Highlights:
2023: Arkansas Was America’s 45th Best State To Live In As Measured By Housing Costs, Income Growth, Education Rate, And Quality Of Hospitals, Among Other Indicators. According to WalletHub, “If you do the math, some states clearly outshine others in various categories. To find out the best states to live, WalletHub compared the 50 states based on 51 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs and income growth to the education rate and quality of hospitals.” Arkansas ranked 45th. [WalletHub, 8/14/23]
Arkansas Ranked 12th Among States With The Most People In Financial Distress. According to WalletHub, “In order to shed light on the financial troubles experienced by people across the U.S., and to show where those difficulties are most pronounced, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across nine key metrics. Our data set includes factors like the average credit score, the change in the number of bankruptcy filings between September 2022 and September 2023, and the share of people with accounts in distress.” Arkansas ranked 12th. [WalletHub, 11/30/23]
Arkansas Ranked In The Top Third In Both People And Percentage Of People In Economic Distress. According to WalletHub, Arkansas ranked 16th in both people with accounts in distress and average number of accounts in distress, which WalletHub defined an account in distress as one which either is in forbearance or has its payments deferred. [WalletHub, 11/30/23]
Arkansas Ranked 48th In The America’s Health Rankings Report. According to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, “Arkansas is again near the bottom of all states in the latest America’s Health Rankings report, released Tuesday, Dec. 5, by the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association. The report ranks Arkansas as the 48th healthiest state in the nation, the same position the state held in the past two years’ reports. Arkansas’s highest-ever ranking was 40th in the 1993 and 2009 reports. The annual report analyzes 81 health measures from 31 national- and state-level data sources to identify current or emerging public health successes and challenges. It focuses on five categories of health — social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors, and health outcomes — with the objective to inform and drive action to build healthier communities.” [Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, 12/7/23]
Arkansas Ranked Last In Health Outcomes According To America’s Health Rankings Report. According to the 2023 Annual Report on America’s Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association, Arkansas ranked last among the 50 states in health outcomes, including finishing in the bottom half of states in mental distress, non-medical drug use, premature deaths, physical distress, low birth weights, multiple chronic conditions, and obesity. [America’s Health Rankings, December 2023]
Arkansas Ranked 49th In Social And Economic Factors According To America’s Health Rankings Report. According to the 2023 Annual Report on America’s Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association, Arkansas ranked 49th among the 50 states in social and economic factors, including finishing in the bottom half of states in homicides, occupational fatalities, economic hardship, food insecurity, income inequality, reading proficiency, high school completion, adverse childhood experiences, access to high speed internet, volunteer rates, and voter participation. [America’s Health Rankings, December 2023]
Arkansas Ranked 45th Nationally In Clinical Care. According to the 2023 Annual Report on America’s Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association, Arkansas ranked 45th among the 50 states in clinical care, including finishing in the bottom half of states in avoiding care due to cost, number of primary care, dental, and mental health providers, percentage of the population uninsured, child immunizations, colorectal cancer screenings, dental visits, flu vaccinations, HOV vaccinations, and preventable hospitalizations. [America’s Health Rankings, December 2023]
Arkansas Ranked In The Top Five States for Drinking Water Violations. According to the 2023 Annual Report on America’s Health Rankings from the United Health Foundation and the American Public Health Association, Arkansas ranked 47th among the 50 states on the average number of drinking water violations per community water system. [America’s Health Rankings, December 2023]
Arkansas Ranked 37th In The Nation In Services And Support Systems For The Elderly, Disabled, And Caregivers. According to AARP’s 2023 LTSS State Scorecard, Arkansas ranked 37th in long-term services and support systems. [AARP, 9/28/23]
2023: More Than 427,000 Arkansans Lost Medicaid Coverage. According to Talk Business & Politics, “Arkansas’ Medicaid rolls fell by more than 53,000 in September, the final month for redetermination for eligibility, according to new figures released by the state Department of Human Services on Monday (Oct. 9). In September, more than 45,000 cases were renewed after eligibility was confirmed, DHS said. Arkansas is unwinding, or redetermining, Medicaid eligibility for patients as part of the ending of the federal COVID-19 pandemic. There was a continuous enrollment requirement during the crisis that prevented DHS from removing most ineligible individuals from Medicaid. State law requires the unwinding process be completed in six months. September was the sixth month. In its final month of redetermination, DHS officials said 53,553 Arkansans had their Medicaid cases closed – a number that includes those added to the rolls during the public health emergency and regular renewals. Over the six-month period for disenrollment outlined in Arkansas law, more than 427,000 Arkansans were removed from the Medicaid rolls due to ineligibility, lack of paperwork, or because the client requested removal. At its peak, more than 1.2 million citizens were enrolled in Arkansas Medicaid program.” [Talk Business & Politics, 10/9/23]
Little Rock, North Little Rock, And Pine Bluff, AR, Were Ranked Among The Most Dangerous Cities In The U.S. According to KARK, “Three cities in Central Arkansas ranked among the most dangerous cities and towns in the United States. That’s according to a recent study by the company Money Geek. Those cities are Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Pine Bluff.” [KARK, 12/26/23]
Arkansas Was Ranked The 5th Worst State For Bullying. According to Innerbody, “In this study, we aimed to support Bullying Prevention Month by creating a state ranking to understand which states are struggling the most with bullying and which appear to be successfully addressing it. We utilized a variety of data sources and collected survey responses to understand the extent of the bullying issue across the United States.” Arkansas was ranked as 5th. [Innerbody, 10/10/23]
Arkansas Was Ranked 43rd In Overall Child Well-Being. According to KARK, “A recent report ranked Arkansas near the bottom nationally for child well-being. The 2023 KIDS COUNT data book ranked Arkansas 43rd in overall child well-being. The report considered multiple factors, including access to quality early childhood education programs.” [KARK, 6/14/23]
WalletHub Ranked Arkansas As The 9th Worst State For Children’s Health Care. According to HealthExec, “Massachusetts is the best state in the nation when it comes to children’s healthcare, according to a new ranking from WalletHub. […] Here are the 10 worst states for children’s healthcare: […] 9. Arkansas.” [HealthExec, 4/11/23]