Scores by category

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

Safety24#11,875/15,637
Economy28#11,308/15,631
Housing96#527/14,977
Health21#12,405/15,609
Healthcare14#13,422/15,650
Environment53#7,214/15,453
Education22#12,266/15,649
Infrastructure29#11,175/15,650
Community16#13,136/15,651
Leisure & amenities84#2,458/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low12.9 min
98/100Arkansas 22.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Restaurants and bars · high18.1 /10k
98/100Arkansas 7.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCarroll County value
Students per teacher · low10.3×
97/100Arkansas 12.5×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsCarroll County value
Grocery stores · high3.1 /10k
95/100Arkansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCarroll County value
Rent-burdened households · low32.0%
92/100Arkansas 44.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Time spent in the emergency room · low114 min
90/100Arkansas 165 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCarroll County value

Weaknesses

Firearm deaths · high34.7 /100k
1/100Arkansas 18.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCarroll County value
Average weekly wage · low$818
1/100Arkansas $1,176United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCarroll County value
Physical inactivity · high42.1%
2/100Arkansas 34.4%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Homicide rate · high12.1 /100k
5/100Arkansas 7.0 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataCarroll County value
Poor or fair health · high30.8%
5/100Arkansas 25.5%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Distance to an Amtrak station · high134 mi
6/100Arkansas 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCarroll County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,691 (2015-2019) → 3,112 (2020-2024)
+16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
63.6% (2015-2019) → 87.5% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
26.4% (2015-2019) → 8.9% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
12.1 /1k (2021) → 1.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−87%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Poverty rateImproving
24.0% (2015-2019) → 10.2% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.1× (2015-2019) → 2.9× (2020-2024)
+39%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, Green Forest, Arkansas improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved2

Poverty−14 points24.0% → 10.2%
Broadband+24 points63.6% → 87.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Green Forest, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.5 min2015-2019	12.9 min2020-2024	−1.6 min	Within the margin of error	66%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.3%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Broadband subscriptions	63.6%2015-2019	87.5%2020-2024	+24 points	Improved	94%
Effective property tax rate	0.56%2015-2019	0.50%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	26%
High school diploma or higher	67.9%2015-2019	67.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.8×	Within the margin of error	30%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4482015-2019	0.3922020-2024	−0.055	Within the margin of error	86%
Median household income	$42,0192015-2019	$49,9182020-2024	+19%	Within the margin of error	31%
Poverty rate	24.0%2015-2019	10.2%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	97%
Rent as share of income	25.9%2015-2019	24.9%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent-burdened households	32.1%2015-2019	32.0%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.9%2015-2019	22.6%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Within the margin of error	5%

“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 Green Forest, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Green Forest, 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, Green Forest, Arkansas itself moved +4.2 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

3,112 residents (±59)

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

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (−5.9 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,112 residents (±59)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

White28%876
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino55%1,712
Asian9.5%†296
American Indian and Alaska Native0.4%†12
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander1.9%†59
Other or two or more races5.0%†157

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−23.9 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,007 residents (±188)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

No high school diploma33%†653
High school or GED33%659
Some college19%†383
Associate degree5.3%†106
Bachelor's degree5.5%†111
Graduate degree4.7%†95

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

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

861 households (±143)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k25%†213
$25k–50k25%†219
$50k–75k12%†105
$75k–100k16%†140
$100k–150k18%†153
$150k–200k1.3%†11
$200k or more2.3%†20

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+13.6 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 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

861 households (±143)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own62%537
Rent38%†324

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+12.1 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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

309 households (±116)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $75059%†181
$750–1,00020%†63
$1,000–1,50018%†57

Home values

537 homes (±109)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $150k54%†288
$150k–250k36%†196
$250k–400k4.3%†23

Age of homes

1,009 homes (±147)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

2010 or later7.8%†79
2000–200911%†108
1980–199938%†386

Size of homes

1,009 homes (±147)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Studio9.2%†93
1 bedroom10%†101
2 bedrooms18%†185

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

1,576 workers (±213)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone68%1,074
Carpool12%†196
Public transit0.0%0
Walk17%†271
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.2%†35
Other0.0%0

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

† 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

1,541 workers (±207)

Green Forest, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under 15 min70%1,074
15–29 min15%†238
30–44 min6.4%†99

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

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 Carroll County, the county holding most of Green Forest's residents.

Carroll County has 722 employer establishments, 251 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 1.09× Arkansas's), with 8,687 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,819. The Census Bureau also counts 2,785 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 722; 2,785 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 251; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 8,687
Average annual pay: $39,819; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	76	26.4	1.44×More than typical	846	$18,931	18
Traveler accommodation	63	21.9	12.1×More than typical	623	$26,526	60
Full-service restaurants	47	16.3	2.12×More than typical	469	$21,149	9
Specialty trade contractors	46	16	1.03×About typical	284	$55,197	428
Ambulatory health care services	36	12.5	0.60×Fewer than typical	316	$52,494	104
Religious organizations	33	11.5	2.07×More than typical	114	$19,430	—
Lessors of real estate	30	10.4	0.85×About typical	64	$43,672	233
Limited-service restaurants	23	8	1.00×About typical	359	$15,986	5
Construction of buildings	20	6.9	0.92×About typical	39	$36,846	160
Building equipment contractors	19	6.6	1.10×About typical	56	$43,554	76
Banks and credit unions	16	5.6	1.72×More than typical	233	$62,000	—
Other specialty trade contractors	16	5.6	2.21×More than typical	212	$58,014	151

Rank places for an industry Open Carroll County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 28,806 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 Green Forest, Arkansas: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
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

678.2FY2018
581.3FY2019
2.1KFY2020
751.7FY2024
17FY2025

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 Green Forest, Arkansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Green Forest, Arkansas's figures are part of those of Carroll County, AR ($2M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Carroll 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.

Green Forest, 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.

Carroll County28100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Carroll 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/0528600