The 2025 U.S. Census Bureau data release, published in March, indicates a significant divergence in growth patterns among Arkansas counties. Faulkner County recorded a growth rate of 1.37 percent over the previous year, positioning it as the fourth fastest-growing county in the state. Faulkner County ranked third among all counties with more than 20,000 people. Only Benton (3.28 percent) and Washington (1.44 percent) counties grew faster among those counties.
Faulkner County’s growth was driven by a healthy mix of natural increase and net migration. Data shows that 80 percent of the county’s growth resulted from new movers, totaling 1,448 individuals. The remaining 20 percent of the growth was categorized as natural increase, where births exceeded deaths by a margin of 362.
On a national scale, Faulkner County is the 495th largest of the 3,144 counties in the U.S. In the 2025 rankings for growth rate, it placed 328th overall. When narrowed to the 500 largest counties in the nation, Faulkner County ranked 94th for its rate of expansion.
Arkansas’s ten largest counties experienced a wide variety of demographic changes.
- Pulaski County: Remained the state’s most populous with 404,611 residents, though its growth rate was 0.3 percent.
- Saline County: Recorded a growth rate of 1.15 percent, adding 1,519 residents.
- White County: Reported a 1.2 percent growth rate, fueled by a net migration of 1,080 individuals, which offset a natural decrease of 116.
- Garland County: Noted a population decline of 0.2 percent, losing 215 residents as a natural decrease of 652 outweighed a net migration of 432.
The Census Bureau’s March data release also included population estimates for the country’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The Little Rock MSA is made up of six central Arkansas counties and is currently the 80th largest in the United States. In 2025, the MSA experienced a total growth rate of 0.6 percent. Faulkner County’s 1.37 percent growth rate was more than double that of the regional average. Among the 100 largest MSAs in the country, the Little Rock MSA ranked 46th for growth.
The data confirms that while northwest Arkansas continues to lead the state in total population volume increases, Faulkner County remains the primary driver of demographic expansion within the central Arkansas corridor.
- Pulaski County
- County Seat: Little Rock (204,774)
- Population: 404,611
- 2025 Growth Rate: 0.3%
- Population Change: +1,217
- Natural Increase: +541
- Net Migration: +651
- Benton County
- County Seat: Bentonville (61,791)
- Population: 332,554
- 2025 Growth Rate: 3.3%
- Population Change: +10,553
- Natural Increase: +1,672
- Net Migration: +8,926
- Washington County
- County Seat: Fayetteville (103,134)
- Population: 217,213
- 2025 Growth Rate: 1.4%
- Population Change: +3,843
- Natural Increase: +1,359
- Net Migration: +2,451
- Faulkner County
- County Seat: Conway (70,711)
- Population: 133,979
- 2025 Growth Rate: 1.4%
- Population Change: +1,812
- Natural Increase: +362
- Net Migration: +1,448
- Saline County
- County Seat: Benton (36,595)
- Population: 133,288
- 2025 Growth Rate: 1.2%
- Population Change: +1,519
- Natural Increase: -46
- Net Migration: +1,569
- Sebastian County
- County Seat: Fort Smith (90,507)
- Population: 130,641
- 2025 Growth Rate: 0.2%
- Population Change: +318
- Natural Increase: +57
- Net Migration: +250
- Craighead County
- County Seat: Jonesboro (82,384)
- Population: 116,957
- 2025 Growth Rate: 0.5%
- Population Change: +579
- Natural Increase: +464
- Net Migration: +103
- Garland County
- County Seat: Hot Springs (37,920)
- Population: 99,695
- 2025 Growth Rate: -0.2%
- Population Change: -215
- Natural Increase: -652
- Net Migration: -432
- White County
- County Seat: Searcy (23,997)
- Population: 80,085
- 2025 Growth Rate: 1.2%
- Population Change: +957
- Natural Increase: -116
- Net Migration: +1,080
- Lonoke County
- County Seat: Lonoke (4,287)
- Population: 76,664
- 2025 Growth Rate: 0.4%
- Population Change: +274
- Natural Increase: +33
- Net Migration: +233
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