Hey y’all there’s some pretty awesome family friendly places to live in Arkansas! And, lucky for you, we have them listed right here. Where are the most family friendly places in the The Natural State? You’re going to have to take a look below at HomeSnacks list of the best places to raise your family in Arkansas for 2026 to find out.
But first, we need to tell you how we determined the most family friendly places in Arkansas. We consulted the US Census on places in The Bear State with more than 10,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 36 family friendly Arkansas places that any family would be lucky to call home.
Why’d we do it? For many reasons. One, we wouldn’t want any family to miss out on Fort Smith’s family friendly Riverfront Blues Festival each year. Two, the state has 31 Blue Ribbon schools and some of them can be found in Arkansas’ most family friendly places. And three, we wouldn’t want your family to get stuck in one of Arkansas’ most dangerous places-that would be ‘no bueno’! Speaking of family friendly entertainment, we think the best family day in this southern paradise would go something like this: first, a trip to the Crossett’s Crossland Zoo; then, a visit to the Altitude Trampoline Park in Little Rock.
So, want to see a list of Arkansas’ best places to raise a family? Read on.
$112,792 median income · 41.3% households with kids
Located in
Benton County, Arkansas
Bentonville is the ninth-largest city in Arkansas and the county seat of Benton County. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers adjacent to the east. The city is the headquarters of Walmart, which is the world’s largest retailer. Originally named Osage after the Osage Indians who hunted in the area when white settlers first moved to the area in 1837, the community was renamed to Bentonville in 1906 in honor of New York inventor Linn Boyd Benton, after being first incorporated on April 3, 1873. It is one of the four main cities in the four-county Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ranked 109th in terms of population in the United States with 463,204 in 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau. The city itself had a population of 35,301 at the 2010 Census, with an estimated population of 47,093 in 2016.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$48,657 median income · 22.4% households with kids
Located in
Clark County, Arkansas
Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University, are located there. Arkadelphia was incorporated in 1857.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$103,333 median income · 32.7% households with kids
Located in
Pulaski County, Arkansas
Maumelle is an affluent city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 17,163. The city is located northwest of Little Rock, bordering the opposite shore of the Arkansas River and is part of the Little Rock metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$115,713 median income · 46.7% households with kids
Located in
Benton County, Arkansas
Centerton is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 9,515 at the 2010 census. Centerton is part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$52,170 median income · 33.7% households with kids
Located in
White County, Arkansas
Searcy is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2014 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,768. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of White County. The city takes its name from Richard Searcy, a judge for the Superior Court of the Arkansas Territory. A college town, Searcy is the home of Harding University.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$83,024 median income · 41.1% households with kids
Located in
Saline County, Arkansas
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$50,877 median income · 32.1% households with kids
Located in
Pope County, Arkansas
Russellville is the county seat and largest city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 27,920, according to the 2010 Census. It is home to Arkansas Tech University and Arkansas Nuclear One, Arkansas’ only nuclear power plant. Russellville borders Lake Dardanelle and the Arkansas River.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$72,065 median income · 39.7% households with kids
Located in
Benton County, Arkansas
Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city shares a border on the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line with the city of West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, which is within the Cherokee Nation territory. The town was founded in 1882 and was characterized by the purported healing powers of the spring water feeding Sager Creek and trading with nearby Native American tribes. John Brown University was founded in 1919 as a private, interdenominational, Christian liberal arts college in the city. Today, Siloam Springs is known for its efforts to preserve and revitalize the city’s historic downtown and as a promoter of the arts via Sager Creek Arts Center and the JBU art gallery. The community is located on the western edge of the growing Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area and has had a population increase of 47% to 15,039 between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$63,004 median income · 27.2% households with kids
Located in
Faulkner County, Arkansas
Conway is a city in the American state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, located in the state’s most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. Although sometimes considered a suburb of Little Rock, Conway is unique in that the majority of its residents do not commute out of the city to work. The city also serves as a regional shopping, educational, work, healthcare, sports, and cultural hub for Faulkner County and surrounding areas. Conway’s growth can be attributed to its jobs in technology and higher education with its largest employers being Acxiom, the University of Central Arkansas, Hewlett Packard, Hendrix College, Insight Enterprises, and many technology start up companies. Conway is home to three post-secondary educational institutions, earning it the nickname “The City of Colleges”.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$86,728 median income · 37.9% households with kids
Located in
Benton County, Arkansas
Rogers is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964 making it the state’s-eighth largest city. Rogers is located in the northwest portion of the state in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, which is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation and is ranked 109th in terms of population in the United States with 465,776 in 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arkansas’s statewide median.
Arkansas statewide median: $60,773
Arkansas statewide median: $222,050
On the map
Where Arkansas’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in Arkansas anyways?
