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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in Arkansas

46.7% coverage

Arkansas's WIC program reaches 46.7% of eligible residents — an estimated 57,000 participants out of 122,000 who qualify. That leaves 65,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

122K

WIC eligibles

57K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

65K

Unserved eligibles

75

Counties

Arkansas by county

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Toggle between estimated WIC eligibles, unserved gap, low-income child counts, and child-poverty share. Hover a county for its exact value.

Note: USDA does not publish sub-state WIC participation, so every county in Arkansas inherits the state's 46.7% coverage rate. County-level eligibles are allocated from state totals in proportion to the county's share of low-income children under 6 (ACS B17024). See methodology.

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Arkansas at a glance

Coverage rate

46.7%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

53.3%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

122K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

57K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

65K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

105K

48.7% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 75 counties in Arkansas.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Pulaski 17K
  2. 2 Washington 9K
  3. 3 Benton 9K
  4. 4 Craighead 6K
  5. 5 Sebastian 5K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Pulaski 9K
  2. 2 Washington 5K
  3. 3 Benton 5K
  4. 4 Craighead 3K
  5. 5 Sebastian 3K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 Nevada 91.1%
  2. 2 St. Francis 84.1%
  3. 3 Fulton 83.1%
  4. 4 Newton 80.2%
  5. 5 Lafayette 74.6%

Every county in Arkansas

All 75 counties with WIC eligibility estimates, unserved gap, and ACS child-poverty context.

County Eligibles est. Participants est. Unserved est. Kids < 6 low-income Poverty share
Arkansas 824 385 439 708 56.4%
Ashley 935 437 498 803 66.8%
Baxter 1,458 681 777 1,253 54.9%
Benton 8,825 4,123 4,702 7,582 32.1%
Boone 1,334 623 711 1,146 48.7%
Bradley 538 251 287 462 64.6%
Calhoun 100 47 53 86 46.5%
Carroll 1,250 584 666 1,074 57.4%
Chicot 308 144 164 265 38.8%
Clark 729 340 389 626 50.0%
Clay 482 225 257 414 40.4%
Cleburne 751 351 400 645 54.2%
Cleveland 80 38 42 69 21.8%
Columbia 1,128 527 601 969 61.2%
Conway 1,004 469 535 863 61.6%
Craighead 5,594 2,614 2,980 4,806 53.8%
Crawford 2,366 1,106 1,260 2,033 47.0%
Crittenden 2,975 1,390 1,585 2,556 62.6%
Cross 765 357 408 657 50.0%
Dallas 133 62 71 114 32.9%
Desha 729 340 389 626 73.0%
Drew 668 312 356 574 53.1%
Faulkner 4,425 2,068 2,357 3,802 42.6%
Franklin 561 262 299 482 42.4%
Fulton 705 330 375 606 83.1%
Garland 3,984 1,861 2,123 3,423 55.2%
Grant 376 176 200 323 30.4%
Greene 2,083 973 1,110 1,790 52.8%
Hempstead 854 399 455 734 48.2%
Hot Spring 1,221 570 651 1,049 56.4%
Howard 601 281 320 516 50.3%
Independence 1,635 764 871 1,405 47.9%
Izard 527 246 281 453 70.7%
Jackson 651 304 347 559 56.6%
Jefferson 3,430 1,603 1,827 2,947 64.3%
Johnson 1,359 635 724 1,168 59.4%
Lafayette 239 111 128 205 74.6%
Lawrence 651 304 347 559 49.5%
Lee 443 207 236 381 67.2%
Lincoln 427 200 227 367 50.1%
Little River 597 279 318 513 59.7%
Logan 734 343 391 631 47.7%
Lonoke 2,153 1,006 1,147 1,850 32.4%
Madison 821 383 438 705 61.9%
Marion 519 243 276 446 56.8%
Miller 2,125 993 1,132 1,826 60.2%
Mississippi 2,470 1,154 1,316 2,122 61.0%
Monroe 286 134 152 246 49.5%
Montgomery 279 131 148 240 51.4%
Nevada 592 277 315 509 91.1%
Newton 343 160 183 295 80.2%
Ouachita 865 404 461 743 53.2%
Perry 301 141 160 259 45.4%
Phillips 1,015 474 541 872 68.3%
Pike 353 165 188 303 46.8%
Poinsett 1,064 497 567 914 59.4%
Polk 743 347 396 638 51.6%
Pope 2,841 1,327 1,514 2,441 56.3%
Prairie 251 117 134 216 58.1%
Pulaski 17,263 8,066 9,197 14,832 50.1%
Randolph 957 447 510 822 59.7%
Saline 2,812 1,314 1,498 2,416 28.2%
Scott 205 96 109 176 30.2%
Searcy 381 178 203 327 69.9%
Sebastian 5,183 2,422 2,761 4,453 46.5%
Sevier 723 338 385 621 46.3%
Sharp 698 326 372 600 54.0%
St. Francis 1,569 733 836 1,348 84.1%
Stone 581 271 310 499 68.0%
Union 1,631 762 869 1,401 53.4%
Van Buren 509 238 271 437 54.4%
Washington 9,396 4,390 5,006 8,073 42.5%
White 3,464 1,618 1,846 2,976 59.8%
Woodruff 358 167 191 308 69.4%
Yell 767 358 409 659 45.9%

Apply for WIC in Arkansas

Income limits, food-package rules, clinic locator, and application instructions specific to Arkansas's WIC agency.

Arkansas WIC guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: WIC, SNAP, school meals, Summer EBT, and pantry programs for families with kids in Arkansas.

Families guide

Arkansas SNAP

SNAP recipients are automatically income-eligible for WIC through adjunctive eligibility — often the fastest path to enrollment.

Arkansas SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search Arkansas's verified pantries — many partner with WIC clinics and distribute infant formula, baby food, and diapers.

Arkansas food pantries

WIC methodology

How we estimated county-level eligibles, why state coverage rates can't be disaggregated, and which data sources we used.

Full methodology