The 10 Best Counties To Live In Arkansas For 2021


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Arkansas have the most for people looking to make the move to Arkansas.

Chris Kolmar, About HomeSnacks
December 30, 2020
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2021. This is our seventh time ranking the best counties to live in Arkansas.

Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Arkansas a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes... if you know where to locate the best places to live in Arkansas.

Lucky for you, we're here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Natural State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn't our first rodeo -- we've been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Arkansas, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 75 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Natural State for 2021.

Grant County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Arkansas. And you might want to avoid Phillips County if you can -- at least according to the data.

So if you're thinking of making the move Arkansas, we've got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Arkansas and the cheapest places to live in Arkansas.

The Best Counties To Live In Arkansas For 2021

1. Grant County

Sheridan, AR

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Litherland | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Sheridan

Population: 18,126
Median Income: $55,388 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $124,600.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 390.1% (14th best)
More on Grant County: Photos | Data

2. Saline County

Benton, AR

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Benton

Population: 119,415
Median Income: $64,412 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $156,800.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 374.9% (9th best)
More on Saline County: Photos | Data

3. Benton County

Bella Vista, AR

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Springdale

Population: 265,759
Median Income: $66,362 (best)
Median Home Price: $183,400.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 242.4% (3rd best)
More on Benton County: Photos | Data

4. Lonoke County

Cabot, AR

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Cabot

Population: 72,528
Median Income: $59,094 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $142,500.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 358.8% (7th best)
More on Lonoke County: Photos | Data

5. Baxter County

Mountain Home, AR

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Mountain Home

Population: 41,427
Median Income: $42,260 (38th best)
Median Home Price: $133,400.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 459.5% (23rd best)
More on Baxter County: Photos | Data

6. Boone County

Harrison, AR

Source: Wikipedia User Photolitherland (talk)Chr | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Harrison

Population: 37,331
Median Income: $45,374 (2best)
Median Home Price: $124,300.0 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 454.4% (2best)
More on Boone County: Photos | Data

7. Faulkner County

Conway, AR

Source: Wikipedia User Photolitherland (talk)Chr | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Conway

Population: 123,624
Median Income: $52,827 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $161,500.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 377.4% (10th best)
More on Faulkner County: Photos | Data

8. Perry County

Biggest Place: Perryville

Population: 10,355
Median Income: $48,667 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $106,300.0 (28th best)
Unemployment Rate: 550.6% (38th best)
More on Perry County: Data

9. Newton County

Biggest Place: Jasper

Population: 7,812
Median Income: $38,082 (53rd best)
Median Home Price: $114,700.0 (22nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 352.0% (6th best)
More on Newton County: Data

10. Cleburne County

Biggest Place: Heber Springs

Population: 25,100
Median Income: $44,483 (26th best)
Median Home Price: $129,900.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 431.4% (17th best)
More on Cleburne County: Data

How do you determine which Arkansas county is the best?

To give you the best county in Arkansas, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what's a "best county" and what isn't. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you'd make at a bar using facts, don't take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates
Best Places To Buy A House In Arkansas

We then ranked each county in Arkansas across each of the criteria from one to 75, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the "Best County To Live In Arkansas".

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Natural State.

Read on to see why Grant County is the best county, while Phillips County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Arkansas.

There You Have It - The Best Counties In Arkansas To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Arkansas can vary from one part of the state to the next -- who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that's why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here's a look at the worst counties in Arkansas according to the data:

