency ratio 47.1 29.6 28.3
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
90.9%
Black
0.5%
Asian
0.7%
Hispanic
2.5%
Other
5.4%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
17%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Sharp County 17%
Arkansas 51.2%
United States 61.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Sharp County population
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Hispanic or Latino 2.5% 9% 19.3%
Mexican 2.1% 6.3% 11.3%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.3% 1.8%
Cuban 0.1% 0.1% 0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0.2% 2.4% 5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino 97.5% 91% 80.7%
One race 92.2% 84.7% 76.4%
White 90.9% 67.4% 57.4%
Black or African American 0.5% 14.6% 11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2% 0.3% 0.5%
Asian 0.7% 1.6% 5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0.4% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0% 0.3% 0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 5.3% 6.3% 4.3%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

66.3% family
Family 66.3%
Non family 33.7%
% family households
Sharp County 66.3%
Arkansas 64.6%
United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.56
persons per household
Sharp County
2.56
Arkansas
2.46
United States
2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Sharp County population
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Total households 6,856 1,205,987 129,227,496
Average houshold size 2.56 2.46 2.53
Family households 4,543 779,074 82,990,528
Average family size 3.19 3.06 3.14
Married couple family 3,528 566,646 60,637,388
Other families 1,015 212,428 22,353,140
Male householder 238 57,955 6,572,819
Female householder 777 154,473 15,780,321
Non-family households 2,313 426,913 46,236,968
One-person households 1,979 360,000 37,140,836
Male householder 873 165,673 16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone 340 51,376 5,225,110
Female householder 1,106 194,327 20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone 729 99,092 10,089,070
Other living arrangements 334 66,913 9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

9,525
housing units
Sharp County 9,525
Arkansas 1,394,673
United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

72% occupied
Occupied 72%
Vacant 28%
vacancy rate
Sharp County 28%
Arkansas 13.5%
United States 10.1%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

82.6%
Single family houses
Single family houses
82.6%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
4.8%
Mobile homes
12.2%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0.4%

Median Year Built

1979
Half of houses were built before 1979, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
3%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
20.2%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
63.2%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
13.7%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.4 5.5 5.5
1–3 rooms 11.5% 11.6% 15.1%
4–6 rooms 58.4% 58.6% 51.6%
7+ rooms 30.1% 29.8% 33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 1.7% 1.9% 2.9%
1 bedroom 6.2% 7.6% 10.9%
2 bedrooms 35.7% 24.5% 25%
3 bedrooms 43.4% 48.9% 38.7%
4+ bedrooms 13% 17.1% 22.4%
At a glance
Median year built 1979 1988 1981
Total housing units 9,525 1,394,673 143,775,355
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

78.8% owners
Renter-occupied 21.2%
Owner-occupied 78.8%
homeownership rate
Sharp County 78.8%
Arkansas 66.4%
United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.65
Owner-occupied
2.25
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Sharp County 2.65
Arkansas 2.54
United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Total occupied units 6,856 1,205,987 129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later 22.3% 26.4% 24.8%
2010 to 2019 41.8% 39.9% 39.6%
2000 to 2009 16.5% 16% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 19.4% 17.6% 19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 98.5% 97.3% 96.6%
1.01 to 1.50 0.8% 1.8% 2.2%
1.51 or more 0.7% 0.8% 1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 5% 5.9% 8.4%
1 vehicle 34.3% 33.2% 33.1%
2 vehicles 34.8% 37.8% 36.6%
3 or more vehicles 26% 23.2% 21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas 38.4% 42.8% 51.4%
Electricity 53.9% 53.7% 41.3%
Solar 0% 0.2% 0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.1% 3.9%
All other fuels 7.5% 2.9% 2%
No fuel used 0.2% 0.5% 1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 1.7% 0.6% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 2.3% 1% 0.8%
No telephone service available 1.2% 1% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$105,100
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Sharp County
$105,100
Arkansas
$188,000
United States
$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

34.6%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
34.6%
Owners without a mortgage
15%
Renters
37.8%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Property value
Median Value $105,100 $188,000 $332,700
Under $100,000 48% 24.4% 11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000 25.9% 28.6% 15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000 12.7% 21.7% 17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000 9.7% 17.2% 26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 3.3% 6.7% 20.9%
$1,000,000 and more 0.3% 1.4% 7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 45.1% 52.8% 60.6%
Without a mortgage 54.9% 47.2% 39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,105 $1,345 $1,963
Without a mortgage $381 $437 $638
Gross rent
Median rent $766 $947 $1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

13.9%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Sharp County 13.9%
Arkansas 25.7%
United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

13.8%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Sharp County 13.8%
Arkansas 11.3%
United States 10.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

3,141
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
7.4%
K–12
80.5%
College / Undergraduate
10.3%
Graduate / Professional
1.7%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

20.9%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Sharp County
20.9%
Arkansas
33.4%
United States
40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Total enrolled (age 3+) 3,141 707,273 80,089,790
Nursery / preschool 7.4% 6.1% 5.7%
K–12 80.5% 71.7% 67.6%
Kindergarten 4.6% 5.3% 5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 27.6% 21.7% 19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 22.6% 22.3% 21%
High School: Grades 9–12 25.7% 22.4% 21.7%
College or graduate school 12% 22.2% 26.7%
College, undergraduate 10.3% 17.9% 21%
Graduate, professional school 1.7% 4.2% 5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 20.9% 33.4% 40.9%
School type
Public school 86.9% 86.4% 82%
Private school 13.1% 13.6% 18%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

12,894
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
3.5%
9th-12th, no diploma
10.3%
HS graduate
38.6%
Some college no degree
25.5%
Associates degree
8.3%
Bachelors degree
9.8%
Graduate or professional degree
4.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
67.8% · 32.2%
9th-12th, no diploma
56.5% · 43.5%
HS graduate
52.5% · 47.5%
Some college no degree
40.5% · 59.5%
Associates degree
32.8% · 67.2%
Bachelors degree
50.6% · 49.4%
Graduate or professional degree
42.3% · 57.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Population (25+) 12,894 2,059,172 230,807,303
Less than 9th grade 3.5% 4.3% 4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 10.3% 7% 5.7%
High school diploma or GED 38.6% 34.1% 26%
Some college, no degree 25.5% 20.7% 19.1%
Associate's degree 8.3% 8.2% 8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 13.9% 25.7% 35.7%
Bachelor's degree 9.8% 16.3% 21.6%
Graduate or professional 4.1% 9.5% 14.1%
High School or higher 86.2% 88.7% 89.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$34,245
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$28,841
HS graduate
$33,671
Some college or associates
$30,819
Bachelors degree
$49,798
Graduate or professional degree
$50,625

Poverty Rate

8.9%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
28.7%
HS graduate
16.1%
Some college or associates
17%
Bachelors degree or higher
8.9%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Sharp County Arkansas United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $34,245 $44,499 $52,696
Less than high school graduate $28,841 $31,882 $32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $33,671 $36,880 $40,153
Some college or associate's degree $30,819 $41,256 $47,260
Bachelor's degree $49,798 $57,697 $70,044
Graduate or professional degree $50,625 $74,020 $90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 28.7% 26.8% 24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 16.1% 17.1% 14.4%
Some college or associate's degree 17% 11.9% 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 8.9% 4.7% 4.5%

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research Avatar
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

Cite this page


			
			 	 
			 
	      
Url to be used as reference

			
				
				
		
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal or tax advice. We recommend that you consult with a qualified professional such as a lawyer or accountant before making a decision. Many of the products and services featured here are from our affiliate partners. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Read advertiser disclosure.