STD Rates in Arkansas
CDC surveillance data for Arkansas covering chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV — with 15-year trends, city-level context, and national comparisons.
Arkansas ranks 10th in the country for combined STD rates — a position that puts it firmly in the top fifth of states nationwide. Its combined rate of 802.2 per 100,000 people sits roughly 26% above the U.S. median, and with nearly 24,600 new chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis diagnoses recorded in 2023, the raw numbers match the rank. But 2023 also brought something less common in recent Arkansas data: all three diseases declined year-over-year, some by double digits. Whether that's a turning point or a single-year fluctuation is the real question.
Chlamydia is the most prevalent STD in Arkansas by a wide margin — 17,781 cases in 2023, at a rate of 579.6 per 100,000. That's 23% above the national median of 471.3. The rate has been remarkably stable since around 2017, hovering in a band between 570 and 593. It never returned to its pre-2008 levels, when the rate was closer to 490, and the long-run increase since then is about 18%. The slight 1.5% dip in 2023 continues a mild plateau that's been underway for several years — not a reversal, more like a pause.
Gonorrhea tells a more volatile story. The rate peaked at 270.2 in 2021, then dropped sharply — falling 13.3% in 2023 alone to 193.4 per 100,000. That's still 27% above the national median of 152.2, and still higher than Arkansas's gonorrhea rate was at any point before 2016. Syphilis, by contrast, is where the long-run shift is hardest to ignore. From a rate of just 7.2 in 2008, it climbed to 32.9 in 2022 — a rise of more than 300%. The 2023 rate of 29.2 reflects an 11% drop, but it remains nearly double the national median of 14.8. The spike and partial retreat don't cancel each other out.
Arkansas's HIV data runs through 2022 and shows a state that has consistently diagnosed between 275 and 335 new cases per year since 2017. The 2020 figure — 244 cases — almost certainly reflects testing disruptions during the pandemic rather than a real decline; by 2021 diagnoses had rebounded to 335, the highest point in the dataset. The 2022 rate of 12.0 per 100,000 remains elevated. If you're in Little Rock, Fort Smith, or Fayetteville and haven't been tested recently, the numbers across all four diseases make a case for changing that. STDTest.com can show you what's available near you.
STD Trends in Arkansas
Arkansas's chlamydia rate has been running well above the national median for over a decade, and the gap hasn't meaningfully closed. At 579.6 per 100,000 in 2023 — 23% above the U.S. median of 471.3 — the rate reflects a long plateau rather than an active rise, with the last five years showing only modest movement up or down. The long-run increase since 2008 is about 18%, but the more notable story is how stable that elevated baseline has become.
Gonorrhea in Arkansas has undergone a real reversal from its 2021 peak of 270.2 per 100,000, falling to 193.4 in 2023 — a 13.3% drop in a single year. That decline is real, but context matters: the current rate is still 27% above the national median of 152.2, and higher than Arkansas recorded at any point before 2017. The long-run increase since 2008 is nearly 23%, meaning even after recent declines, the disease is far more prevalent than it was 15 years ago.
Syphilis is where Arkansas's trend data is most striking. The rate has risen more than 300% since 2008 — from 7.2 to a peak of 32.9 in 2022 — even as other STDs plateaued or dipped. The 2023 rate of 29.2 represents an 11% decline from that peak, but it's still nearly double the national median of 14.8. The partial pullback is notable; whether the peak is behind Arkansas or just paused remains to be seen.
Arkansas's HIV data covers 2017 through 2022 and shows a relatively steady pattern of 275 to 335 new diagnoses per year. The drop to 244 cases in 2020 is almost certainly a data artifact — pandemic-era clinic closures and reduced testing, not an actual reduction in transmission — and the rebound to 335 in 2021 supports that reading. The 2022 rate of 12.0 per 100,000 reflects a state where new HIV diagnoses have remained consistent over a multi-year period.
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Arkansas vs National Average
Comparing 2023 rates against the U.S. median across all 50 states.
| Infection | Arkansas | US Median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 579.6 | 471.3 | 23% above |
| Gonorrhea | 193.4 | 152.2 | 27.1% above |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 29.2 | 14.8 | 97.3% above |
STD Rates by County
County-level data from CDC surveillance. Ranked by combined rate per 100,000.
