Population 1,442 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in West Helena
Household size in West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.53 | 2.54 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.58 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.51 | 2.55 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 3.00 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.47 | −0.00 | −0.03 |
West Helena is a place of big households: 3.00 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 2.53, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
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 West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 37.3 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 41.9 | 38.7 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.9 | 39.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 33.5 | 39.6 | 40.1 |
| Change | −3.7 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
West Helena is young: half of its residents are under 33.5, compared with a national median of 40.1. The population tilts toward young families with children.
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 West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 25.1% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.8% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 19.2% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 16.5% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | −8.6 pts | −0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are common in West Helena: 16.5% of all 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 West Helena
Renters in West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 47.3% | 32.3% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 32.4% | 33.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 46.2% | 34.4% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 35.5% | 33.6% | 34.8% |
| Change | −11.8 pts | +1.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Just over a third of households in West Helena rent their homes (35.5%), close to the national share of 34.8%. Among homeowners, 64.3% have no mortgage at all, 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 West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.3% | 13.4% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.8% | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 21.6% | 14.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 21.0% | 13.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +5.7 pts | −0.3 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 21.0% of the housing in West Helena, 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 West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1973 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1978 | 1983 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1975 | 1985 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1981 | 1988 | 1980 |
| Change | +9 | +6 | +6 |
Homes in West Helena are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1981, versus 1980 nationally. Homes here are older than in Arkansas overall, where the median home dates to 1988.
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 West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $559 | $660 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $549 | $718 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $592 | $785 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $865 | $1,007 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$307 | +$346 | +$606 |
The median renter in West Helena pays $865 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 44.0% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
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 West Helena
Bachelor's degrees in West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.8% | 20.6% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 9.5% | 21.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 16.5% | 23.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 18.1% | 26.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +11.4 pts | +5.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in West Helena have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 18.1%, 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 West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 77.3% | 82.6% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 73.6% | 84.6% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 80.0% | 86.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 81.1% | 88.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.8 pts | +6.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
Nearly one in five adults in West Helena never finished high school, well above the national share: only 81.1% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.
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 West Helena
| Period | West Helena | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.2% | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 16.8% | 8.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.1% | 5.2% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.6% | 5.1% | 5.4% |
| Change | −8.6 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in West Helena runs well above the national rate: 7.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. 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).
West Helena 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Helena | 3.00 | 33.5 | 16.5% | 35.5% | 21.0% | 1981 | $865 | 18.1% | 81.1% | 7.6% |
| Southland | 2.93 | 34.5 | 18.9% | 51.9% | 11.4% | 1979 | $795 | 11.7% | 74.5% | 13.2% |
| Lexa | 2.52 | 39.1 | 22.4% | 39.7% | 21.5% | 1984 | $988 | 15.9% | 75.3% | 4.6% |
| Helena-West Helena | 2.67 | 36.1 | 22.2% | 56.9% | 28.9% | 1972 | $865 | 15.2% | 81.5% | 13.7% |
| Helena | 2.46 | 43.6 | 13.6% | 53.9% | 20.2% | 1975 | $674 | 16.7% | 79.9% | 7.7% |
| Helena Crossing | 2.63 | 41.2 | 13.8% | 54.9% | 15.5% | 1973 | $769 | 18.7% | 81.2% | 4.4% |
| Barton | 3.18 | 36.1 | 6.5% | 13.7% | 21.1% | 1984 | $850 | 20.8% | 84.0% | 0.6% |
| Poplar Grove | 2.86 | 40.9 | 18.7% | 27.8% | 20.3% | 1980 | $815 | 16.0% | 88.1% | 20.4% |
| Oneida | 2.25 | 54.7 | 10.8% | 48.3% | 33.5% | 1979 | $506 | 21.8% | 79.0% | 2.2% |
| Trenton | 2.74 | 43.3 | 27.7% | 43.6% | 23.4% | 1975 | $672 | 13.9% | 94.1% | 39.6% |
| Rondo | 2.48 | 55.2 | 1.4% | 22.9% | 33.3% | 1970 | $950 | 13.3% | 71.2% | 5.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Freehold, NY · Sherrill, IA · Heritage Hills, NY · Henderson, NE · Gruver, TX · Greenwood, VA · Great River, NY · Graniteville, VT · Grahamsville, NY · Graham, FL
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 West Helena. 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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