City · Clay County, Arkansas

Corning, Arkansas

Corning is a city in Clay County, Arkansas. It has 3,134 residents. Corning, Arkansas has a quality-of-life score of 14 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,509 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arkansas it ranks #102 of 218 cities and towns. It ranks best on pharmacies (high), home price to income ratio (low) and students per teacher (low). It ranks worst on primary care physicians (low), voter turnout (low) and average weekly wage (low).

14Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,509 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arkansas: #102 of 218 in AR
Population: 3,134 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 853.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 0515460

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.

Safety52#7,545/15,637
Economy13#13,578/15,631
Housing99#219/14,977
Health9#14,145/15,609
Healthcare7#14,611/15,650
Environment8#14,172/15,453
Education24#11,832/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,072/15,650
Community20#12,527/15,651
Leisure & amenities28#11,333/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Corning, Arkansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Clay 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

Pharmacies · high3.6 /10k
99/100Arkansas 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsClay County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.8×
95/100Arkansas 3.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Students per teacher · low10.9×
94/100Arkansas 12.5×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsClay County value
Property crime rate · low378 /100k
94/100Arkansas 1,645 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationClay County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Arkansas 7.0 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataClay County value
Grocery stores · high2.8 /10k
93/100Arkansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsClay County value

Weaknesses

Primary care physicians · low7 /100k
0/100Arkansas 69 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteClay County value
Voter turnout · low43.9%
1/100Arkansas 52.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionClay County value
Average weekly wage · low$824
1/100Arkansas $1,176United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsClay County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,916 /100k
2/100Arkansas 3,115 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteClay County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Arkansas 3.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyClay County value
Traffic deaths · high37.8 /100k
4/100Arkansas 20.8 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataClay County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateImproving
49.3% (2015-2019) → 21.6% (2020-2024)
−28 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
65.5% (2015-2019) → 86.6% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
31.4% (2015-2019) → 14.8% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$28,504 (2015-2019) → $50,408 (2020-2024)
+77%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
80.5% (2015-2019) → 90.0% (2020-2024)
+9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
13.0% (2015-2019) → 22.3% (2020-2024)
+9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Corning, Arkansas improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved5

Poverty−17 points31.4% → 14.8%
Child poverty−28 points49.3% → 21.6%
Household income+77%$28,504 → $50,408
Broadband+21 points65.5% → 86.6%
Bachelor's++9.3 points13.0% → 22.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Corning, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.8 min2015-2019	20.9 min2020-2024	−0.9 min	Within the margin of error	59%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.0%2015-2019	22.3%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Improved	88%
Broadband subscriptions	65.5%2015-2019	86.6%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	92%
Child poverty rate	49.3%2015-2019	21.6%2020-2024	−28 points	Improved	97%
Effective property tax rate	0.55%2015-2019	0.44%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	39%
High school diploma or higher	80.5%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+9.5 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	1.8×2020-2024	−0.8×	Within the margin of error	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4912015-2019	0.4492020-2024	−0.042	Within the margin of error	80%
Median household income	$28,5042015-2019	$50,4082020-2024	+77%	Improved	96%
Poverty rate	31.4%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	−17 points	Improved	98%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.9%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent-burdened households	41.9%2015-2019	36.4%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.0%2015-2019	10.5%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	30%

“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 Corning, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Corning, 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, Corning, Arkansas itself moved +15.1 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

3,134 residents (±30)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

1,353 households (±109)

Corning, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k21%†287
$25k–50k28%†382
$50k–75k19%

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,353 households (±109)

Corning, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own74%998
Rent26%†355

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+15.9 points).

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,405 workers (±205)

Corning, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone84%1,187
Carpool10%†147
Public transit0.0%0

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 Clay County, the county holding most of Corning's residents.

Clay County has 278 employer establishments, 196 for every 10,000 residents (0.79× the US rate of 248; 0.85× Arkansas's), with 2,374 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,158. The Census Bureau also counts 918 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 278; 918 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 196; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 2,374
Average annual pay: $42,158; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	21	14.8	2.67×More than typical	47	$17,745	—
Ambulatory health care services	20	14.1	0.68×Fewer than typical	165	$58,042	150
Specialty trade contractors	20	14.1	0.91×About typical	61	$66,885	90
Restaurants and other eating places	18	12.7	0.69×Fewer than typical	155	$14,723	6
Other specialty trade contractors	13	9.2	3.65×More than typical	30	$97,133	29
Truck transportation	13	9.2	1.81×More than typical	46	$56,870	42
Full-service restaurants	10	7.1	0.92×About typical	46	$14,826	—
Offices of other health practitioners	10	7.1	1.16×About typical	23	$40,000	16
Construction of buildings	8	5.6	0.75×Too few to compare	22	$34,455	29
Gasoline stations	8	5.6	1.74×Too few to compare	85	$19,565	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	7	4.9	0.98×Too few to compare	13	$41,769	30
Insurance agencies and brokerages	7	4.9	1.12×Too few to compare	20	$36,600	16

Rank places for an industry Open Clay County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 14,172 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 $335 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Corning, Arkansas: $0.11 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $335
Per resident: $0.11; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$335100%

Top recipients

FRANCIS FISH COMPANY LLC$335100%

Spending by fiscal year

354.4FY2017
335FY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies$335100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Aquaculture · 1125$335100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Corning, Arkansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Corning, Arkansas's figures are part of those of Clay County, AR ($111.5K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Clay 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.

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

House

Eric A. "Rick" CrawfordR-AR-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.2%

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.

Clay County14100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Clay 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/0515460

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends