Little Rock mom statistics at a glance
Little Rock mom statistics tell a story that is bigger than one city and more practical than a headline. They show a metro-scale city with a large share of families, a significant youth population, and clear pressure points around poverty, housing, childcare access, transportation, and maternal health.
For parents, caregivers, and anyone writing about family life in Arkansas, the numbers below help explain what day-to-day motherhood can look like in Little Rock. They also show why a city can have strong broadband access and educational attainment while still facing serious gaps in health, income, and transportation.
Fast facts
- Little Rock’s population estimate was 206,427 on July 1, 2025 (Census QuickFacts).
- 24.3% of residents were under age 18 (Census QuickFacts).
- 53.1% of residents were female (Census QuickFacts).
- 87,858 households were counted in 2020-2024 (Census QuickFacts).
- Median household income was $63,003 in 2020-2024 dollars (Census QuickFacts).
- 17.5% of residents were in poverty (Census QuickFacts).
- Median gross rent was $1,106 (Census QuickFacts).
- 12.4% of residents under 65 were uninsured (Census QuickFacts).
- Arkansas ranked second in the nation for infant mortality in 2023 (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment).
Table of contents
- Population and household context
- What the family structure looks like
- Income, housing, and cost pressure
- Education, work, and digital access
- Child and youth indicators that matter to moms
- Maternal and infant health indicators
- What these numbers suggest for Little Rock moms
Population and household context
Little Rock’s population estimate reached 206,427 on July 1, 2025, up from 204,774 on July 1, 2024 and 202,591 in the 2020 census (Census QuickFacts). That puts the city in a stable growth pattern rather than a sharp boom, with population growth of 1.9% from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (Census QuickFacts).
That matters for mothers because population growth shapes everything from school capacity to pediatric demand, housing availability, and traffic patterns. Even modest growth can change the strain on services when a city already has a large share of families and children.
A few baseline numbers help frame the scale:
- 2010 census population: 193,524 (Census QuickFacts).
- 2020 census population: 202,591 (Census QuickFacts).
- 2024 estimate: 204,774 (Census QuickFacts).
- 2025 estimate: 206,427 (Census QuickFacts).
- Population density: 1,687.6 people per square mile in 2020 (Census QuickFacts).
- Land area: 120.05 square miles in 2020 (Census QuickFacts).
That density is high enough to create urban-style access advantages, but the city still stretches across a large land area. For moms, that usually translates into a mix of proximity and friction: some neighborhoods may have quick access to services, while others still require planning for transport, child care drop-off, and work commute timing.
What the family structure looks like
Little Rock had 87,858 households in 2020-2024, with 2.26 persons per household (Census QuickFacts). Family households made up 56.9% of households in the 2019 ACS-based Consolidated Plan, while non-family households made up 43.1% (Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan).
For moms, the family-household share is important because it signals how much of the city’s housing stock is occupied by households likely to need child-oriented services. But household composition is not the same as parental support. A city can have many family households and still have a large share of single-parent households and solo caregivers.
The Consolidated Plan breaks out family structure in a way that is especially useful for understanding daily life:
- Married-couple families were 29,162 households, or 62.5% of family households in 2019 ACS (Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan).
- Other family households were 17,474 households, or 38.2% of family households in 2019 ACS (Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan).
- Male householder, no spouse present, totaled 3,490 households, or 20.0% of other family households (Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan).
- Female householder, no spouse present, totaled 13,984 households, or 82.0% of other family households (Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan).
- Households with one or more children age 6 or younger totaled 3,444 in the 2013-2017 CHAS-based table (Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan).
That last figure is useful because very young children create some of the highest-intensity time and budget demands. Childcare, transportation, health visits, and flexible work arrangements tend to matter more when children are under 6.
At-a-glance household table
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Households | 87,858 | Census QuickFacts |
| Persons per household | 2.26 | Census QuickFacts |
| Family households | 56.9% | Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan |
| Non-family households | 43.1% | Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan |
| Female householder, no spouse present | 13,984 households | Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan |
| Households with children age 6 or younger | 3,444 | Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan |
Income, housing, and cost pressure
Income and housing costs shape how much breathing room Little Rock moms actually have. The city’s median household income was $63,003 in 2020-2024 dollars, while per capita income was $43,712 (Census QuickFacts). Those are useful anchors, but they do not erase the cost pressure created by rent, mortgage costs, healthcare, and childcare.
Here are the most relevant cost indicators:
- Median value of owner-occupied housing units: $236,400 (Census QuickFacts).
- Median monthly owner cost with a mortgage: $1,646 (Census QuickFacts).
