City · Desha County, Arkansas

Dumas, Arkansas

Dumas is a city in Desha County, Arkansas. It has 3,768 residents. Dumas, Arkansas has a quality-of-life score of 8 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,436 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arkansas it ranks #163 of 218 cities and towns. It ranks best on suicide rate (low), social associations (high) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), physical inactivity (high) and homicide rate (high).

8Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,436 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arkansas: #163 of 218 in AR
Population: 3,768 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,296.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 0519990

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety2#15,260/15,637
Economy0#15,571/15,631
Housing86#2,102/14,977
Health7#14,564/15,609
Healthcare8#14,417/15,650
Environment15#13,140/15,453
Education6#14,734/15,649
Infrastructure4#14,965/15,650
Community26#11,656/15,651
Leisure & amenities87#2,102/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Arkansas 17.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100k2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionDesha County value
Social associations · high19.1 /10k
97/100Arkansas 11.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDesha County value
Grocery stores · high3.0 /10k
94/100Arkansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDesha County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.0 /10k
91/100Arkansas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDesha County value
Public libraries · high1.9 /10k
91/100Arkansas 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesDesha County value
Students per teacher · low11.5×
90/100Arkansas 12.5×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsDesha County value

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high21.0
0/100Arkansas 12.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationDesha County value
Physical inactivity · high47.8%
0/100Arkansas 34.4%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Homicide rate · high22.2 /100k
1/100Arkansas 7.0 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataDesha County value
Adult obesity · high49.9%
1/100Arkansas 40.6%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Job growth · low-6.2%
1/100Arkansas -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataDesha County value
Lack of reliable transportation · high22.0%
1/100Arkansas 10.2%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
4,173 (2015-2019) → 3,768 (2020-2024)
−9.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
61.8% (2015-2019) → 81.2% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
13.5 min (2015-2019) → 21.0 min (2020-2024)
+56%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
35.3% (2015-2019) → 44.2% (2020-2024)
+8.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
51.2% (2015-2019) → 42.5% (2020-2024)
−8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
17.8% (2015-2019) → 9.3% (2020-2024)
−8.4 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, Dumas, Arkansas improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 12 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.

Improved1

Broadband+19 points61.8% → 81.2%

Declined1

Bachelor's+−8.4 points17.8% → 9.3%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Dumas, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.5 min2015-2019	21.0 min2020-2024	+7.5 min	Within the margin of error	4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.8%2015-2019	9.3%2020-2024	−8.4 points	Declined	3%
Broadband subscriptions	61.8%2015-2019	81.2%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	51.2%2015-2019	42.5%2020-2024	−8.7 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Effective property tax rate	0.71%2015-2019	0.67%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	24%
High school diploma or higher	78.9%2015-2019	77.6%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	45%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4742015-2019	0.4602020-2024	−0.015	Within the margin of error	63%
Median household income	$35,2262015-2019	$34,7872020-2024	−1.2%	Within the margin of error	7%
Poverty rate	29.9%2015-2019	33.9%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Rent as share of income	26.4%2015-2019	28.9%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Rent-burdened households	35.3%2015-2019	44.2%2020-2024	+8.9 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2015-2019	9.8%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.5%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	25%

“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 Dumas, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dumas, 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, Dumas, Arkansas itself moved −10.2 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

3,768 residents (±22)

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

1,727 households (±140)

Dumas, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k39%675
$25k–50k31%530
$50k–75k17%†297

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,727 households (±140)

Dumas, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own49%839
Rent51%888

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,191 workers (±192)

Dumas, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone79%945
Carpool16%†190
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 Desha County, the county holding most of Dumas's residents.

Desha County has 270 employer establishments, 258 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248; 1.12× Arkansas's), with 3,283 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,132. The Census Bureau also counts 813 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 270; 813 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 258; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 3,283
Average annual pay: $47,132; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	18	17.2	0.94×About typical	273	$16,879	16
Religious organizations	17	16.2	2.92×More than typical	84	$17,690	—
Truck transportation	14	13.4	2.64×More than typical	52	$44,846	45
Ambulatory health care services	11	10.5	0.50×Fewer than typical	95	$41,832	65
Banks and credit unions	10	9.5	2.95×More than typical	91	$72,659	—
Limited-service restaurants	10	9.5	1.19×About typical	141	$15,830	3
Insurance agencies and brokerages	9	8.6	1.96×Too few to compare	29	$44,207	11
Lessors of real estate	9	8.6	0.70×Too few to compare	68	$24,074	77
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	8	7.6	4.37×Too few to compare	33	$40,455	—
Gasoline stations	8	7.6	2.35×Too few to compare	112	$21,732	—
Full-service restaurants	7	6.7	0.87×Too few to compare	129	$17,977	9
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	6	5.7	2.15×Too few to compare	56	$18,750	3

Rank places for an industry Open Desha County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 10,479 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Dumas, Arkansas: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
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

Spending by fiscal year

1.8KFY2017
854.8FY2021
394.1FY2022

What was bought

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 Dumas, Arkansas, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in Desha 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.

Dumas, 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.

Desha County10100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Desha 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/0519990

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends