How Big Is Arkansas? See Its Size in Miles, Acres, and How It Compares to Other States

Arkansas is a state in the South that is surrounded by other states. Nobody looks at this state on the map and thinks it is among the largest in the country. So, how big is Arkansas? Discover the size of the state in terms of several measures including acres, square miles, and square kilometers. Find out how it measures up to other states including the biggest and smallest in the entire United States!

How Big Is Arkansas in Square Miles?

Arkansas is about 53,179 square miles in total size. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Arkansas is 51,992.85 square miles in terms of total land area. So, roughly 1,200 square miles of the state is water.

How Many Acres is Arkansas?

Arkansas has a total of 34,034,560 acres of space. That makes this state the 29^th largest state in terms of overall size.

How Many Square Kilometers Is Arkansas?

Arkansas is 137,733 square kilometers in total size. That makes this state a little smaller than North Carolina and a little bigger than Alabama, both of which are within 1,500 square kilometers in size.  

How Big is Arkansas Overall?

Arkansas is 53,179 square miles, 137,733 square kilometers, and 34,034,560 acres in total size. Roughly 97.85% of the state is made up of land, an amount equal to a measure of 52,035 square miles. By this measure alone, Arkansas would be the 27^th largest state in the country instead of the 29^th.

Arkansas is made up of 1,143.07 square miles of water, roughly 2.15% of its total area. By that measure, Arkansas would be the 31^st largest amount of any state.

The Natural State is fairly small compared to many states, but it is still bigger than others.

The Size of Arkansas Compared to Other States

Knowing that Arkansas is the 29^th largest state in the county is helpful, as is knowing the total size of the state in terms of acres, square miles, and square kilometers. However, the best way to drive home the lesson of how large the state is compared to others is to compare it to others in several ways.

That is why we are going to compare Arkansas to several other states. They include Arkansas against similarly sized states, the largest states, and the smallest states. See how the Natural State measures up to others from all over the country!

Similarly Sized States to Arkansas

Arkansas is the 29^th largest state in the United States, but it is very similar in size to North Carolina and Alabama. North Carolina is slightly larger than Arkansas, measuring about 640 square miles more than the Natural State. Alabama is smaller than Arkansas by a measure of 779 square miles.

Arkansas vs. the Largest States

Arkansas is much smaller than the largest states in the entire county. The state is over 10 times smaller than the largest state in the United States, Alaska. The Natural State is about three times smaller than even Montana, the fourth-largest state. Nobody would mistake it for any of the largest states.  

Arkansas vs. the Smallest States

Despite being the 29^th-ranked state in terms of size, Arkansas is much larger than the smallest states in the country. The state is almost 10 times bigger than Connecticut, and it’s over 20 times larger than Rhode Island! Overall, Arkansas has a medium size, but it is much larger than the smallest states overall.

Arkansas: The State and its Population

Although Arkansas is the 29^th largest state by size, it is the 33^rd state in terms of total population. The 2020 Census revealed that the state had 3,011,524 residents. That number is believed to have risen to 3,045,637 in the last few years.

The Natural State is not known for its population, though. Instead, the state is known for its gorgeous outdoor areas, slow pace of living, and rural areas.

The state does not have vast cities, but it does have small ones like Little Rock. The state’s capital city has a population of nearly 200,000 people.

The population in the Natural State from 2020 to 2022 increased by 1.1%, showing moderate growth in the state. People moved to the state during the COVID-19 pandemic as they moved away from larger metro areas. A new census will be needed to see whether those were short-term gains or if the state will continue to grow at a fast rate.

For the sake of comparison, the most populous state in the country is California. This state had 39,538,223 people living in it in April 2020.

So, how big is Arkansas? It’s about 53,179 square miles, and it’s the 29^th largest state in the country in terms of total area. Several states are larger than this one, and many others are smaller. The population in this state is low, though, so there is plenty of space for newcomers. Many people have recently moved to the state from others since 2020, and it will be interesting to see if that trend continues.