Arkansas

Ethnic groups

Arkansas's population is predominantly white, composed mainly of descendants of immigrants from the British Isles. The largest minority group consists of black Americans, estimated at 418,950 in 2000, or 15.7% of the population. The American Indian population was estimated at 17,808 in 2000. About 86,866 Arkansans, or 3.2% of the total population, were of Hispanic or Latino origin, nearly double the 1990 figure of 44,000 (1.9%). In 2000 the Asian population was estimated at 20,220, and Pacific Islanders numbered 1,668. The 2000 census listed 3,974 Vietnamese (up from 1,788 in 1990), 3,126 Chinese (1,575 in 1990), 2,489 Filipinos, 3,104 Asian Indians (1,202 in 1990), and 1,036 Japanese. The foreign-born population numbered 73,690, or 2.8% of all Arkansas residents, up from 24,867, or 1%, in 1990.