Prairie County, Arkansas: commercial real estate data.
Prairie County, Arkansas had an estimated 7,935 residents on July 1, 2024, down 4.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 8,283, across 648 square miles. County output reached $267.4 m in 2024, 136 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 3 7(a) approvals worth $6.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Prairie County
How many people live in Prairie County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20248,064
- Households3,256
- Average household size2.48
- Median household income$51,646
- Median age45.7
- Median gross rent$625 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$96,400
- Home value to household income1.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher18.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over5,803
- Population under 181,660
- Share under 1820.6 percent
- Population 65 and over1,900
- Share 65 and over23.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,504
- Civilian labor force3,585
- Unemployment rate3.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.0 percent
- Rank by population among Arkansas counties67th of 75
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2651st of 3,222
Prairie County is the 67th largest of 75 Arkansas counties by population. A median home costs 1.9 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.6 percent against 20.6 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Prairie County
Is Prairie County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20247,935
- Census 2020 base population8,283
- Population change since the 2020 census base-4.20 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-77
- Births, 202477
- Deaths, 2024136
- Natural change, 2024-59
- Net domestic migration, 2024-24
- Net international migration, 20247
- Total net migration, 2024-17
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-21
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2923rd of 3,144
The county has lost 4.20 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Prairie County
Where are people moving to Prairie County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving183
- People arriving, from those returns355
- Tax returns filed by households leaving169
- Net household movement14
- Adjusted gross income arriving$7.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-366,000
- Average income of an arriving household$38,322
- Average income of a leaving household$43,663
- Largest single originLonoke County (48 households)
- Largest single destinationLonoke County (35 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lonoke County | 48 | 106 | $2.1 m |
| White County | 29 | 58 | $1.1 m |
| Pulaski County | 28 | 49 | $1.0 m |
Households arriving report $5,341 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Lonoke 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.
Prairie County
What is the Prairie County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$267.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$294.6 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-9.2 percent
- GDP change over five years29.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Arkansas areas BEA publishes66th of 75
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2765th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$33,158
Output grew -9.2 percent in the latest year and 29.3 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.
Prairie County
Employment by industry in Prairie County
- Covered employment, annual average1,562
- Establishments reporting220
- Average annual pay$45,818
- Average weekly wage$881
- Health care and social assistance, employment284
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$40,994
- Retail trade, employment206
- Retail trade, average annual pay$36,878
- Manufacturing, employment148
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$46,157
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment144
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, average annual pay$61,743
- Wholesale trade, employment79
- Transportation and warehousing, employment52
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 284 | 22 | $40,994 |
| Retail trade | 206 | 28 | $36,878 |
| Manufacturing | 148 | 4 | $46,157 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 144 | 40 | $61,743 |
| Wholesale trade | 79 | 15 | $75,802 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 52 | 9 | $50,848 |
| Construction | 49 | 13 | $51,710 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 284 jobs, 18.2 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Prairie County
How many businesses are in Prairie County?
- Establishments, all industries136
- Employment at those establishments1,076
- Annual payroll$42.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents16.9
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.
Prairie County
Building permits in Prairie County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20245
- Declared construction value permitted$858,563
- Single family units authorized3
- Multifamily units authorized2
- Multifamily share of units40.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$171,713
- Units authorized per 1,000 households1.5
Multifamily is 40.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Prairie County
SBA loans in Prairie County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded3
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$6.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$2,061,900
- Median 7(a) approval$1,510,200
- Largest single approval$3,635,500
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)22
- Jobs per approval7.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals2
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer100.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter0
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals66.7 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Prairie County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Prairie County
Do SBA loans in Prairie County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
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.
Prairie County
How large is Prairie County?
- Land area648 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Arkansas counties38th of 75
- Width, east to west25 mi
- Height, north to south42.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land12
- Establishments per square mile0.21
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.
Prairie County
Flood risk in Prairie County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Prairie County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 050459
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Prairie 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 Prairie County (community 050459), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Prairie 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. 100.0 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 Prairie 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 Prairie County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20248,064
- Households3,256
- Average household size2.48
- Median household income$51,646
- Median age45.7
Common questions
Prairie County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Prairie County, Arkansas?
The Census Bureau estimates 7,935 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 8,064, in 3,256 households, ranking 67th of 75 Arkansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Prairie County's population growing?
The population has fallen 4.20 percent since the 2020 census base of 8,283, to 7,935 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 77 births against 136 deaths, with net migration of -17. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Prairie County?
$51,646. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $96,400, which is 1.9 times income, and median gross rent is $625 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Prairie County?
136 establishments, employing 1,076 people with an annual payroll of $42.5 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 Prairie County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 284 jobs, 18.2 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,562 jobs at an average annual pay of $45,818, or $881 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Prairie County?
3 7(a) approvals totaling $6.2 m since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $1,510,200. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Prairie County?
5 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $858,563. Multifamily was 40.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Prairie 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 Prairie County come from?
The largest single origin is Lonoke County, with 48 households. Arriving households report an average income of $38,322 against $43,663 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Prairie 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 Prairie 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.
Prairie County
Cities and places in Prairie.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Prairie County. All 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazen | city | 1,874 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Des Arc | city | 1,591 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| De Valls Bluff | city | 553 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ulm | town | 174 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fredonia (Biscoe) | town | 135 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby