Scores by category

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

Safety26#11,602/15,637
Economy2#15,383/15,631
Housing75#3,711/14,977
Health13#13,603/15,609
Healthcare18#12,854/15,650
Environment11#13,799/15,453
Education17#12,983/15,649
Infrastructure18#12,851/15,650
Community15#13,350/15,651
Leisure & amenities53#7,335/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Nashville, Arkansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Howard 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 StatisticsHoward County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Arkansas 10.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHoward County value
Average commute time · low12.5 min
99/100Arkansas 22.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Public libraries · high2.4 /10k
93/100Arkansas 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesHoward County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.41%
93/100Arkansas 0.56%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Time spent in the emergency room · low109 min
93/100Arkansas 165 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHoward County value

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high21.0
0/100Arkansas 12.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationHoward County value
Job growth · low-4.8%
2/100Arkansas -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataHoward County value
Food environment index · low5.7
3/100Arkansas 4.6United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHoward County value
Mammography screening · low32.0%
3/100Arkansas 43.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHoward County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Arkansas 3.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyHoward County value
Voter turnout · low50.5%
5/100Arkansas 52.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionHoward County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
4,431 (2015-2019) → 4,063 (2020-2024)
−8.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
52.2% (2015-2019) → 31.6% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
60.5% (2015-2019) → 80.1% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$28,320 (2015-2019) → $41,142 (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.0% (2015-2019) → 47.4% (2020-2024)
−7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.2× (2015-2019) → 4.1× (2020-2024)
+29%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, Nashville, Arkansas improved on 4 of 14 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.

Improved4

Child poverty−21 points52.2% → 31.6%
Inequality−0.0940.522 → 0.427
Broadband+20 points60.5% → 80.1%
Household income+45%$28,320 → $41,142

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Nashville, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.4 min2015-2019	12.5 min2020-2024	−4.9 min	Within the margin of error	89%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.9%2015-2019	13.0%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Broadband subscriptions	60.5%2015-2019	80.1%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	52.2%2015-2019	31.6%2020-2024	−21 points	Improved	94%
Effective property tax rate	0.61%2015-2019	0.41%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	56%
High school diploma or higher	83.1%2015-2019	87.4%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	4.1×2020-2024	+0.9×	Within the margin of error	26%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5222015-2019	0.4272020-2024	−0.094	Improved	95%
Median household income	$28,3202015-2019	$41,1422020-2024	+45%	Improved	80%
Poverty rate	31.1%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent as share of income	31.6%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Rent-burdened households	55.0%2015-2019	47.4%2020-2024	−7.5 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Unemployment rate	12.4%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.9%2015-2019	10.5%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	51%

“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 Nashville, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Nashville, 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, Nashville, Arkansas itself moved +11.2 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

4,063 residents (±15)

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: 50–59 women (−4.3 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,063 residents (±15)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

White45%1,818
Black33%1,336
Hispanic or Latino18%740

Education

2,685 residents (±196)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

No high school diploma13%†337
High school or GED47%1,255
Some college20%†540

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

1,682 households (±180)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k26%†441
$25k–50k32%†546
$50k–75k21%†359
$75k–100k7.8%†131
$100k–150k8.7%†146
$150k–200k2.3%†38
$200k or more1.2%†21

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−18.6 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

1,682 households (±180)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own59%998
Rent41%684

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

673 households (±135)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $75054%†365
$750–1,00026%†174
$1,000–1,50018%†123

Home values

998 homes (±168)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $150k44%†440
$150k–250k40%†400
$250k–400k8.1%†81

Age of homes

1,996 homes (±151)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

2010 or later2.4%†48
2000–20096.9%†137
1980–199917%†343

Size of homes

1,996 homes (±151)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Studio7.0%†140
1 bedroom7.0%†139
2 bedrooms18%†366

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

1,732 workers (±176)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone79%1,361
Carpool14%†246
Public transit0.5%†9
Walk1.3%†23
Bike0.2%†3
Work from home4.0%†69
Other1.2%†21

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+4.0 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

1,663 workers (±187)

Nashville, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under 15 min79%1,314
15–29 min7.8%†129
30–44 min7.3%†122

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 Howard County, the county holding most of Nashville's residents.

Howard County has 270 employer establishments, 215 for every 10,000 residents (0.87× the US rate of 248; 0.94× Arkansas's), with 6,020 paid employees at an average annual pay of $37,897. The Census Bureau also counts 890 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 270; 890 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 215; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 6,020
Average annual pay: $37,897; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	22	17.5	0.84×About typical	325	$32,874	45
Restaurants and other eating places	20	15.9	0.87×About typical	311	$18,042	8
Religious organizations	16	12.7	2.30×More than typical	51	$15,647	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	13	10.3	2.36×More than typical	30	$34,400	17
Truck transportation	13	10.3	2.05×More than typical	143	$48,776	25
Specialty trade contractors	12	9.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	68	$43,426	100
Gasoline stations	10	8	2.45×More than typical	93	$20,495	—
Limited-service restaurants	10	8	0.99×About typical	205	$18,595	4
Offices of other health practitioners	10	8	1.31×More than typical	82	$38,915	15
Banks and credit unions	9	7.2	2.22×Too few to compare	86	$53,640	—
Full-service restaurants	8	6.4	0.83×Too few to compare	101	$16,248	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	7	5.6	1.11×Too few to compare	34	$41,176	20

Rank places for an industry Open Howard County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,565 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 $278 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Nashville, Arkansas: $0.07 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $278; +95% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.07; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Consumer Product Safety Commission$364100%

Top recipients

ANITA K WALDEN$364100%
MOUNTS BRYAN-$86.060.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.2KFY2017
1.2KFY2018
4KFY2019
4KFY2020
5.7KFY2021
1.6KFY2022
-262.8FY2023
3.8KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Data processing, hosting, and related services · 5182$364100%

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

Nashville, Arkansas's figures are part of those of Howard County, AR ($77.8K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Howard 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.

Nashville, 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.

Howard County14100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Howard 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/0548560

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends