Crime Down, Economy Up in Arkansas
By: Jesse Kloss
The state of Arkansas is quickly becoming a more attractive place to live, as the unemployment rate and crime rates are on the downfall, and median family income is on the rise. Total offenses are down across the state, even in typically high crime areas such as North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and West Memphis which saw significant decreases in overall crimes rates over the last three years. Regions of the state that are experiencing the most favorable economic conditions are northwest Arkansas and portions of the central region of the state. The median family income for the state of Arkansas overall was $44,183.00 in 2015, up from $42,917.00 in 2012.
The overall crime rate statewide has decreased by nearly an entire percent since 2012. West Memphis, North Little Rock, Flippin, and McRae experienced some of the most significant reductions in median overall crime rates of all localities. Seven of the ten localities with the highest overall crime rates saw reductions in crime per capita from 2012. Based on overall crime reductions, the state is safer now compared to the year 2012.
The locality with the highest median family income in the state of Arkansas was Cammack Village, a suburb of Little Rock, at $122,602. Maumelle, a city just northeast of Cammack Village, had the second highest median family income at $112,860. Of the top ten localities with the highest median family income levels, four were located in central Arkansas and the other six were located in the northwest region of the state. Other localities that experienced some of the largest economic booms in the last three years based on median family income include Bentonville, Fayetteville, and Rogers. These three localities saw increases in median family income of over $30,000 from 2012. This is evidence of northwest Arkansas’s favorable economic environment, as prominent corporations such as Wal-Mart, JB Hunt, and Dillard’s, are housed in the region. Central Arkansas houses the capitol city of Little Rock, which is the most populated city in the state and is the home for the headquarters of a number of national and multi-national companies as well.
The localities with the highest violent crime rates per capita were Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, and Blytheville. All saw notable reductions in violent crimes from 2012. Six of the top ten places with highest violent crime rates for 2015 saw reductions in their per-capita violent crime rates from 2012. The median violent crime rate for the entire state is down from 1.184% in 2012 to 1.076% in 2015. Other localities that experienced large decreases in violent crime rates include Ozark, Beebe, McRae, and Cammack Village.
The statewide unemployment rate in Arkansas has decreased by one percent since 2012, as more businesses are hiring within the state. Some of the southern regions of the state have not experienced the same level of economic growth and development as northwest Arkansas based on the unemployment rate. Localities in the southern region such as Lewisville, McGehee, and Rison saw significant increases in unemployment rates from 2012 to 2015, in contrast to the statewide decrease in the unemployment rate.
The median per capita property crime rate statewide is down almost an entire percent from 2012. Some of the localities that experienced the greatest reduction in property crime rates since 2012 were West Memphis, Helena-West Helena, and Pine Bluff, all of which have reputations as centers for crime in the state. Eight of the top ten places with highest property crime rates in 2015 saw reductions since 2012.
Overall, the state of Arkansas is experiencing economic growth and reductions in violent crimes, property crimes, and total offenses statewide. Regions experiencing the greatest economic growth are central and northwest Arkansas based on trends in median family income and unemployment rates. Based on these conditions, the state of Arkansas is improving across factors of median family income, unemployment rate, property crime rate per capita, violent crime rate per capita, and total offenses per capita. It is safe to say that Arkansas is a more desirable place to live than it was in 2012.
**I choose to do screenshots of important aspects of Tableau visualizations because with all cities and counties, it was so small it was impossible to read. I can add the images with all localities if that is better.
Excel sheets:
Tableau File- 2012 and 2015 AR
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