Scores by category

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

Safety0#15,584/15,637
Economy0#15,600/15,631
Housing64#5,424/14,977
Health1#15,387/15,609
Healthcare10#14,131/15,650
Environment8#14,220/15,453
Education9#14,164/15,649
Infrastructure18#12,879/15,650
Community8#14,445/15,651
Leisure & amenities19#12,696/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Helena-West Helena, Arkansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Phillips 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

Students per teacher · low9.7×
99/100Arkansas 12.5×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsPhillips County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,703 /100k
93/100Arkansas 3,115 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePhillips County value
Grocery stores · high2.8 /10k
93/100Arkansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPhillips County value
Public libraries · high2.1 /10k
92/100Arkansas 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesPhillips County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.0×
91/100Arkansas 3.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Average commute time · low20.3 min
86/100Arkansas 22.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Homicide rate · high30.2 /100k
0/100Arkansas 7.0 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataPhillips County value
Adult obesity · high51.4%
0/100Arkansas 40.6%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Premature death · high21,151 /100k
1/100Arkansas 11,156 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePhillips County value
Life expectancy · low67.0 yrs
1/100Arkansas 74.0 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePhillips County value
Firearm deaths · high36.8 /100k
1/100Arkansas 18.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataPhillips County value
Violent crime rate · high1,027 /100k
1/100Arkansas 532 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationPhillips County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
10,749 (2015-2019) → 8,935 (2020-2024)
−17%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
71.7% (2015-2019) → 38.7% (2020-2024)
−33 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
63.9% (2015-2019) → 79.5% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
45.2% (2015-2019) → 31.7% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$22,177 (2015-2019) → $36,019 (2020-2024)
+62%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
54.2% (2015-2019) → 63.4% (2020-2024)
+9.3 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, Helena-West Helena, Arkansas improved on 6 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved6

Child poverty−33 points71.7% → 38.7%
Poverty−14 points45.2% → 31.7%
Price / income−1.3×3.3× → 2.0×
Household income+62%$22,177 → $36,019
Inequality−0.0610.511 → 0.450

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.5 min2015-2019	20.3 min2020-2024	+4.8 min	Within the margin of error	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.3%2015-2019	15.3%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Broadband subscriptions	63.9%2015-2019	79.5%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	81%
Child poverty rate	71.7%2015-2019	38.7%2020-2024	−33 points	Improved	98%
Effective property tax rate	0.40%2015-2019	0.80%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Little change	1%
High school diploma or higher	79.6%2015-2019	81.2%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	2.0×2020-2024	−1.3×	Improved	98%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5112015-2019	0.4502020-2024	−0.061	Improved	88%
Median household income	$22,1772015-2019	$36,0192020-2024	+62%	Improved	92%
Poverty rate	45.2%2015-2019	31.7%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	97%
Rent as share of income	33.1%2015-2019	38.7%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Rent-burdened households	54.2%2015-2019	63.4%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Unemployment rate	11.8%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.2%2015-2019	11.4%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	32%

“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 Helena-West Helena, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Helena-West Helena, 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, Helena-West Helena, Arkansas itself moved +0.9 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

8,935 residents (±26)

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: Under 10 men (−3.4 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

8,935 residents (±26)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

White20%1,809
Black72%6,420
Hispanic or Latino2.7%238

Education

5,803 residents (±263)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

No high school diploma19%1,093
High school or GED33%1,900
Some college23%1,313

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

3,440 households (±216)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k40%1,363
$25k–50k24%823
$50k–75k15%†502
$75k–100k12%†400
$100k–150k8.1%†279
$150k–200k2.1%†73
$200k or more0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−15.3 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

3,440 households (±216)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own42%1,446
Rent58%1,994

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

1,935 households (±237)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $75048%926
$750–1,00031%†602
$1,000–1,50017%†332

Home values

1,446 homes (±219)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $150k80%1,157
$150k–250k13%†184
$250k–400k7.3%†105

Age of homes

5,022 homes (±226)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

2010 or later0.8%†40
2000–20092.2%†109
1980–199923%1,130

Size of homes

5,022 homes (±226)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Studio0.6%†31
1 bedroom11%†568
2 bedrooms24%1,192

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

2,632 workers (±419)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone69%1,826
Carpool16%†428
Public transit1.4%†38
Walk3.7%†97
Bike0.3%†8
Work from home3.6%†96
Other5.3%†139

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−9.9 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,536 workers (±407)

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under 15 min62%1,583
15–29 min13%†325
30–44 min13%†322

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 Phillips County, the county holding most of Helena-West Helena's residents.

Phillips County has 329 employer establishments, 221 for every 10,000 residents (0.89× the US rate of 248; 0.96× Arkansas's), with 3,331 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,359. The Census Bureau also counts 1,355 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 329; 1,355 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 221; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 3,331
Average annual pay: $42,359; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	30	20.1	0.96×About typical	316	$60,516	150
Restaurants and other eating places	18	12.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	220	$17,127	13
Religious organizations	17	11.4	2.05×More than typical	35	$12,286	—
Individual and family services	15	10.1	3.59×More than typical	182	$29,154	3
Gasoline stations	12	8	2.48×More than typical	89	$27,079	—
Lessors of real estate	11	7.4	0.60×Fewer than typical	30	$35,633	63
Banks and credit unions	10	6.7	2.07×More than typical	100	$61,590	—
General merchandise stores	10	6.7	3.79×More than typical	266	$28,590	3
Legal services	10	6.7	1.25×About typical	26	$58,038	8
Offices of physicians	10	6.7	1.04×About typical	83	$86,133	3
Insurance agencies and brokerages	9	6	1.37×Too few to compare	15	$49,333	22
Outpatient care centers	9	6	3.28×Too few to compare	119	$53,118	—

Rank places for an industry Open Phillips County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 14,918 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 $828.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas: $92.77 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $828.9K; +222% vs FY2025
Per resident: $92.77; US $2,007
Sole-source: 35%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.2%; US 8.7%

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$452.9K55%
Department of Veterans Affairs$293.8K35%
Public Buildings Service$72.7K8.8%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$9,5381.2%

Top recipients

RANDY KINDER EXCAVATING INC$452.9K55%
STERLING MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, INC$293.8K35%
PATTON CONTRACTORS INC$62.7K7.6%
CITY OF HELENA-WEST HELENA$9,5381.2%
CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS, INC.$6,7430.8%

Spending by fiscal year

8.7KFY2017
33.4KFY2018
198.8KFY2019
256.1KFY2020
-799.1FY2021
62.6KFY2022
537.9KFY2023
282.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$452.9K55%
Outpatient care centers · 6214$293.8K35%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$62.7K7.6%
Waste treatment and disposal · 5622$9,5381.2%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$6,7430.8%
Facilities support services · 5612

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Helena-West Helena, Arkansas's figures are part of those of Phillips County, AR ($11.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 7.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Helena-West Helena is mostly in Phillips County.

See federal money in Phillips 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.

Helena-West Helena, 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.

Phillips County3100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Phillips 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/0531190

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends