Forrest City is home to 12,646 people in Arkansas. The poverty rate is 37.7%, above the 12.5% national rate. 39% of homes are owner-occupied. 14% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $92,000. That trails the Arkansas median by roughly 41%.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $35,689, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.9
US median: 38.9
Less educated
14% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
More affordable
home values down 10%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Forrest City
What changed most since 1990
Black share56.8% → 73.1%(+16.3 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Homes owned by their occupants52.2% → 39.2%(−13.0 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Hispanic share0.6% → 4.8%(+4.2 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Forrest City's population equals 56% of St. Francis County's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 90% of the county's. Its number of residents 65 and older equals 37% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)12.6%(48)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)15.3%(58)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era18.7%(71)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.4%(13)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 380 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Forrest City, decade by decade
Forrest City population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
13,364
$32,891
$94,803
12.5%
62.9
2000
14,774
$42,100
$102,195
12.4%
67.5
2010
15,371
$36,276
$107,030
11.8%
61.1
2020
13,015
$40,072
$81,813
10.5%
55.7
2024
12,646
$35,689
$92,000
13.8%
52.4
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
