Population 84 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Optimus
Household size in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.28 | 2.54 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.41 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.73 | 2.55 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.36 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.09 | −0.00 | −0.03 |
Households in Optimus are small: just 2.36 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 47.3 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 44.6 | 38.7 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 46.4 | 39.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 49.9 | 39.6 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.7 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
Optimus skews older: half of its residents are older than 49.9, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 47.3, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.8% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 9.7% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.2% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.6% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.2 pts | −0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Optimus: 7.6% of households, against 11.6% nationally.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Optimus
Renters in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.8% | 32.3% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 23.1% | 33.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 32.0% | 34.4% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 26.5% | 33.6% | 34.8% |
| Change | +4.7 pts | +1.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Just over a quarter of households in Optimus rent their homes (26.5%), below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Nearly two-thirds of owners (63.7%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 24.0% | 13.4% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 27.4% | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 32.2% | 14.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 29.5% | 13.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +5.5 pts | −0.3 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 29.5% of the housing in Optimus, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1978 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1979 | 1983 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1982 | 1985 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1986 | 1988 | 1980 |
| Change | +8 | +6 | +6 |
The housing in Optimus is younger than the country's: half of it was built after 1986, against 1980 nationally. The picture is much the same across Arkansas.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $415 | $660 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $488 | $718 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $691 | $785 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $479 | $1,007 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$65 | +$346 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Optimus costs $479 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 27.9% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Optimus
Bachelor's degrees in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.9% | 20.6% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 12.8% | 21.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 12.4% | 23.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 17.2% | 26.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +6.4 pts | +5.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Optimus have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 17.2%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 84.0% | 82.6% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 82.4% | 84.6% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 84.0% | 86.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 87.4% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.4 pts | +6.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in eight adults in Optimus never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 87.4% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S. The picture is much the same across Arkansas.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Optimus
| Period | Optimus | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.6% | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.9% | 8.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.3% | 5.2% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.9% | 5.1% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.7 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Optimus runs below the national rate: 3.9% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Optimus compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optimus | 2.36 | 49.9 | 7.6% | 26.5% | 29.5% | 1986 | $479 | 17.2% | 87.4% | 3.9% |
| Knob Creek | 2.89 | 41.5 | 7.6% | 25.8% | 25.6% | 1980 | $545 | 26.0% | 85.4% | 7.3% |
| Calico Rock | 2.40 | 48.1 | 8.7% | 25.0% | 22.9% | 1987 | $552 | 16.1% | 88.2% | 2.8% |
| Forty Four | 2.21 | 47.6 | 7.2% | 24.9% | 25.2% | 1985 | $547 | 14.2% | 85.7% | 1.8% |
| Culp | 2.28 | 48.6 | 2.6% | 11.0% | 26.9% | 1988 | $717 | 26.1% | 90.7% | 4.7% |
| Wideman | 2.60 | 40.4 | 13.4% | 19.0% | 23.3% | 1989 | $1,386 | 17.3% | 88.5% | 12.1% |
| Pineville | 2.09 | 44.1 | 1.8% | 13.7% | 20.2% | 1980 | $1,162 | 13.2% | 75.2% | 5.3% |
| Sylamore | 2.38 | 62.7 | 7.6% | 25.3% | 52.0% | 1998 | $481 | 22.2% | 89.1% | 9.8% |
| Boswell | 3.02 | 36.1 | 7.6% | 26.1% | 18.8% | 1975 | $561 | 27.0% | 84.4% | 6.7% |
| Brockwell | 2.80 | 38.6 | 14.5% | 22.1% | 22.8% | 1987 | $1,262 | 20.5% | 90.3% | 12.5% |
| Allison | 1.82 | 64.9 | 9.7% | 30.4% | 27.5% | 1992 | $716 | 35.7% | 83.4% | 2.6% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Plaisted, ME · Powderhorn, CO · Potlatch Junction, ID · Portage, MT · Point Commerce, IN · Pleasant Union, PA · Pleasant Plain, IA · Pleasant Grove, NC · Plattsburg, IN · Plano, ID
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Optimus. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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