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

Population and Electorate in the United States and Arkansas, 2012
  • 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

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Arkansas and the United States, 2012
  • 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

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Arkansas and the United States, by Race and Ethnicity, 2012
  • 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.