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 counties 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 using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
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.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Arkansas For 2024
Saline County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Arkansas. And you should avoid Chicot County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in Arkansas. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Arkansas and the cheapest places to live in Arkansas.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In Arkansas For 2024
1. Saline County
Biggest Place: Benton
Population: 123,988
Median Income: $73,236 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $236,097 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (12th best)
More on Saline County: Data
2. Grant County
Biggest Place: Sheridan
Population: 18,022
Median Income: $68,598 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $196,058 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.3% (9th best)
More on Grant County: Data
3. Benton County
Biggest Place: Springdale
Population: 286,528
Median Income: $85,269 (best)
Median Home Price: $341,523 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.9% (3rd best)
More on Benton County: Data
4. Faulkner County
Biggest Place: Conway
Population: 124,611
Median Income: $61,273 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $234,339 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.3% (8th best)
More on Faulkner County: Data
5. Lonoke County
Biggest Place: Cabot
Population: 74,292
Median Income: $68,078 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $212,764 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (20th best)
More on Lonoke County: Data
6. Cleveland County
Biggest Place: Rison
Population: 7,548
Median Income: $48,913 (36th best)
Median Home Price: $137,780 (43rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.8% (best)
More on Cleveland County: Data
7. Boone County
Biggest Place: Harrison
Population: 37,662
Median Income: $52,275 (22nd best)
Median Home Price: $205,773 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (19th best)
More on Boone County: Data
8. Perry County
Biggest Place: Perryville
Population: 10,055
Median Income: $53,980 (18th best)
Median Home Price: $143,073 (39th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (2best)
More on Perry County: Data
9. Baxter County
Biggest Place: Mountain Home
Population: 41,801
Median Income: $47,403 (43rd best)
Median Home Price: $210,962 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (29th best)
More on Baxter County: Data
10. Newton County
Biggest Place: Jasper
Population: 7,243
Median Income: $50,699 (28th best)
Median Home Price: $204,452 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (11th best)
More on Newton County: Data
Methodology: 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 made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent 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
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, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Natural State.
We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in Arkansas.
Read on to see why Saline County is the best county, while Chicot County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Arkansas.
Summary: The Best Counties In Arkansas To Call Home For 2024
Living in Arkansas can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Arkansas are Saline County, Grant County, Benton County, Faulkner County, Lonoke County, Cleveland County, Boone County, Perry County, Baxter County, and Newton County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Arkansas according to the data:
- Chicot County
- Monroe County
- Phillips County
For more Arkansas reading, check out:
- Safest Places In Arkansas
- Cheapest Places To Live In Arkansas
- Best Places To Retire In Arkansas
- Richest Cities In Arkansas
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Arkansas
