Ouachita County, Arkansas: commercial real estate data.
Ouachita County, Arkansas had an estimated 21,684 residents on July 1, 2024, down 4.3 percent since the 2020 census base of 22,648, across 733 square miles. County output reached $862.9 m in 2024, 465 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 9 7(a) approvals worth $3.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Ouachita County
How many people live in Ouachita County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202422,085
- Households8,624
- Average household size2.56
- Median household income$49,268
- Median age43.8
- Median gross rent$764 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$102,100
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher16.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over15,565
- Population under 184,909
- Share under 1822.2 percent
- Population 65 and over4,719
- Share 65 and over21.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6412,457
- Civilian labor force8,877
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over51.7 percent
- Rank by population among Arkansas counties29th of 75
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included1769th of 3,222
Ouachita County is the 29th largest of 75 Arkansas counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.2 percent against 21.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ouachita County
Is Ouachita County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202421,684
- Census 2020 base population22,648
- Population change since the 2020 census base-4.26 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-109
- Births, 2024231
- Deaths, 2024370
- Natural change, 2024-139
- Net domestic migration, 202432
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 202432
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-319
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2926th of 3,144
The county has lost 4.26 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ouachita County
Where are people moving to Ouachita County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving485
- People arriving, from those returns937
- Tax returns filed by households leaving488
- Net household movement-3
- Adjusted gross income arriving$20.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-1.7 m
- Average income of an arriving household$42,769
- Average income of a leaving household$46,082
- Largest single originUnion County (74 households)
- Largest single destinationUnion County (59 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County | 74 | 152 | $3.3 m |
| Columbia County | 30 | 59 | $824,000 |
| Dallas County | 27 | 59 | $1.0 m |
| Calhoun County | 24 | 42 | $975,000 |
| Pulaski County | 24 | 43 | $984,000 |
Households arriving report $3,313 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Union County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Ouachita County
What is the Ouachita County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$862.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$844.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.1 percent
- GDP change over five years30.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Arkansas areas BEA publishes36th of 75
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1966th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$39,073
Output grew 2.1 percent in the latest year and 30.3 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Ouachita County
Employment by industry in Ouachita County
- Covered employment, annual average7,057
- Establishments reporting568
- Average annual pay$48,303
- Average weekly wage$929
- Manufacturing, employment1,094
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$64,547
- Retail trade, employment925
- Retail trade, average annual pay$27,926
- Accommodation and food services, employment461
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$17,766
- Transportation and warehousing, employment288
- Transportation and warehousing, average annual pay$48,338
- Wholesale trade, employment253
- Construction, employment204
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,094 | 24 | $64,547 |
| Retail trade | 925 | 90 | $27,926 |
| Accommodation and food services | 461 | 35 | $17,766 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 288 | 26 | $48,338 |
| Wholesale trade | 253 | 19 | $54,162 |
| Construction | 204 | 39 | $53,845 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 165 | 15 | $35,859 |
| Finance and insurance | 158 | 30 | $54,444 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,094 jobs, 15.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ouachita County
How many businesses are in Ouachita County?
- Establishments, all industries465
- Employment at those establishments7,973
- Annual payroll$431.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.1
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ouachita County
Building permits in Ouachita County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ouachita County
SBA loans in Ouachita County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded9
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$3.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$354,278
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- Largest single approval$1,403,600
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)46
- Jobs per approval5.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals8
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer22.2 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter5
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ouachita County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Ouachita County
Do SBA loans in Ouachita County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure7
- Status: Cancelled1
Only 1 loan has reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ouachita County
How large is Ouachita County?
- Land area733 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Arkansas counties24th of 75
- Width, east to west31.8 mi
- Height, north to south31.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land30
- Establishments per square mile0.63
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ouachita County
Flood risk in Ouachita County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Ouachita County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 050161
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book8
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate62.5 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Ouachita County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Ouachita County (community 050161), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Ouachita County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 62.5 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Ouachita County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Ouachita County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202422,085
- Households8,624
- Average household size2.56
- Median household income$49,268
- Median age43.8
Common questions
Ouachita County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ouachita County, Arkansas?
The Census Bureau estimates 21,684 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 22,085, in 8,624 households, ranking 29th of 75 Arkansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ouachita County's population growing?
The population has fallen 4.26 percent since the 2020 census base of 22,648, to 21,684 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 231 births against 370 deaths, with net migration of 32. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ouachita County?
$49,268. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $102,100, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $764 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Ouachita County?
465 establishments, employing 7,973 people with an annual payroll of $431.8 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Ouachita County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,094 jobs, 15.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 7,057 jobs at an average annual pay of $48,303, or $929 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ouachita County?
9 7(a) approvals totaling $3.2 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Ouachita County?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ouachita County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Ouachita County come from?
The largest single origin is Union County, with 74 households. Arriving households report an average income of $42,769 against $46,082 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Ouachita County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Ouachita County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Ouachita County
Cities and places in Ouachita.
7 Census places lie wholly or partly in Ouachita County. All 7 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | city | 10,307 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Stephens | city | 1,099 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| East Camden | town | 1,026 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Bearden | city | 826 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Chidester | city | 305 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Louann | town | 119 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Reader | CDP | 43 | None recorded | 72.4 percent here, 27.6 percent Nevada County |
Nearby