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Ham radio operators in Arkansas: new licenses by county

7,880 licensed amateur radio operators; 205 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.

At a glance · Data as of

New hams · last 30 days
19
New hams · last 12 months
205
▼ 12% vs prior 12 mo
Active licensed hams
7,880
Upgrades · 12 mo
109
Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
87
Address updates · 12 mo
95
Often a move into the area
Expiring · next 6 mo
465

About ham radio in Arkansas

205 people earned a first license in Arkansas over the past 12 months, a 12% drop from the prior year. Arkansas ranks #35 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Benton County leads the state with 28 new hams. Technicians make up 49% of the state’s licensees, close to the U.S. average of 48%. 109 operators upgraded their license in the past year, the moment many buy their first HF rig.

New hams by month

New hams per month in Arkansas, October 2025 to September 2026 205 in total. Highest: 24 in September 2026. Lowest: 0 in October 2025. Down 12% from the prior 12 months. Oct 2025: 0 new hams 0 Oct 2025 Nov 2025: 14 new hams 14 Nov Dec 2025: 11 new hams 11 Dec Jan 2026: 16 new hams 16 Jan 2026 Feb 2026: 23 new hams 23 Feb Mar 2026: 22 new hams 22 Mar Apr 2026: 9 new hams 9 Apr May 2026: 24 new hams 24 May Jun 2026: 24 new hams 24 Jun Jul 2026: 22 new hams 22 Jul Aug 2026: 16 new hams 16 Aug Sep 2026: 24 new hams 24 Sep
Complete calendar months only, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. The current month is left out until it ends.
Show data table
New hams per month in Arkansas
MonthNew hams
Oct 20250
Nov 202514
Dec 202511
Jan 202616
Feb 202623
Mar 202622
Apr 20269
May 202624
Jun 202624
Jul 202622
Aug 202616
Sep 202624
Total205

License classes

Active licensees in Arkansas by license class, compared with U.S.
ClassHamsShareU.S.
Technician 3,86149%48%
General 1,97025%25%
Amateur Extra 1,65721%21%
Advanced 2433%3%
Novice / Other 1492%2%

Bar = Arkansas share · Tick = U.S. share

In the past 12 months, 51 operators upgraded to General and 52 to Amateur Extra.

How Arkansas compares

#35 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months

Rates per 1,000 active licensees
Per 1,000 active hamsArkansasU.S.
New hams, past 12 months26.032.3
Upgrades, past 12 months13.814.7
Expiring, next 6 months59.057.3

205 new hams in Arkansas this past year. Get next month’s list free.

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Top 10 Arkansas counties for new hams

Scroll sideways for more columns →

#CountyNew hams 12 moChange vs prior yearActive hamsNew per 1,000
1Benton County28▲ 27%73638.0
2Washington County26▲ 86%58144.8
3Pulaski County21▼ 9%86424.3
4Izard County10—72138.9
5Saline County8—42418.9
6Faulkner County7▼ 56%37818.5
7Lonoke County6—20828.8
8Baxter County5—19325.9
9Craighead County5—29716.8
10Boone County4—17423.0

— in Change means fewer than 10 new hams the year before.

All Arkansas counties

20 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.

Smaller Arkansas counties

These 55 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.

Show all 55 smaller counties
CountyActive hamsNew hams · 12 mo
Arkansas County280
Ashley County430
Bradley County100
Calhoun County60
Chicot County30
Clark County351
Clay County281
Cleveland County210
Columbia County470
Conway County621
Crittenden County611
Cross County340
Dallas County90
Desha County170
Drew County231
Franklin County431
Fulton County382
Grant County620
Greene County841
Hempstead County260
Howard County280
Jackson County140
Jefferson County671
Johnson County764
Lafayette County60
Lawrence County480
Lee County10
Lincoln County100
Little River County270
Logan County802
Madison County590
Marion County810
Miller County401
Mississippi County480
Monroe County100
Montgomery County230
Nevada County151
Newton County360
Ouachita County241
Perry County644
Phillips County220
Pike County310
Poinsett County521
Prairie County80
Randolph County451
Scott County302
Searcy County391
Sevier County280
Sharp County1432
St. Francis County231
Stone County610
Union County472
Van Buren County710
Woodruff County70
Yell County1213

Neighboring states

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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).

Questions about hams in Arkansas

How many ham radio operators are in Arkansas?

7,880 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Arkansas as of Oct 1, 2026.

How many new hams were licensed in Arkansas last year?

205 people in Arkansas received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 1, 2026.

Which Arkansas counties have the most new hams?

In the past 12 months: Benton County (28), Washington County (26) and Pulaski County (21).

Where does this data come from?

From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.

Can I see the names or call signs on this page?

No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.

About this data

Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.

How we count

  • New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
  • Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
  • Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
  • Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
  • PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.

99% of Arkansas licensees could be matched to a county.