A Wealth-Building Tool for Families, Communities, and the State Pete Gess Economic Policy Director Executive Summary The median household income in Arkansas now stands at $60,773. But this varies greatly across the state; while median household income in Benton County is $93,506, it is only $34,375 in Lee County. In Arkansas, 44% of families struggle […]

Arkansas only thrives when workers thrive In Arkansas, people, and not corporations, drive the economy. The labor and skills of Arkansas workers build prosperity in the state. Therefore, hardworking Arkansans deserve public spending and policies that support them. An inclusive economy is a smart economy, as the more workers who can fully participate, the more […]

by Bruno Showers Senior Policy Analyst   Introduction At Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, we work to ensure that all children have the resources and opportunities they need to realize their full potential. And what happens in a child’s early years is critical in determining their future success. The first years are especially important, […]

More than 150,000 Arkansans are estimated to be newly food insecure since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and state policies are making it harder for families to get the nutritional support they need during this time of crisis. Our new report calls for the state to eliminate policies that make it more difficult to be hungry here […]

Find out if you are eligible for, and how to access, the Economic Impact Payment from the CARES Act. Download the PDF to access the live links.  

The President recently signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the most recent legislation designed to address the coronavirus pandemic and the associated economic recession. Download our brief analysis of the bill to learn how Arkansas will benefit.

by John Cook, Ph.D., M.A.Ed., Research Scientist and Principal Investigator, Children’s HealthWatch; Richard Sheward, MPP, Deputy Director of Innovative Partnerships, Children’s HealthWatch; Bruno Showers, Senior Policy Analyst, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; and Eduardo Ochoa, Jr., MD, Principal Investigator, Children’s HealthWatch. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and Children’s HealthWatch conducted a Health Impact Assessment to estimate […]

Around 300,000 working Arkansans, many of whom are parents with children at home, would qualify for a Working Families Tax Credit, and almost $40 million would return to Arkansas’s economy.

Statewide, many people think of Northwest Arkansas as a place where poverty is rare, where families and communities thrive in a booming economy. But as our updated Northwest Arkansas Child Poverty report explains, thousands of families struggle to get by even as the post-recession economy has surged. The child poverty rate in the region decreased […]

In June 2018, Arkansas became the first state to officially implement a requirement to work in a Medicaid expansion program – known here in Arkansas as Arkansas Works. Some Arkansas Works enrollees began reporting work activities or exemptions in June. By the end of the year, all Arkansas Works enrollees ages 30 to 49 will be […]