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Cleveland County’s population has fallen far short of projections made in a 2003 University of Arkansas study, which estimated the county would have between 10,378 and 11,414 residents by 2025. Instead, the county’s population peaked at 8,689 in 2010 before declining to 7,550 in the 2020 Census and an estimated 7,073 today. The decline mirrors a broader trend across Southeast Arkansas, where the population of a 14-county region has dropped by about 24 percent since 2003. Key factors include out-migration of young adults seeking education and employment opportunities elsewhere, limited local job growth, and a natural decrease as deaths continue to outnumber births.