Scores by category

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

Safety8#14,430/15,637
Economy1#15,447/15,631
Housing66#5,096/14,977
Health11#13,930/15,609
Healthcare32#10,573/15,650
Environment27#11,266/15,453
Education27#11,432/15,649
Infrastructure8#14,441/15,650
Community12#13,838/15,651
Leisure & amenities17#12,939/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Mental health providers · high661 /100k
95/100Arkansas 281 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDrew County value
Average commute time · low16.3 min
94/100Arkansas 22.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Time spent in the emergency room · low122 min
86/100Arkansas 165 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDrew County value
Pharmacies · high2.3 /10k
86/100Arkansas 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDrew County value
Rent-burdened households · low48.2%
83/100Arkansas 44.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · low29.3%
82/100Arkansas 27.6%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Weaknesses

Preventable hospital stays · high6,873 /100k
0/100Arkansas 3,115 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDrew County value
Mental health care shortage · high21.0
0/100Arkansas 12.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationDrew County value
Median household income · low$27,238
1/100Arkansas $62,146United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.559
1/100Arkansas 0.479United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Adult obesity · high47.1%
2/100Arkansas 40.6%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Drought exposure · high99%
2/100Arkansas 78%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAADrew County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
9,508 (2015-2019) → 8,257 (2020-2024)
−13%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.7× (2015-2019) → 5.0× (2020-2024)
+85%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateWorsening
27.7% (2015-2019) → 39.7% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.0% (2015-2019) → 83.1% (2020-2024)
+9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.7% (2015-2019) → 9.6% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
86.6% (2015-2019) → 91.7% (2020-2024)
+5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Monticello, Arkansas improved on 1 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+9 points74.0% → 83.1%

Declined4

Price / income+2.3×2.7× → 5.0×
Unemployment+5.9 points3.7% → 9.6%
Inequality+0.0710.488 → 0.559
Uninsured+4.9 points4.8% → 9.7%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Monticello, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.0 min2015-2019	16.3 min2020-2024	−2.7 min	Within the margin of error	77%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.7%2015-2019	31.1%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Broadband subscriptions	74.0%2015-2019	83.1%2020-2024	+9 points	Improved	55%
Child poverty rate	27.7%2015-2019	39.7%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Effective property tax rate	0.60%2015-2019	0.59%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	18%
High school diploma or higher	86.6%2015-2019	91.7%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	5.0×2020-2024	+2.3×	Declined	2%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4882015-2019	0.5592020-2024	+0.071	Declined	10%
Median household income	$36,4962015-2019	$27,2382020-2024	−25%	Within the margin of error	1%
Poverty rate	25.7%2015-2019	30.1%2020-2024	+4.5 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.7%2015-2019	29.3%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent-burdened households	47.0%2015-2019	48.2%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Unemployment rate	3.7%2015-2019	9.6%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Declined	3%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.8%2015-2019	9.7%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Declined	11%

“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 Monticello, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Monticello, 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, Monticello, Arkansas itself moved −5.1 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

8,257 residents (±21)

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 men (−4.8 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

8,257 residents (±21)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

White53%4,343
Black41%3,384
Hispanic or Latino0.7%†56

Education

4,990 residents (±240)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

No high school diploma8.3%†414
High school or GED36%1,772
Some college20%983

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

3,688 households (±236)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k48%1,767
$25k–50k16%†608
$50k–75k14%†509
$75k–100k6.9%†256
$100k–150k5.5%†203
$150k–200k5.0%†183
$200k or more4.4%†162

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (−5.5 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

3,688 households (±236)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own46%1,698
Rent54%1,990

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−9.0 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,741 households (±279)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $75064%1,119
$750–1,00025%†443
$1,000–1,50010%†179

Home values

1,698 homes (±245)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $150k54%921
$150k–250k27%†462
$250k–400k15%†252

Age of homes

4,143 homes (±209)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

2010 or later7.6%†315
2000–200913%†556
1980–199931%1,272

Size of homes

4,143 homes (±209)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Studio2.5%†105
1 bedroom7.6%†315
2 bedrooms39%1,635

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

2,968 workers (±442)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone81%2,414
Carpool8.5%†252
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.5%†73
Bike0.4%†13
Work from home6.6%†195
Other0.7%†21

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+5.7 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

2,773 workers (±460)

Monticello, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under 15 min61%1,678
15–29 min23%†628
30–44 min9.5%†263

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 Drew County, the county holding most of Monticello's residents.

Drew County has 423 employer establishments, 249 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 1.08× Arkansas's), with 5,271 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,460. The Census Bureau also counts 1,231 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 423; 1,231 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 249; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 5,271
Average annual pay: $40,460; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	31	18.2	0.87×About typical	413	$35,719	80
Restaurants and other eating places	28	16.5	0.90×About typical	493	$17,266	12
Specialty trade contractors	18	10.6	0.68×Fewer than typical	184	$39,935	89
Limited-service restaurants	15	8.8	1.10×About typical	329	$17,976	6
Lessors of real estate	14	8.2	0.67×Fewer than typical	32	$23,719	102
Religious organizations	14	8.2	1.48×More than typical	88	$28,568	—
Banks and credit unions	12	7.1	2.18×More than typical	113	$65,372	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	11	6.5	1.28×More than typical	40	$40,250	28
Gasoline stations	11	6.5	1.99×More than typical	98	$20,429	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	11	6.5	0.96×About typical	36	$89,639	90
Truck transportation	11	6.5	1.28×More than typical	59	$53,729	60
Full-service restaurants	10	5.9	0.77×Fewer than typical	152	$15,980	5

Rank places for an industry Open Drew County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 17,011 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 -$101 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Monticello, Arkansas: -$0.01 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$101
Per resident: -$0.01; 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

MOI, INC.-$4.270.0%
THE SAYER LAW GROUP, P.C.-$96.700.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.1KFY2017
2.3KFY2018
192.2FY2019
204.2FY2020
979.2FY2021
118.4FY2023
2.6KFY2024
-1.7KFY2025

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

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

See federal money in Drew 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.

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

House

Bruce WestermanR-AR-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 0.4%

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.

Drew County15100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Drew 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/0546580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends