2015 State Report for County-Level Data: Employment

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Deb Brucker, Erin Dame, Adam Lavoie, Rachel Coleman, Kate Filanoski, Karen Volle, and Anna Brennan-Curry.

Funding for this publication is made possible by:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RTGE0001-01-00; and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC), also funded by NIDILRR, grant number 90RT5037-03-00. The information developed by the StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).

The StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC are part of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

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2015 Arkansas Report for County-Level Data: Employment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on

Disability Statistics and Demographics

A NIDILRR-Funded Center

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Introduction

The State Reports for County-Level Data on Employment are designed to provide the users of disability statistics with the employed count and employment rate for civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, for any given state and county in the United States (U.S.). This report is intended to be an online complement to Section 2: Employment of the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, providing greater detail within each state. The State Reports for County-Level Data on Employment can be used to compare county-level statistics between counties in any given state or states. The following report provides county-level statistics for Arkansas.

The proportion of the civilian non-institutionalized population with disabilities who are employed, sometimes called the employment rate or employment-to-population ratio, presented in the State Reports for County-Level Data is a useful tool for advocates, researchers, and policy-makers to plan and provide services and supports for the employment of people with disabilities. In this report, the employment of people with disabilities is presented as the number of employed civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, in a given state and county per total state and county populations, respectively. Counts and percentages (the employment rate) are provided in tables and maps.

The data for this report come from the American Community Survey 5-year data. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a national survey developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide information on a number of topics about social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. ACS 5-year data is collected over a longer period of time than 1-year data, providing larger sample sizes and increased reliability for less populated areas and small population subgroups. All of the statistics in this report use the ACS 5-year data which includes data from 2015, the year of the report, and data from the four previous years. In the ACS, people are identified as having a disability based on responses to a series of six questions asking about having difficulties with vision, hearing, ambulation, cognition, self-care, and independent living (see glossary for further details). 

 

 

 

In the ACS, people are also asked a series of questions designed to identify their employment status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups:

  • People who worked at any time during the reference week;
  • People on temporary layoff who were available for work;
  • People who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff);
  • People who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and
  • People not in the labor force. 

In the ACS, people are identified as being employed if they responded as having worked during the past week. 

Specific to Arkansas, the state chosen for this report, sentences providing interpretation and context for employment statistics are included on the following page. A short glossary of terms is also provided at the end of the report explaining the statistics that are illustrated in each sentence.

Additional Resources. The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and its complement, the Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, are summaries of statistics about people with disabilities, available both in hard copy and online at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org

Help navigating any of the resources described here can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org/faq. Assistance interpreting and locating additional statistics is available via our toll-free number, 866.538.9521, or by email, disability.statistics@unh.edu. For more information about our research projects, please visit https://www.researchondisability.org.

Suggested Citation. Boege, S.L., Lauer, E.A., & Houtenville, A.J., 2019. 2015 State Report for Arkansas County-Level Data: Employment. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2015 county-level employment statistics from Arkansas that are presented:

 

  • For people with disabilities:
    • The employment rate for people with disabilities in Arkansas was 30.5%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of employment rates for people with disabilities across Arkansas counties was 31.7%.
      • The county with the greatest employment rate for people with disabilities was Montgomery (43.0%).
      • The county with the smallest employment rate for people with disabilities was Sharp (11.3%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, employment rate for people with disabilities across all counties in Arkansas was 28.9%.

 