| County | State Rank | Combined | Chlamydia | Gonorrhea | Syphilis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crittenden County | #1 of 75 | 2021.7 | 1468.0 | 528.2 | 25.5 |
| Jefferson County | #2 of 75 | 1885.0 | 1336.8 | 507.4 | 40.8 |
| Phillips County | #3 of 75 | 1804.7 | 1403.6 | 381.0 | 20.1 |
| Monroe County | #4 of 75 | 1550.9 | 967.4 | 522.1 | 61.4 |
| Mississippi County | #5 of 75 | 1531.2 | 1076.0 | 328.5 | 126.7 |
| Pulaski County | #6 of 75 | 1421.4 | 974.0 | 404.2 | 43.2 |
| Ouachita County | #7 of 75 | 1413.3 | 904.0 | 403.8 | 105.5 |
| Columbia County | #8 of 75 | 1390.5 | 1079.0 | 252.8 | 58.7 |
| Miller County | #9 of 75 | 1386.2 | 966.6 | 360.7 | 58.9 |
| St. Francis County | #10 of 75 | 1348.4 | 936.6 | 362.0 | 49.8 |
| Dallas County | #11 of 75 | 1293.5 | 937.8 | 291.0 | 64.7 |
| Hempstead County | #12 of 75 | 1178.7 | 884.0 | 274.0 | 20.7 |
| Craighead County | #13 of 75 | 1123.7 | 807.9 | 289.5 | 26.3 |
| Lafayette County | #14 of 75 | 1099.3 | 836.8 | 229.7 | 32.8 |
| Clark County | #15 of 75 | 1071.7 | 686.3 | 324.3 | 61.1 |
| Union County | #16 of 75 | 1058.9 | 711.3 | 328.9 | 18.7 |
| Bradley County | #17 of 75 | 1039.2 | 781.9 | 237.5 | 19.8 |
| Chicot County | #18 of 75 | 975.1 | 733.9 | 209.7 | 31.5 |
| Lee County | #19 of 75 | 963.3 | 670.6 | 243.9 | 48.8 |
| Desha County | #20 of 75 | 935.2 | 639.4 | 286.3 | 9.5 |
| Jackson County | #21 of 75 | 923.4 | 691.1 | 196.6 | 35.7 |
| Drew County | #22 of 75 | 920.6 | 731.8 | 177.0 | 11.8 |
| Poinsett County | #23 of 75 | 857.2 | 611.7 | 174.1 | 71.4 |
| Arkansas County | #24 of 75 | 821.7 | 576.4 | 226.9 | 18.4 |
| Washington County | #25 of 75 | 813.7 | 647.7 | 146.1 | 19.9 |
| Howard County | #26 of 75 | 789.9 | 630.3 | 159.6 | 0.0 |
| Little River County | #27 of 75 | 770.8 | 550.6 | 203.3 | 16.9 |
| Garland County | #28 of 75 | 758.6 | 484.0 | 224.5 | 50.1 |
| Ashley County | #29 of 75 | 744.8 | 575.0 | 142.4 | 27.4 |
| Hot Spring County | #30 of 75 | 742.7 | 484.1 | 168.4 | 90.2 |
| Nevada County | #31 of 75 | 738.9 | 578.8 | 160.1 | 0.0 |
| Cross County | #32 of 75 | 737.0 | 566.4 | 152.3 | 18.3 |
| Faulkner County | #33 of 75 | 724.0 | 498.6 | 206.2 | 19.2 |
| Woodruff County | #34 of 75 | 721.0 | 519.8 | 201.2 | 0.0 |
| Cleveland County | #35 of 75 | 704.8 | 528.6 | 162.6 | 13.6 |
| Conway County | #36 of 75 | 669.0 | 469.7 | 156.6 | 42.7 |
| Sebastian County | #37 of 75 | 625.1 | 452.4 | 127.8 | 44.9 |
| Saline County | #38 of 75 | 614.3 | 448.4 | 148.9 | 17.0 |
| Greene County | #39 of 75 | 609.7 | 472.8 | 102.7 | 34.2 |
| Prairie County | #40 of 75 | 560.0 | 398.2 | 161.8 | 0.0 |
| Lawrence County | #41 of 75 | 557.6 | 398.3 | 128.7 | 30.6 |
| Lincoln County | #42 of 75 | 542.8 | 403.2 | 116.3 | 23.3 |
| Sevier County | #43 of 75 | 537.4 | 403.0 | 83.2 | 51.2 |
| Lonoke County | #44 of 75 | 525.4 | 385.8 | 127.7 | 11.9 |
| White County | #45 of 75 | 448.7 | 309.7 | 112.2 | 26.8 |
| Randolph County | #46 of 75 | 423.1 | 243.3 | 169.2 | 10.6 |
| Benton County | #47 of 75 | 421.3 | 329.6 | 81.7 | 10.0 |
| Pope County | #48 of 75 | 421.1 | 295.7 | 82.1 | 43.3 |
| Johnson County | #49 of 75 | 409.5 | 336.8 | 45.9 | 26.8 |
| Yell County | #50 of 75 | 409.1 | 299.3 | 64.9 | 44.9 |
| Independence County | #51 of 75 | 396.6 | 354.9 | 36.5 | 5.2 |
| Crawford County | #52 of 75 | 394.2 | 311.8 | 61.4 | 21.0 |
| Franklin County | #53 of 75 | 360.7 | 269.1 | 51.5 | 40.1 |
| Logan County | #54 of 75 | 359.8 | 299.1 | 46.7 | 14.0 |
| Boone County | #55 of 75 | 347.8 | 334.8 | 2.6 | 10.4 |
| Grant County | #56 of 75 | 315.5 | 228.5 | 70.7 | 16.3 |
| Perry County | #57 of 75 | 314.2 | 186.6 | 108.0 | 19.6 |
| Carroll County | #58 of 75 | 308.9 | 260.3 | 31.2 | 17.4 |
| Calhoun County | #59 of 75 | 301.6 | 237.0 | 64.6 | 0.0 |
| Madison County | #60 of 75 | 292.6 | 253.2 | 28.1 | 11.3 |
