Arkansas ranked 33rd in population in the US with an estimated total of 2,710,079 in 2002, an increase of 1.4% since 2000. Between 1990 and 2000, Arkansas's population grew from 2,350,725 to 2,673,400, an increase of 13.7%. The population is projected to reach 2,750,000 by 2005 and 3.1 million by 2025. The average population density in 2000 was 51.3 per sq mi.
As of 2000, 14% of the population was age 65 or over (compared with a national average of 12.4%), partially reflecting the large number of retirees who settled in the state during the early 1980s. The median age was 36, and 25.4% of the population was under 18 years old.
The largest city in Arkansas is Little Rock, which had a 2002 estimated population of 184,055. The Little Rock–North Little Rock metropolitan area had an estimated 559,074 residents in 1999. Other major cities with large populations include Ft. Smith, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and Fayetteville.