City · Greene County, Arkansas

Paragould, Arkansas

Paragould is a city in Greene County, Arkansas, part of the Paragould, AR metro area. It has 30,215 residents. Paragould, Arkansas has a quality-of-life score of 4 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,025 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arkansas it ranks #200 of 218 cities and towns. It ranks best on drinking water violations (low), average commute time (low) and effective property tax rate (low). It ranks worst on job growth (low), voter turnout (low) and violent crime rate (high).

4Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,025 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arkansas: #200 of 218 in AR
Population: 30,215 (2020-2024)
Land area: 32 mi²
Density: 950.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 0553390

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety7#14,598/15,637
Economy6#14,769/15,631
Housing84#2,329/14,977
Health6#14,673/15,609
Healthcare20#12,482/15,650
Environment5#14,756/15,453
Education12#13,697/15,649
Infrastructure24#11,879/15,650
Community7#14,576/15,651
Leisure & amenities12#13,747/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Arkansas 1United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGreene County value
Average commute time · low20.4 min
86/100Arkansas 22.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Effective property tax rate · low0.53%
85/100Arkansas 0.56%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Distance to an emergency room · low3.9 mi
82/100Arkansas 7.3 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesGreene County value
Pharmacies · high2.1 /10k
77/100Arkansas 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGreene County value
New homes permitted · high4.9 /1k
76/100Arkansas 4.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-7.6%
0/100Arkansas -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataGreene County value
Voter turnout · low45.4%
1/100Arkansas 52.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionGreene County value
Violent crime rate · high764 /100k
2/100Arkansas 532 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2024Federal Bureau of InvestigationGreene County value
Drought exposure · high97%
3/100Arkansas 78%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAGreene County value
Frequent mental distress · high21.7%
7/100Arkansas 20.7%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Physical inactivity · high35.4%
8/100Arkansas 34.4%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationRising
28,568 (2015-2019) → 30,215 (2020-2024)
+5.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
31.9% (2015-2019) → 23.2% (2020-2024)
−8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.6% (2015-2019) → 87.1% (2020-2024)
+8.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
44.3% (2015-2019) → 50.2% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,841 (2015-2019) → $56,980 (2020-2024)
+24%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
New homes permittedWorsening
6.3 /1k (2021) → 4.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−21%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, Paragould, Arkansas improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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.

Improved3

Child poverty−8.8 points31.9% → 23.2%
Broadband+8.4 points78.6% → 87.1%
Household income+24%$45,841 → $56,980

Declined1

Price / income+0.4×2.8× → 3.2×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Paragould, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.0 min2015-2019	20.4 min2020-2024	+1.4 min	Within the margin of error	32%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.4%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Broadband subscriptions	78.6%2015-2019	87.1%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Improved	52%
Child poverty rate	31.9%2015-2019	23.2%2020-2024	−8.8 points	Improved	80%
Effective property tax rate	0.61%2015-2019	0.53%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	31%
High school diploma or higher	90.0%2015-2019	86.9%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	56%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4282015-2019	0.4312020-2024	+0.003	Within the margin of error	47%
Median household income	$45,8412015-2019	$56,9802020-2024	+24%	Improved	42%
Poverty rate	18.3%2015-2019	17.8%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent as share of income	27.3%2015-2019	30.1%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Rent-burdened households	44.3%2015-2019	50.2%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Unemployment rate	6.2%2015-2019	7.2%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.1%2015-2019	10.4%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	42%

“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 Paragould, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Paragould, 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, Paragould, Arkansas itself moved −8.6 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

30,215 residents (±63)

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

11,680 households (±368)

Paragould, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k20%2,346
$25k–50k24%2,754
$50k–75k19%2,263

Homes

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

Owners and renters

11,680 households (±368)

Paragould, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own57%6,613
Rent43%5,067

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

12,994 workers (±700)

Paragould, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone83%10,831
Carpool8.0%1,034
Public transit0.1%†7

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Paragould, AR

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 Greene County, the county holding most of Paragould's residents.

Greene County has 842 employer establishments, 180 for every 10,000 residents (0.72× the US rate of 248; 0.78× Arkansas's), with 14,019 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,045. The Census Bureau also counts 3,662 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 842; 3,662 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 180; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 14,019
Average annual pay: $43,045; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	78	16.7	0.80×About typical	861	$47,159	471
Restaurants and other eating places	71	15.2	0.83×About typical	1,332	$17,733	21
Specialty trade contractors	48	10.3	0.66×Fewer than typical	283	$61,756	397
Religious organizations	41	8.8	1.58×More than typical	154	$27,136	—
Lessors of real estate	35	7.5	0.61×Fewer than typical	60	$23,717	322
Offices of other health practitioners	34	7.3	1.20×About typical	298	$37,950	100
Full-service restaurants	33	7.1	0.92×About typical	502	$20,371	6
Limited-service restaurants	31	6.6	0.83×About typical	760	$15,800	5
Building equipment contractors	29	6.2	1.03×About typical	214	$68,729	96
Automotive repair and maintenance	20	4.3	0.85×About typical	71	$44,507	73
Gasoline stations	20	4.3	1.32×More than typical	197	$28,112	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	20	4.3	0.63×Fewer than typical	108	$34,630	305

Rank places for an industry Open Greene County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 46,777 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 $27.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Paragould, Arkansas: $0.90 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $27.2K; +166% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.90; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$27.2K100%

Top recipients

ALLEN ENGINEERING CORP$27.2K100%

Spending by fiscal year

3.6KFY2017
1KFY2018
-204.7FY2019
1.8KFY2021
23.8KFY2022
25.2KFY2023
1.4KFY2024
10.2KFY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$27.2K100%

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

Paragould, Arkansas's figures are part of those of Greene County, AR ($259.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 10% of that total.

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

See federal money in Greene 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.

Paragould, 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.

Greene County13100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Paragould, AR3

Other cities and towns in Greene 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/0553390

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends