Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Lee County, AR: population growth, jobs and income

Lee County lost 109 residents between 2024 and 2025 (−1.3%).

Lee County had an estimated 8,029 residents in 2025, down 6.4% (553 fewer people) since 2020. That is slower than Arkansas as a whole (+3.3%), and the 66th fastest growth of 75 counties in Arkansas.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Lee County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Lee County, ranked against Arkansas and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$667/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes27.2%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months02025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for Arkansas? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 52 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.

Private employers had 868 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −2.9% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 6.2% in 2025, 1.5 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 0 new homes in 2025, or 0.0 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $34,375 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +23.2% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 3,010th.

Get Lee County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Lee County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Lee County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Lee County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
20258,029−109
20248,138−134
20238,272−152
20228,424−196
20218,620+38
20208,582–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Lee County

Lee County lost 553 people since 2020; the biggest drag was natural change (−304).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−57−304
International migrationfrom and to other countries−1+17
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties−52−266
Census adjustmentbalancing residual+1+0
Total change−109−553

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn ArkansasAmong U.S. counties
Population growth66th of 753,010th of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents60th of 752,694th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth52nd of 752,254th of 3,092
Median household income75th of 753,084th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate70th of 752,913th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents67th of 732,985th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Lee County, AR as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Crittenden County and St. Francis County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Lee County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Lee County's population change (−6.4%) was ahead of 3 of its 5 neighbouring counties and behind 2 (St. Francis County and Crittenden County).

Its median household income ($34,375, 2020–24) is lower than in all 5 of its neighbouring counties.

Lee County, AR and its 5 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Lee County, AR This county8,029−6.4%−6.50.0$34,375
St. Francis County, AR21,800−5.3%−8.90.0$42,574
Phillips County, AR14,255−13.0%−20.00.2$40,134
Monroe County, AR6,244−7.8%−11.70.0$43,214
Tunica County, MS8,819−9.4%−31.49.6$39,364
Crittenden County, AR46,210−3.9%−12.02.1$55,358

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 75 Arkansas counties · Every state

Questions

Is Lee County growing?

No. Its population fell 6.4% between 2020 and 2025, about 553 fewer people (Census Bureau population estimates). Arkansas as a whole changed +3.3% over the same years. That ranks 66th of 75 counties in Arkansas for population growth.

How many people moved to Lee County?

On net, none in 2025: about 52 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Lee County?

It averaged 6.2% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Lee County?

About 8,029 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Lee County?

Private employers there had 868 paid employees in mid-March 2023, −2.9% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Arkansas

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Arkansas county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Lee County data alerts

Email me when Lee County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Lee County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.