Census Results for Northwest Arkansas

The results are in and it’s good news for Northwest Arkansas.

Fayetteville now has 73,580 people, a growth of 26.8% since the 2000 Census.

Springdale grew to 69,797 residents, an increase of 52.4%.

Bentonville’s growth of 78.9% topped all the cities in Arkansas. Its population is now 35,301.

Rogers experienced a 44.1% increase to bring its population to 55,964.

Little Bella Vista isn’t so little any more. It now boasts 26,461 people, an increase of 59.6%.

These are huge increases in a short ten-year span. To put them in perspective, total population in all of Arkansas increased by 9.1%. Little Rock, the state capitol located in Pulaski County, increased 5.7 percent, from 183,133 in 2000 to 193,524 in 2010.

Pulaski County itself grew 5.9%.

Benton County, which includes Bentonville and Rogers, is now home to 221,339 people. That’s a 44.3% increase.

Washington County, which includes Fayetteville and Springdale, now has 203,065 people, a growth rate of 28.8%.

It would appear Benton and Washington Counties are the driving force for growth in Arkansas.

As required by law, legislative districts must be redrawn after each ten-year census. The state must ensure that population in each of the districts is equal within 1% variation.

The result is that the geographical area of Congressional District #3 will shrink. It now includes Benton, Boone, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Newton, Pope, Sebastian, and Washington Counties.

Arkansas has usually kept counties intact when drawing districts. Looks like that practice will have to be replaced with some counties being split for the first time.

So, change happens. All in all, the growth is good news for NW Arkansas. As our population grows, so does our influence and clout.

Let’s face it. No one wants to move to a declining area.

For more information: Census Bureau Website