| Pike County | #61 of 75 | 274.3 | 195.9 | 68.6 | 9.8 |
| Cleburne County | #62 of 75 | 271.2 | 176.9 | 78.6 | 15.7 |
| Clay County | #63 of 75 | 267.6 | 197.2 | 56.3 | 14.1 |
| Sharp County | #64 of 75 | 261.6 | 205.9 | 22.3 | 33.4 |
| Izard County | #65 of 75 | 247.0 | 218.8 | 28.2 | 0.0 |
| Newton County | #66 of 75 | 240.4 | 240.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Montgomery County | #67 of 75 | 232.0 | 139.2 | 69.6 | 23.2 |
| Scott County | #68 of 75 | 223.4 | 162.4 | 30.5 | 30.5 |
| Polk County | #69 of 75 | 216.1 | 200.7 | 10.3 | 5.1 |
| Van Buren County | #70 of 75 | 198.2 | 123.9 | 74.3 | 0.0 |
| Baxter County | #71 of 75 | 191.3 | 177.3 | 11.7 | 2.3 |
| Searcy County | #72 of 75 | 179.3 | 166.5 | 12.8 | 0.0 |
| Fulton County | #73 of 75 | 136.9 | 96.6 | 24.2 | 16.1 |
| Marion County | #74 of 75 | 131.3 | 102.8 | 22.8 | 5.7 |
| Stone County | #75 of 75 | 126.3 | 94.7 | 31.6 | 0.0 |
What the numbers mean — and what to do about them
Nearly 24,600 Arkansans were diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis in 2023. At a combined rate of 802.2 per 100,000, Arkansas sits in the top 10 states nationally — meaning that for every 125 people in the state, roughly one received a new STD diagnosis last year. That's not a hypothetical risk. It's a population-level number that affects real communities across the state, from urban centers like Little Rock to smaller cities like Fort Smith and Fayetteville.
The trend that warrants the most attention isn't the one making the headlines. Gonorrhea dropped 13% in 2023, which sounds like good news — but the rate is still 27% above the national median, and gonorrhea, like chlamydia, is frequently asymptomatic. Most people who have it don't know. Syphilis, meanwhile, has risen more than 300% since 2008. Even with a modest dip in 2023, it sits nearly double the U.S. median. These are diseases that spread silently, which means the diagnosed case counts almost certainly undercount actual infections.
If you live in Arkansas — especially in Little Rock, Fort Smith, or Fayetteville, where population density and testing access converge — knowing your status is the only way to act on any of this data. Arkansas's syphilis rate tripled in a decade largely without public notice. STDTest.com can show you where to get tested today, so you're not part of a statistic that gets written up next year.
WHO SHOULD GET TESTED
Anyone sexually active in Arkansas should consider routine testing, given the state's top-10 national ranking. This is especially relevant for adults under 25 — who account for a disproportionate share of chlamydia diagnoses — and for anyone with multiple partners, given Arkansas's gonorrhea rate sitting 27% above the national median. Syphilis cases have risen sharply over the past decade, making testing relevant beyond the populations traditionally considered high-risk.
HOW OFTEN
Annual testing is a reasonable starting point for sexually active adults in Arkansas. Given the state's elevated rates across all three major STDs and a syphilis trend that climbed for over a decade, once-a-year testing should be treated as a floor, not a ceiling. People with multiple or new partners should consider testing every three to six months — particularly for gonorrhea and chlamydia, which often produce no symptoms.
WHAT TO EXPECT
STD testing is fast and straightforward. Most tests involve a urine sample, a blood draw, or a quick swab — the whole process typically takes 15 to 30 minutes at a clinic. Results usually come back within a few days. If something comes back positive, treatment for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis is available and effective. Testing locations in Little Rock, Fort Smith, and Fayetteville are searchable through STDTest.com by zip code.
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