City · Benton County, Arkansas

Decatur, Arkansas

Decatur is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR metro area. It has 1,567 residents. Decatur, Arkansas has a quality-of-life score of 50 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,770 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arkansas it ranks #25 of 218 cities and towns. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), rent-burdened households (low) and drug overdose deaths (low). It ranks worst on distance to an Amtrak station (high), bachelor's degree or higher (low) and median household income (low).

50Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,770 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arkansas: #25 of 218 in AR
Population: 1,567 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 325.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 0517740

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
Economy43#8,852/15,631
Housing98#266/14,977
Health60#6,190/15,609
Healthcare54#7,255/15,650
Environment24#11,735/15,453
Education29#11,142/15,649
Infrastructure42#9,049/15,650
Community29#11,058/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,540/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Decatur, 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

New homes permitted · high55.5 /1k
99/100Arkansas 4.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Rent-burdened households · low25.7%
98/100Arkansas 44.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
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
Rent as share of income · low26.4%
91/100Arkansas 27.6%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Time spent in the emergency room · low116 min
90/100Arkansas 165 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBenton 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
Bachelor's degree or higher · low9.0%
6/100Arkansas 25.7%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Median household income · low$45,179
10/100Arkansas $62,146United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high18.0%
14/100Arkansas 11.3%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
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

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,837 (2015-2019) → 1,567 (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
44.5% (2015-2019) → 87.8% (2020-2024)
+43 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
36.8% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−37 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
46.4% (2015-2019) → 25.7% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
30.1% (2015-2019) → 11.8% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.2× (2015-2019) → 3.5× (2020-2024)
+62%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Decatur, Arkansas improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 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.

Improved4

Broadband+43 points44.5% → 87.8%
Child poverty−37 points36.8% → 0.0%
Poverty−18 points30.1% → 11.8%
Rent burden−21 points46.4% → 25.7%

Declined2

Bachelor's+−8.4 points17.4% → 9.0%
Price / income+1.3×2.2× → 3.5×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Decatur, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.8 min2015-2019	20.8 min2020-2024	−0.0 min	Within the margin of error	48%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.4%2015-2019	9.0%2020-2024	−8.4 points	Declined	3%
Broadband subscriptions	44.5%2015-2019	87.8%2020-2024	+43 points	Improved	100%
Child poverty rate	36.8%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	−37 points	Improved	99%
Effective property tax rate	0.67%2015-2019	0.65%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	20%
High school diploma or higher	75.0%2015-2019	79.2%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	3.5×2020-2024	+1.3×	Declined	12%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4212015-2019	0.3922020-2024	−0.029	Within the margin of error	73%
Median household income	$40,7502015-2019	$45,1792020-2024	+11%	Within the margin of error	18%
Poverty rate	30.1%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	−18 points	Improved	99%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.6%2015-2019	26.4%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	46.4%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	−21 points	Improved	94%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	20.0%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	68%

“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 Decatur, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Decatur, 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, Decatur, Arkansas itself moved +3.8 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

1,567 residents (±288)

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

663 households (±116)

Decatur, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k20%†134
$25k–50k35%†230
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

663 households (±116)

Decatur, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own39%256
Rent61%407

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−20.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

631 workers (±154)

Decatur, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone93%586
Carpool4.1%†26
Public transit0.0%0

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 Decatur'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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Decatur 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.

Decatur, 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/0517740

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends