City · Benton County, Arkansas

Bella Vista, Arkansas

Bella Vista is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR metro area. It has 31,697 residents. Bella Vista, Arkansas has a quality-of-life score of 81 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,908 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arkansas it ranks #3 of 218 cities and towns. It ranks best on child poverty rate (low), rent-burdened households (low) and rent as share of income (low). It ranks worst on distance to an Amtrak station (high), income inequality (Gini index) (high) and pharmacies (low).

81Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,908 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arkansas: #3 of 218 in AR
Population: 31,697 (2020-2024)
Land area: 45 mi²
Density: 699.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 0504840

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety68#5,026/15,637
Economy90#1,601/15,631
Housing99#118/14,977
Health80#3,099/15,609
Healthcare62#5,881/15,650
Environment24#11,735/15,453
Education79#3,339/15,649
Infrastructure83#2,597/15,650
Community38#9,644/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,540/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bella Vista, Arkansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Benton County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Child poverty rate · low0.5%
100/100Arkansas 19.6%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Rent-burdened households · low28.0%
98/100Arkansas 44.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · low21.0%
97/100Arkansas 27.6%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
New homes permitted · high22.4 /1k
96/100Arkansas 4.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Drug overdose deaths · low4.8 /100k
96/100Arkansas 10.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBenton County value
Average weekly wage · high$1,752
95/100Arkansas $1,176United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBenton County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high155 mi
4/100Arkansas 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBenton County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.469
19/100Arkansas 0.479United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Pharmacies · low1.1 /10k
19/100Arkansas 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBenton County value
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
21/100Arkansas 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesBenton County value
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
27/100Arkansas 0.3%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Dentists · low45 /100k
27/100Arkansas 50 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenton County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
28,539 (2015-2019) → 31,697 (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.7% (2015-2019) → 96.1% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
33.3% (2015-2019) → 41.8% (2020-2024)
+8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.5× (2015-2019) → 3.4× (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$67,550 (2015-2019) → $88,055 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
32.7% (2015-2019) → 27.9% (2020-2024)
−4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bella Vista, Arkansas improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 7 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Bachelor's++8.5 points33.3% → 41.8%
Broadband+13 points82.7% → 96.1%
Household income+30%$67,550 → $88,055

Declined2

Uninsured+3.1 points5.3% → 8.4%
Price / income+0.9×2.5× → 3.4×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Bella Vista, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.1 min2015-2019	27.9 min2020-2024	+1.8 min	Within the margin of error	29%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.3%2015-2019	41.8%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Improved	85%
Broadband subscriptions	82.7%2015-2019	96.1%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	74%
Effective property tax rate	0.80%2015-2019	0.53%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	70%
High school diploma or higher	96.4%2015-2019	96.0%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	27%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4132015-2019	0.4692020-2024	+0.056	Within the margin of error	14%
Median household income	$67,5502015-2019	$88,0552020-2024	+30%	Improved	56%
Poverty rate	4.3%2015-2019	3.6%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent as share of income	24.6%2015-2019	21.0%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Rent-burdened households	32.7%2015-2019	27.9%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Unemployment rate	3.0%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.3%2015-2019	8.4%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Declined	18%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bella Vista, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bella Vista, Arkansas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bella Vista, Arkansas itself moved +0.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

31,697 residents (±34)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

31,697 residents (±34)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

White82%26,110
Black0.2%†63
Hispanic or Latino7.1%2,237

Education

24,774 residents (±511)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

No high school diploma4.0%†1,001
High school or GED24%5,933
Some college21%5,283

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

13,435 households (±438)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k6.7%906
$25k–50k14%1,861
$50k–75k20%2,741
$75k–100k15%2,076
$100k–150k22%2,985
$150k–200k8.7%1,170
$200k or more13%1,696

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−8.2 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

13,435 households (±438)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own88%11,820
Rent12%1,615

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,417 households (±316)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $7505.8%†82
$750–1,00022%†309
$1,000–1,50028%†391

Home values

11,820 homes (±472)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $150k9.0%1,069
$150k–250k27%3,193
$250k–400k39%4,592

Age of homes

14,514 homes (±508)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

2010 or later13%1,843
2000–200927%3,853
1980–199941%5,895

Size of homes

14,514 homes (±508)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Studio0.3%†40
1 bedroom1.1%†157
2 bedrooms22%3,152

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

13,680 workers (±793)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone71%9,649
Carpool6.6%†898
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.3%†43
Bike0.0%0
Work from home21%2,935
Other1.1%†155

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+17.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

10,745 workers (±783)

Bella Vista, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under 15 min13%1,391
15–29 min49%5,302
30–44 min25%2,686

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Benton County, the county holding most of Bella Vista's residents.

Benton County has 7,788 employer establishments, 250 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 1.09× Arkansas's), with 140,001 paid employees at an average annual pay of $78,785. The Census Bureau also counts 28,981 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,788; 28,981 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 250; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 140,001
Average annual pay: $78,785; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Benton County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	595	19.1	0.92×About typical	5,074	$76,700	1,059
Specialty trade contractors	516	16.6	1.07×About typical	5,043	$56,943	2,810
Restaurants and other eating places	485	15.6	0.85×About typical	10,904	$22,313	136
Lessors of real estate	436	14	1.14×About typical	1,243	$54,407	3,037
Management, scientific and technical consulting	331	10.6	1.58×More than typical	3,021	$129,609	1,341
Construction of buildings	269	8.6	1.14×About typical	1,407	$68,780	1,258
Services to buildings and dwellings	251	8.1	1.19×About typical	1,986	$31,874	1,919
Real estate agents and brokers	232	7.4	1.53×More than typical	429	$56,375	1,032
Offices of other health practitioners	227	7.3	1.20×About typical	1,297	$53,699	572
Building equipment contractors	225	7.2	1.20×About typical	2,654	$58,103	441
Limited-service restaurants	219	7	0.88×About typical	5,080	$19,849	45
Full-service restaurants	195	6.3	0.81×About typical	4,729	$25,461	61

Rank places for an industry Open Benton County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 311,656 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated -$237K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bella Vista, Arkansas: -$7.48 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: -$237K; −124% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$7.48; US $1,995
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

CONCORDIA NURSING & REHAB LLC-$237K0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

626.5KFY2017
686.6KFY2018
387.2KFY2019
807.7KFY2020
180.5KFY2021
928.1KFY2022
696.6KFY2023
1MFY2024
976.2K

What was bought

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bella Vista, Arkansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bella Vista is mostly in Benton County.

See federal money in Benton County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bella Vista, Arkansas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Steve WomackR-AR-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 10.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Benton County83100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR80

Other cities and towns in Benton County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0504840