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saline County | 123,988 | $73,236 | $236,097 |
| 2 | Grant County | 18,022 | $68,598 | $196,058 |
| 3 | Benton County | 286,528 | $85,269 | $341,523 |
| 4 | Faulkner County | 124,611 | $61,273 | $234,339 |
| 5 | Lonoke County | 74,292 | $68,078 | $212,764 |
| 6 | Cleveland County | 7,548 | $48,913 | $137,780 |
| 7 | Boone County | 37,662 | $52,275 | $205,773 |
| 8 | Perry County | 10,055 | $53,980 | $143,073 |
| 9 | Baxter County | 41,801 | $47,403 | $210,962 |
| 10 | Newton County | 7,243 | $50,699 | $204,452 |
| 11 | Little River County | 12,024 | $58,627 | $135,785 |
| 12 | Cleburne County | 24,948 | $52,780 | $238,126 |
| 13 | Pulaski County | 398,322 | $58,326 | $191,702 |
| 14 | Carroll County | 28,362 | $56,826 | $236,559 |
| 15 | Washington County | 247,331 | $61,985 | $316,585 |
| 16 | Garland County | 100,021 | $54,229 | $238,295 |
| 17 | Logan County | 21,247 | $51,131 | $144,397 |
| 18 | Craighead County | 111,038 | $55,169 | $201,926 |
| 19 | Drew County | 17,309 | $44,968 | $148,801 |
| 20 | Pike County | 10,205 | $49,248 | $162,054 |
| 21 | Prairie County | 8,217 | $47,045 | $121,186 |
| 22 | Yell County | 20,342 | $55,879 | $142,837 |
| 23 | Union County | 38,815 | $49,745 | $116,820 |
| 24 | Pope County | 63,475 | $51,678 | $185,921 |
| 25 | Crawford County | 60,593 | $56,702 | $192,342 |
| 26 | White County | 77,118 | $51,144 | $183,456 |
| 27 | Franklin County | 17,160 | $47,695 | $154,141 |
| 28 | Hot Spring County | 33,129 | $50,260 | $147,119 |
| 29 | Madison County | 16,737 | $51,514 | $229,986 |
| 30 | Greene County | 45,954 | $54,879 | $176,303 |
| 31 | Arkansas County | 17,024 | $58,695 | $110,414 |
| 32 | Columbia County | 22,707 | $47,441 | $126,262 |
| 33 | Conway County | 20,782 | $50,282 | $152,666 |
| 34 | Sebastian County | 128,184 | $54,047 | $179,808 |
| 35 | Dallas County | 6,472 | $40,085 | $80,827 |
| 36 | Calhoun County | 4,773 | $60,237 | $105,664 |
| 37 | Clark County | 21,469 | $48,071 | $138,953 |
| 38 | Independence County | 37,910 | $52,361 | $150,190 |
| 39 | Fulton County | 12,183 | $38,917 | $162,150 |
| 40 | Sharp County | 17,422 | $43,332 | $136,275 |
| 41 | Marion County | 16,905 | $42,891 | $201,697 |
| 42 | Ouachita County | 22,606 | $47,348 | $90,308 |
| 43 | Lincoln County | 13,016 | $50,526 | $109,413 |
| 44 | Van Buren County | 15,900 | $45,768 | $151,939 |
| 45 | Jefferson County | 66,934 | $46,855 | $90,465 |
| 46 | Polk County | 19,384 | $48,449 | $164,386 |
| 47 | Montgomery County | 8,555 | $47,103 | $181,474 |
| 48 | Randolph County | 18,619 | $45,993 | $130,797 |
| 49 | Searcy County | 7,880 | $42,063 | $150,438 |
| 50 | Miller County | 42,682 | $47,613 | $160,328 |
| 51 | Izard County | 13,748 | $46,159 | $147,359 |
| 52 | Nevada County | 8,292 | $43,421 | $104,415 |
| 53 | Woodruff County | 6,259 | $49,608 | $73,008 |
| 54 | Sevier County | 15,913 | $53,567 | $145,727 |
| 55 | Howard County | 12,779 | $44,824 | $135,261 |
| 56 | Johnson County | 25,925 | $42,470 | $161,470 |
| 57 | Stone County | 12,393 | $37,664 | $173,062 |
| 58 | Crittenden County | 47,945 | $51,860 | $142,906 |
| 59 | Cross County | 16,827 | $48,129 | $130,526 |
| 60 | Bradley County | 10,461 | $43,688 | $91,075 |
| 61 | Scott County | 9,871 | $45,340 | $132,210 |
| 62 | Clay County | 14,537 | $44,685 | $95,809 |
| 63 | Lawrence County | 16,258 | $43,606 | $110,747 |
| 64 | Hempstead County | 20,037 | $45,049 | $105,798 |
| 65 | Ashley County | 19,018 | $44,804 | $79,837 |
| 66 | Poinsett County | 22,997 | $43,440 | $109,526 |
| 67 | Mississippi County | 40,361 | $50,012 | $86,820 |
| 68 | Jackson County | 16,784 | $41,929 | $78,451 |
| 69 | St. Francis County | 23,138 | $39,822 | $101,102 |
| 70 | Desha County | 11,285 | $38,067 | $80,429 |
| 71 | Lee County | 8,666 | $33,801 | $78,652 |
| 72 | Lafayette County | 6,277 | $40,262 | $83,117 |
| 73 | Phillips County | 16,373 | $37,458 | $45,503 |
| 74 | Monroe County | 6,787 | $41,786 | $72,006 |
| 75 | Chicot County | 10,234 | $36,593 | $79,970 |