  • For people without disabilities:
    • The employment rate for people without disabilities in Arkansas was 73.1%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of employment rates for people without disabilities across Arkansas counties was 19.1%.
      • The county with the greatest employment rate for people without disabilities was Saline (80.0%).
      • The county with the smallest employment rate for people without disabilities was Desha (60.9%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, employment rate for people without disabilities across all counties in Arkansas was 71.4%.
Employment of Civilians with and without Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Arkansas, by County: 2015
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2] Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2]
  Arkansas   264,009 80,436 30.5 1,498,296 1,094,917 73.1   Garland      9,368  2,938 31.4    46,150    33,490 72.6
  Arkansas     2,229    708 31.8     8,817     6,618 75.1    Grant       1,676    485 28.9     9,201     6,612 71.9
   Ashley      2,594    592 22.8     9,799     6,745 68.8    Greene      5,109  1,131 22.1    20,931    15,570 74.4
   Baxter      4,294  1,073 25.0    17,244    12,627 73.2  Hempstead     2,377    549 23.1    10,404     7,359 70.7
   Benton     10,882  4,212 38.7   131,573    99,886 75.9  Hot Spring    4,160  1,506 36.2    14,602    10,917 74.8
   Boone       3,515    935 26.6    17,929    13,265 74.0    Howard      1,303    384 29.5     6,489     4,817 74.2
  Bradley      1,454    343 23.6     5,122     3,593 70.1 Independence   3,950    850 21.5    17,917    13,471 75.2
  Calhoun        768    227 29.6     2,393     1,859 77.7    Izard       1,454    308 21.2     5,577     3,890 69.8
  Carroll      2,397    600 25.0    13,174     9,908 75.2   Jackson      1,704    415 24.4     6,337     4,637 73.2
   Chicot      1,198    350 29.2     4,832     3,103 64.2  Jefferson     7,240  2,140 29.6    34,679    24,172 69.7
   Clark       2,264    829 36.6    12,294     8,256 67.2   Johnson      2,456    726 29.6    13,041     9,167 70.3
    Clay       1,801    559 31.0     7,027     5,111 72.7  Lafayette       972    183 18.8     3,202     2,026 63.3
  Cleburne     2,102    492 23.4    11,942     8,259 69.2   Lawrence     1,732    343 19.8     8,127     5,609 69.0
 Cleveland       855    333 38.9     4,109     2,747 66.9     Lee        1,171    251 21.4     3,791     2,408 63.5
  Columbia     2,209    830 37.6    12,782     8,999 70.4   Lincoln      1,059    332 31.4     4,608     3,032 65.8
   Conway      2,260    620 27.4    10,130     7,227 71.3 Little River   1,398    201 14.4     5,934     4,230 71.3
 Craighead     8,457  2,742 32.4    54,737    40,471 73.9    Logan       2,320    620 26.7    10,455     7,336 70.2
  Crawford     6,072  1,653 27.2    30,596    21,963 71.8    Lonoke      5,625  2,367 42.1    36,353    27,755 76.3
 Crittenden    4,666  1,757 37.7    24,921    17,468 70.1   Madison      1,407    305 21.7     7,889     5,979 75.8
   Cross       2,030    507 25.0     8,142     6,078 74.6    Marion      2,035    454 22.3     7,244     4,743 65.5
   Dallas        960    312 32.5     3,301     2,448 74.2    Miller      4,192  1,299 31.0    21,567    15,908 73.8
   Desha       1,315    436 33.2     5,809     3,539 60.9 Mississippi    5,459  1,547 28.3    20,788    14,482 69.7
    Drew       2,239    749 33.5     9,268     6,171 66.6    Monroe        966    233 24.1     3,445     2,307 67.0
  Faulkner     7,826  2,427 31.0    69,220    52,208 75.4  Montgomery    1,464    630 43.0     3,699     2,674 72.3
  Franklin     1,885    505 26.8     8,420     5,781 68.7    Nevada        963    338 35.1     3,888     2,700 69.4
   Fulton      1,215    237 19.5     5,484     3,963 72.3    Newton        917    265 28.9     3,693     2,603 70.5
Employment of Civilians with and without Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Arkansas, by County: 2015
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2] Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2]
  Ouachita     2,836    989 34.9    11,830     8,513 72.0                                                          
   Perry       1,209    288 23.8     4,855     3,595 74.0                                                          
  Phillips     2,728    875 32.1     8,801     5,566 63.2                                                          
    Pike       1,470    491 33.4     4,909     3,566 72.6                                                          
  Poinsett     3,032    656 21.6    11,173     7,778 69.6                                                          
    Polk       2,820    920 32.6     8,430     5,911 70.1                                                          
    Pope       5,967  1,970 33.0    33,466    23,838 71.2                                                          
  Prairie        875    288 32.9     3,915     2,977 76.0                                                          
  Pulaski     29,053  9,464 32.6   213,868   159,445 74.6                                                          
  Randolph     2,016    384 19.0     8,124     5,812 71.5                                                          
   Saline     10,373  4,431 42.7    56,584    45,269 80.0                                                          
   Scott         964    139 14.4     5,294     3,812 72.0                                                          
   Searcy        937    278 29.7     3,513     2,296 65.4                                                          
 Sebastian    13,349  4,165 31.2    64,375    47,606 74.0                                                          
   Sevier      1,146    255 22.3     8,711     6,424 73.7                                                          
   Sharp       1,828    206 11.3     7,315     4,856 66.4                                                          
St. Francis    2,806    806 28.7    11,201     7,965 71.1                                                          
   Stone       1,567    371 23.7     5,223     3,422 65.5                                                          
   Union       4,486  1,325 29.5    19,600    14,102 71.9                                                          
 Van Buren     1,947    337 17.3     7,485     4,716 63.0                                                          
 Washington   12,054  4,221 35.0   126,339    93,359 73.9                                                          
   White       7,019  1,844 26.3    41,073    28,335 69.0                                                          
  Woodruff       960    203 21.1     3,057     2,000 65.4                                                          
    Yell       2,603    702 27.0    10,079     7,567 75.1                                                          
                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                   
Count of Employed Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Arkansas, by County: 2015

