Jonesboro, AR Metro Area
The Jonesboro, AR metro area is made up of 2 counties in Arkansas: Craighead and Poinsett. About 139,440 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 3.9% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 139,440 3.9% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 2: 1 central, 1 outlying
- Land area
- 1,465 sq mi (3,796 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- State
- Arkansas
- Combined statistical area
- Jonesboro-Paragould, AR
- CBSA code
- 27860
Counties in the Jonesboro, AR metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craighead County | Central | 116,957 | 83.9% |
| Poinsett County | Outlying | 22,483 | 16.1% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central county, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Jonesboro80,137 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Jonesboro-Paragould, AR combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other area in this one is
- Paragould, AR Micro Area47,411 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Paragould, AR Micro Area19 mi northeast
- Blytheville, AR Micro Area44 mi east
- Kennett, MO Micro Area46 mi northeast
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area63 mi southeast
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.