To give you the places in Arkansas that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of Arkansas, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For Arkansas, that meant a total of 36 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in Arkansas.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In Arkansas
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bentonville | 58,249 | $112,792 | $488,112 | 41.3% |
| 2 | Arkadelphia | 10,099 | $48,657 | $183,376 | 22.4% |
| 3 | Maumelle | 19,373 | $103,333 | $307,539 | 32.7% |
| 4 | Centerton | 21,920 | $115,713 | $349,882 | 46.7% |
| 5 | Searcy | 23,340 | $52,170 | $216,680 | 33.7% |
| 6 | Bryant | 21,504 | $83,024 | $254,713 | 41.1% |
| 7 | Russellville | 29,162 | $50,877 | $212,079 | 32.1% |
| 8 | Siloam Springs | 18,699 | $72,065 | $284,971 | 39.7% |
| 9 | Conway | 67,642 | $63,004 | $244,316 | 27.2% |
| 10 | Rogers | 72,981 | $86,728 | $385,743 | 37.9% |
| 11 | Benton | 36,595 | $72,876 | $239,101 | 33.5% |
| 12 | Malvern | 10,953 | $46,250 | $142,161 | 32.7% |
| 13 | Lowell | 10,849 | $95,527 | $360,677 | 38.8% |
| 14 | Cabot | 26,960 | $75,000 | $247,085 | 40.4% |
| 15 | Little Rock | 203,436 | $63,003 | $216,519 | 28.0% |
| 16 | Van Buren | 23,763 | $61,149 | $204,826 | 38.4% |
| 17 | Fayetteville | 99,319 | $62,695 | $377,910 | 24.4% |
| 18 | Sherwood | 33,070 | $81,328 | $236,102 | 27.7% |
| 19 | Paragould | 30,215 | $56,980 | $191,096 | 34.4% |
| 20 | Magnolia | 10,894 | $56,127 | $145,079 | 26.2% |
| 21 | Springdale | 88,160 | $69,787 | $338,447 | 41.7% |
| 22 | Jonesboro | 80,137 | $55,424 | $222,893 | 32.6% |
| 23 | Marion | 13,623 | $78,330 | $238,641 | 37.4% |
| 24 | Batesville | 11,445 | $51,856 | $176,299 | 32.4% |
| 25 | Harrison | 13,350 | $44,056 | $230,382 | 21.9% |
| 26 | Mountain Home | 13,108 | $41,274 | $233,820 | 21.3% |
| 27 | Camden | 10,307 | $49,361 | $105,164 | 28.4% |
| 28 | Hot Springs | 37,920 | $47,760 | $243,826 | 24.5% |
| 29 | Blytheville | 12,790 | $47,865 | $96,161 | 28.4% |
| 30 | Fort Smith | 89,805 | $54,816 | $193,977 | 30.6% |
| 31 | Pine Bluff | 39,743 | $42,718 | $75,017 | 26.9% |
| 32 | North Little Rock | 64,538 | $52,707 | $165,643 | 20.5% |
| 33 | Jacksonville | 29,221 | $49,666 | $168,541 | 36.8% |
| 34 | West Memphis | 23,929 | $42,674 | $131,757 | 31.7% |
| 35 | El Dorado | 17,115 | $49,244 | $133,853 | 23.4% |
| 36 | Texarkana | 29,177 | $45,835 | $167,818 | 27.1% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 36 Arkansas cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In Arkansas
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in Arkansas ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in Arkansas are Bentonville, Arkadelphia, Maumelle, Centerton, Searcy, Bryant, Russellville, Siloam Springs, Conway, and Rogers. Not sold on Arkansas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places For Families In Arkansas FAQs
What is the best place to raise a family in Arkansas?
Bentonville is the best place to raise a family in Arkansas for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Arkadelphia and Maumelle round out the top three.
What are the best places for families in Arkansas?
The best Arkansas places to raise a family are Bentonville, Arkadelphia, Maumelle, Centerton, Searcy, Bryant, Russellville, Siloam Springs, Conway, and Rogers. We ranked all 36 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
How do you rank family-friendly cities?
Family-friendliness blends low crime, good schools, proximity to a major city, the share of households with kids, and nearby amenities. The city that balances all of it best in Arkansas is Bentonville.
Is Bentonville affordable for families?
The median home in Bentonville costs $488,112 against a median household income of $112,792. Statewide, the median home runs $222,050, so check the gap before you pack the minivan.
What is the toughest place to raise a family in Arkansas?
Texarkana lands at the bottom of the family ranking for Arkansas. Families make it work everywhere, but the crime, school, and income numbers stack against it there.