- Median monthly owner cost without a mortgage: $559 (Census QuickFacts).
- Median gross rent: $1,106 (Census QuickFacts).
- Owner-occupied housing unit rate: 53.5% in 2020-2024 (Census QuickFacts).
That mix tells you two things at once. First, housing is not cheap enough to ignore, especially for renters. Second, a large ownership share means many households are also handling mortgage costs or property-related expenses, which can squeeze family budgets in different ways than rent does.
The poverty numbers add more context. In 2020-2024, 17.5% of residents were in poverty (Census QuickFacts). In the 2019 Consolidated Plan, Little Rock had 32,408 people in poverty and a poverty rate of 16.6% (Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan).
Those two poverty figures are not identical because they come from different time windows, but together they point in the same direction: a meaningful share of the city is living close to the edge financially. For mothers, that often means choices about food, childcare, transportation, and medical visits are all connected.
Housing and income snapshot
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $63,003 | Census QuickFacts |
| Per capita income | $43,712 | Census QuickFacts |
| Median gross rent | $1,106 | Census QuickFacts |
| Median monthly owner cost with mortgage | $1,646 | Census QuickFacts |
| Owner-occupied rate | 53.5% | Census QuickFacts |
| Residents in poverty | 17.5% | Census QuickFacts |
Education, work, and digital access
Some of the strongest indicators in Little Rock are not about income alone. They are about capacity and access. For example, 92.6% of residents age 25+ were high school graduates or higher, and 44.6% had a bachelor’s degree or higher (Census QuickFacts). Those are solid education indicators for a city of this size.
Workforce participation is also substantial. 63.2% of residents age 16+ were in the civilian labor force, and 59.4% of residents age 16+ were in the civilian labor force and female (Census QuickFacts). That female labor-force participation is especially relevant for moms because it suggests many women in the city are balancing work and family life at the same time.
Little Rock also has strong digital access relative to many places:
- 96.1% of households had a computer (Census QuickFacts).
- 91.4% of households had a broadband subscription (Census QuickFacts).
- 13.5% of residents age 5+ spoke a language other than English at home (Census QuickFacts).
- 8.3% of residents were foreign-born in 2020-2024 (Census QuickFacts).
Those numbers matter because parenting today often depends on internet access for school portals, telehealth, work, and basic logistics. A household that lacks stable broadband can fall behind on everyday tasks even when the city overall looks digitally connected.
Practical reading of the education data
- High school completion suggests a broad baseline of human capital.
- Bachelor’s attainment near mid-40% suggests a sizable professional class.
- Female labor force participation suggests that work-family scheduling is a central issue.
- Broadband access above 90% suggests digital tools are widely available, though not universal.
Child and youth indicators that matter to moms
Little Rock’s youth numbers are the part of the dataset that most clearly explain why this topic matters to mothers. 24.3% of residents were under age 18, and 6.7% were under age 5 (Census QuickFacts). That means the city is not just a place where adults live and work; it is a city with a major child population.
Additional age and family indicators help sharpen the picture:
- 15.6% of residents were age 65 or older (Census QuickFacts).
- 53.1% of residents were female (Census QuickFacts).
- 86.0% of residents lived in the same house 1 year earlier (Census QuickFacts).
- 11.2% of residents under 65 had a disability (Census QuickFacts).
- 12.4% of residents under 65 were uninsured (Census QuickFacts).
The relative residential stability is worth noting. When 86.0% of residents live in the same house a year later, schools, neighbors, childcare networks, and community routines can become more durable (Census QuickFacts). That kind of stability can help families build support systems. At the same time, the uninsured rate and disability rate suggest many households are still carrying extra health-related burdens.
The city’s youth-focused planning data adds another layer. The combined youth areas population was about 112,000, with 31,304 youth age 0-17, about 67% of the city’s youth (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City). About 71% of youth in the combined areas were African-American, 24% were White, and 4% were Hispanic (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City).
That concentration matters because it suggests the needs of children and teens are not evenly distributed. Moms living in or near those areas may experience a very different access environment than the city average implies.
Youth and family pressure points
- Little Rock had about 28,000 married parent families (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City).
- Little Rock had about 7,600 single parent families (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City).
- About 5,600 single parent families were in the combined areas, or 74% of all single parent families in Little Rock (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City).
- 11,921 married parent families with children 0-17 lived in the five areas, or 43% of Little Rock’s married parent families with children (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City).
- About 7,661 Little Rock households, or 9%, did not have a vehicle (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City).
