Aspire Arkansas – Building Stronger Communities through Data

Want statistics and analysis about the issues important to your community?

Aspire Arkansas is our powerful interactive, online report that measures where Arkansas stands today, reveals insights about how to make grants more impactful — and offers a compass for our future. The site provides county-by-county information in six categories: education, health, families, communities, demographics and racial equity.

The site has several updated features like customizable dashboards, new indicators data, and deeper analysis on food insecurity, early literacy and ALICE families in Arkansas.

With secondary, aggregated data from state and federal sources, Aspire Arkansas helps us understand the issues facing local communities and where our state ranks nationally.

Click here to visit the updated Aspire Arkansas site.
Click here to download an Aspire Arkansas printable flyer.

Local Decisions, Local Dollars, Local Impact

Aspire Arkansas grew from a need for Arkansans to have more accessible, localized data to drive community improvement. The first Aspire Arkansas report was initially published in print 2011 with updates in 2013. Then an online version was created in 2018 and updated in 2024.

Community Foundation affiliates are able to make grants and build partnerships to address the areas identified through Aspire Arkansas data and analysis. Statewide organizations and government entities also use the combined statistics to understand issues better and provide smarter answers to those they serve. If you are a donor, a nonprofit, a volunteer or just someone that cares about your community, Aspire Arkansas can help guide where you put your time and resources to make a difference.

The Aspire Arkansas website is an invaluable resource for individuals in all levels of management, both public and private. The data collected, assimilated and updated, gives much needed insight into communities as they plan for the future. For those of us in positions that are inherent in the decision-making process, it provides critical information in addressing a vast range of socio-economic conditions and utilizes an electronic dashboard that is easy to navigate.

Ben D. Cross, Pope County Judge, Russellville

INDICATOR DASHBOARD

You'll find multiple indicators within each category to see how trends are moving in your county. Learn how your county ranks nationally and statewide. You can check data by various demographics such as age or gender.

Create your own Dashboard

StoryMaps

Many of the biggest issues facing Arkansas don't fall neatly into one category, so in this section, we explore more complex problems and solutions. Using StoryMaps, we bring together data visualizations including maps and charts with issue explanation and analysis to offer a comprehensive look at key topics facing our state.

Learn More