  1. Phillips County
  2. Jackson County
  3. Lafayette County

For more Arkansas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Arkansas

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Grant County 1 18,126 $55,388 $124,600.0
Saline County 2 119,415 $64,412 $156,800.0
Benton County 3 265,759 $66,362 $183,400.0
Lonoke County 4 72,528 $59,094 $142,500.0
Baxter County 5 41,427 $42,260 $133,400.0
Boone County 6 37,331 $45,374 $124,300.0
Faulkner County 7 123,624 $52,827 $161,500.0
Perry County 8 10,355 $48,667 $106,300.0
Newton County 9 7,812 $38,082 $114,700.0
Cleburne County 10 25,100 $44,483 $129,900.0
Drew County 11 18,417 $46,997 $99,800.0
Cleveland County 12 8,128 $46,684 $97,100.0
Independence County 13 37,427 $44,319 $98,900.0
Pike County 14 10,756 $40,401 $84,900.0
Little River County 15 12,347 $45,113 $77,900.0
Marion County 16 16,476 $36,719 $120,700.0
Pulaski County 17 392,967 $51,749 $157,200.0
Craighead County 18 107,345 $47,286 $140,700.0
Clark County 19 22,386 $41,620 $111,600.0
Washington County 20 232,289 $50,451 $173,400.0
Searcy County 21 7,908 $36,438 $103,500.0
Conway County 22 20,858 $42,802 $107,600.0
Lawrence County 23 16,549 $39,993 $76,800.0
Hot Spring County 24 33,597 $43,889 $96,700.0
Yell County 25 21,464 $43,923 $109,400.0
Franklin County 26 17,738 $38,923 $100,900.0
Carroll County 27 27,965 $46,110 $136,900.0
Greene County 28 44,937 $47,056 $118,800.0
Logan County 29 21,668 $41,466 $99,000.0
Jefferson County 30 69,282 $40,726 $83,500.0
Crawford County 31 62,739 $46,828 $115,200.0
Izard County 32 13,570 $42,876 $82,700.0
Cross County 33 16,824 $46,787 $86,100.0
Pope County 34 63,761 $43,462 $126,400.0
Prairie County 35 8,189 $42,660 $67,400.0
Arkansas County 36 17,914 $46,696 $88,600.0
White County 37 78,762 $44,029 $120,100.0
Garland County 38 98,555 $44,777 $139,900.0
Lincoln County 39 13,455 $46,596 $76,300.0
Sharp County 40 17,139 $34,671 $80,700.0
Calhoun County 41 5,192 $46,417 $70,000.0
Clay County 42 14,889 $37,233 $77,400.0
Dallas County 43 7,279 $38,072 $70,400.0
Stone County 44 12,475 $38,188 $121,100.0
Ashley County 45 20,270 $44,744 $76,400.0
Madison County 46 16,211 $41,682 $120,400.0
Miller County 47 43,572 $43,371 $109,100.0
Randolph County 48 17,695 $37,218 $87,200.0
Sebastian County 49 127,591 $46,228 $123,100.0
Union County 50 39,449 $44,663 $86,500.0
Johnson County 51 26,372 $38,511 $103,500.0
Columbia County 52 23,776 $36,193 $81,900.0
Van Buren County 53 16,642 $38,499 $101,700.0
Montgomery County 54 8,950 $35,741 $102,800.0
Howard County 55 13,311 $36,059 $95,900.0
Sevier County 56 17,081 $47,704 $84,300.0
Bradley County 57 10,874 $43,184 $89,800.0
St. Francis County 58 25,900 $35,348 $64,600.0
Polk County 59 20,094 $37,974 $99,300.0
Hempstead County 60 21,842 $42,860 $81,100.0
Fulton County 61 12,231 $35,405 $86,400.0
Ouachita County 62 23,830 $35,425 $75,300.0
Woodruff County 63 6,533 $32,845 $66,400.0
Nevada County 64 8,351 $38,042 $66,300.0
Crittenden County 65 48,672 $40,161 $114,600.0
Desha County 66 11,709 $31,893 $70,300.0
Chicot County 67 10,615 $34,147 $69,700.0
Scott County 68 10,376 $36,092 $76,300.0
Poinsett County 69 23,896 $40,921 $78,800.0
Mississippi County 70 42,126 $39,962 $84,500.0
Monroe County 71 7,050 $38,468 $61,400.0
Lee County 72 9,194 $29,681 $74,000.0
Lafayette County 73 6,800 $32,397 $64,600.0
Jackson County 74 17,027 $34,109 $66,600.0
Phillips County 75 18,606 $29,320 $70,700.0
Download The Entire Arkansas Ranking Data

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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