- About 6,160 of those no-vehicle households, or 80%, were in the five areas (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City).
Transportation is a hidden motherhood issue. If a family does not have a vehicle, everything from prenatal visits to school pick-up to grocery shopping becomes a scheduling puzzle. In some neighborhoods in the combined areas, 24% of households lacked a vehicle (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City), which means transportation barriers are not rare edge cases.
Maternal and infant health indicators
The strongest case for focusing on Little Rock mom statistics comes from Arkansas maternal and infant health data. These are statewide measures, but they shape the environment Little Rock mothers live in.
Start with postpartum care. Arkansas Medicaid covered 50-60% of all pregnancies annually, and pregnancy coverage ends at 60 days postpartum (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment). That cutoff matters because many physical and mental health needs continue well beyond 60 days after birth.
The postpartum-visit data shows both progress and gaps:
- Postpartum checkups within 12 weeks after birth fell from 88.3% in 2020 to 84.3% in 2023 in Arkansas (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment).
- Arkansas women younger than 20 had an 81.8% postpartum-checkup rate within 12 weeks (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment).
- Arkansas women age 20-24 had a 79.6% rate (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment).
- Arkansas women age 30-35 had a 90.1% rate (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment).
- Arkansas Black women had a 71.1% rate, while Arkansas White women had an 89.3% rate (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment).
- Among Arkansas women who attended postpartum visits, 68.6% received all recommended components in 2023 (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment).
That means it is not enough to ask whether a mom had a checkup. The quality and completeness of postpartum care also matter.
Maternal and infant health comparison table
| Indicator | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnancy-related deaths within 365 days after birth | 70% | Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment |
| Pregnancy-related deaths within first 42 days after birth | 50% | Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment |
| Arkansas counties that are maternity care deserts | 45.3% | Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment |
| U.S. maternity-care-desert rate | 32.6% | Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment |
| Arkansas births occurring in maternity care deserts | 15% | Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment |
| Arkansas infant mortality ranking | 2nd in the nation in 2023 | Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment |
| Arkansas neonatal mortality rate | 4.5 per 1,000 live births | Arkansas Department of Health Infant Mortality page |
| Arkansas post-neonatal mortality rate | 3.0 per 1,000 live births | Arkansas Department of Health Infant Mortality page |
| Arkansas maternal mortality rate, 2022 | 28.3 per 100,000 live births | Arkansas Department of Health Strategic Plan 2024-2029 |
The maternal mortality series is also important because it shows volatility across recent years:
- 2018: 32.5 per 100,000 live births (Arkansas Department of Health Strategic Plan 2024-2029).
- 2019: 30.2 per 100,000 live births (Arkansas Department of Health Strategic Plan 2024-2029).
- 2020: 42.6 per 100,000 live births (Arkansas Department of Health Strategic Plan 2024-2029).
- 2021: 58.5 per 100,000 live births (Arkansas Department of Health Strategic Plan 2024-2029).
- 2022: 28.3 per 100,000 live births (Arkansas Department of Health Strategic Plan 2024-2029).
That swing is a reminder that maternal health outcomes can change quickly and unevenly. A city like Little Rock does not exist apart from these statewide systems. If care access, insurance transitions, or follow-up visits break down anywhere in the system, moms feel it.
What these numbers suggest for Little Rock moms
If you step back from the individual figures, the pattern is pretty clear. Little Rock has enough scale, digital access, education, and labor-force participation to support family life, but the city also carries meaningful burdens in poverty, rent pressure, transportation access, and maternal health.
The numbers suggest a few practical realities for moms in Little Rock:
- Parenting is happening in a city with a sizable child population, not a small family pocket.
- Single-parent and female-householder households are significant enough to shape the lived experience of many neighborhoods (Little Rock 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan).
- Transportation access is not equal, especially in the youth-focused areas where no-vehicle households are concentrated (Little Rock Youth Demographics, Indicators, and Areas of the City).
- Broadband is widespread, but health access and insurance coverage are still incomplete for a notable share of residents (Census QuickFacts).
- Maternal and infant health indicators in Arkansas point to a system where timing, follow-up, and geography all matter (Title V Maternal & Child Health Services 2024 Needs Assessment; Arkansas Department of Health sources).
For anyone researching motherhood in Little Rock, the main takeaway is not that the city is one thing or another. It is that the data shows a layered environment. Some households have strong digital access, educational attainment, and housing stability. Others are dealing with poverty, no-vehicle constraints, and health-system gaps all at once.
Those contradictions are the real story behind Little Rock mom statistics.