-
Nickname: Land of Opportunity
- Motto: Regnat
populus (The people rule)
- Flower: Apple blossom
- Bird: Mockingbird
- Area: 53,179 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 29th)
- Elevation: Ranges from 55 feet to 2,753 feet above sea
level
- Climate: Long hot summers, mild winters, ample
rainfall
- Admitted to Union: June 15, 1836
- Capital: Little Rock
- Head Official: Governor Michael D. Huckabee (R) (until
2007)
- Population
- 1980: 2,286,000
- 1990: 2,350,725
- 2000: 2,673,398
- 2003 estimate: 2,725,714
- Percent change, 1990–2000: 13.7%
- Percent change, 2000–2003: 2.0%
- U.S. rank in 2003: 32nd
- Percent of residents born in state: 63.9% (2000)
- Density: 51.3 people per square mile (2000)
- 2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 112,672
- Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)
- White: 2,138,598
- Black or African American: 418,950
- American Indian and Alaska Native: 17,808
- Asian: 20,220
- Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 1,668
- Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 86,866
- Other: 40,412
- Age Characteristics (2000)
- Population under 5 years old: 181,585
- Population 5 to 19 years old: 578,924
- Percent 65 years and over: 14.0%
- Median age: 35.3 years (2000)
- Vital Statistics
- Total number of births (2002): 37,437
- Total number of deaths (2001): 27,124 (infant deaths,
307)
- AIDS cases reported through 2003: 3,581
- Economy
- Major industries: Food products, agriculture, tourism,
manufacturing
- Unemployment rate: 5.6% (November 2004)
- Per capita income: $24,296 (2003; U.S. rank: 50th)
- Median household income: $33,259 (3-year average,
2001-2003)
- Percentage of persons below poverty level: 18.5%
(3-year average, 2001-2003)
- State income tax rate: Ranges from 1.0% to 7.0%
- State sales tax rate: 5.125%
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