Employment Rate for Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Arkansas, by County: 2015

Discussion

There are a number of concepts and factors which complicate the interpretation of the estimates presented in this report. These concerns affect all statistics from population-based surveys. The estimates included in this document should be interpreted the following limitations in mind and generalized with caution. In each point, a link to the U.S. Census Bureau website describing the limitation or concept in greater detail in the ACS has been provided.

Additional links to resources for the ACS:

Glossary

American Community Survey (ACS) — The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multiyear estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses. See the U.S. Census Bureau website for additional details.

The Six Disability Questions in the American Community Survey:

  1. Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing? (yes or no)
  2. Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? (yes or no)
  3. (If person 5 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? (yes or no)
  4. (If person 5 years or old over) Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? (yes or no)
  5. (If person 5 years old or over) Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing? (yes or no)
  6. (If person 15 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? (yes or no)

Average — The sum of all of the values in a sample divided by the number of values in the sample.

Civilian — A person not in active-duty military.

Employed – Individuals were asked a series of questions designed to identify their employment status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups: (1) people who worked at any time during the reference week; (2) people on temporary layoff who were available for work; (3) people who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff); (4) people who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and (5) people not in the labor force. People who responded as having worked during the past week were considered "employed".

Employment Rate — The number of individuals that are employed as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.

Living in the Community – A person lives in the community, if the person is not living in an institution, such as jail, prison, nursing home, and hospital. A college dormitory is not considered an institution.

Median — The middle-most value of a sample that separates the upper half of the values from the lower half of the values. 

Non-Institutionalized Population — Describes individuals who are residing in the community and who are not living in institutions such as jails, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

Population — The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.

Range — The difference between the largest and smallest values in a sample. In a sample, when the smallest value is subtracted from the largest value the resulting value is called the range. 

Sampling Variability — The variation of a statistic when estimated from repeated samples.

United States Census Bureau — An agency within the United States Federal Statistical System tasked with producing data about the American people and economy. Their primary task is to conduct the United States Census every ten years.

About the Center

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the StatsRRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: American Association of People with Disabilities, Center for Essential Management Services, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Public Health Institute.

The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RTGE00010100, from 2018–2023.

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EPM-RRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the EPM-RRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: Association of University Centers on Disability, Hunter College, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and the University of Chicago.

The EPM-RRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RT503701, from 2015–2020.

Contact Information
University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03824
Toll-Free Telephone/TTY: 866-538-9521
E-mail: Disability.Statistics@unh.edu
https://www.researchondisability.org