Latinos in the 2014 Election: Arkansas

This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters¹ and other major groups of eligible voters in Arkansas.² All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey.³

Hispanics in Arkansas’s Eligible Voter Population

• The Hispanic population in Arkansas ranks 32nd in the nation.
• Arkansas’s population is 7% Hispanic, ranking 29th in Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
• There are 63,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Arkansas—ranking 34th in Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.4 million.
• Some 3% of Arkansas eligible voters are Hispanic, ranking 33rd in Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
• About one-third (32%) of Hispanics in Arkansas are eligible to vote, ranking Arkansas 47rd nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, 79% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

• Age. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Arkansas (36%) are ages 18 to 29, roughly equal to the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Arkansas eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
• Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Arkansas, 30% are naturalized U.S. citizens, higher than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S. Just 2% of all eligible voters in Arkansas and 8% in the U.S. overall are naturalized U.S. citizens.
• Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in Arkansas have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. About three-quarters (77%) of Hispanic eligible voters in Arkansas are of Mexican origin, 5% are of Puerto Rican origin, and 18% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, 59% are Mexican, 14% are Puerto Rican, and 27% are of some other Hispanic origin.
• Educational Attainment. About three-in-ten Latino eligible voters in Arkansas (28%) have not completed high school, double the 14% of all Arkansas eligible voters who have not completed high school and higher than the 23% of Hispanic eligible voters nationwide who have not completed high school.
• Homeownership. About half of Hispanic eligible voters in Arkansas (53%) live in owner-occupied homes, around the same as the share of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (56%). Greater shares of all eligible voters in Arkansas (68%) and all eligible voters nationwide (67%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Arkansas, by Race and Ethnicity

• Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Arkansas by about 27 to 1, and black eligible voters outnumber Hispanics by about 5 to 1.
• Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white and black eligible voters in Arkansas. Some 36% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters and 28% of black eligible voters.
• Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white and black eligible voters in Arkansas. Some 28% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 12% of white eligible voters and 19% of black eligible voters.
• Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (53%) are more likely than black eligible voters (47%) but less likely than white eligible voters (72%) to live in owner-occupied homes in Arkansas.