City · Nevada County, Arkansas

Prescott, Arkansas

Prescott is a city in Nevada County, Arkansas. It has 3,032 residents. Prescott, Arkansas has a quality-of-life score of 2 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,382 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arkansas it ranks #215 of 218 cities and towns. It ranks best on students per teacher (low), drug overdose deaths (low) and unemployment rate (low). It ranks worst on food environment index (low), math scores (low) and restaurants and bars (low).

2Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,382 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arkansas: #215 of 218 in AR
Population: 3,032 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 472.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 0557260

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety17#13,035/15,637
Economy16#13,183/15,631
Housing53#7,054/14,977
Health8#14,315/15,609
Healthcare1#15,460/15,650
Environment8#14,236/15,453
Education14#13,534/15,649
Infrastructure10#14,088/15,650
Community8#14,394/15,651
Leisure & amenities14#13,401/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Prescott, Arkansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Nevada 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 · low9.8×
99/100Arkansas 12.5×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsNevada 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 dataNevada County value
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Arkansas 4.1%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Home price to income ratio · low1.7×
96/100Arkansas 3.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Public libraries · high2.5 /10k
94/100Arkansas 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesNevada County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.45%
91/100Arkansas 0.56%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090

Weaknesses

Food environment index · low3.7
0/100Arkansas 4.6United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNevada County value
Math scores · low2.14
0/100Arkansas 2.77United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNevada County value
Restaurants and bars · low2.5 /10k
1/100Arkansas 7.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNevada County value
Reading scores · low2.47
1/100Arkansas 2.89United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNevada County value
Voter turnout · low46.2%
2/100Arkansas 52.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionNevada County value
Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Arkansas 27.6%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended

Trends

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

Child poverty rateWorsening
23.9% (2015-2019) → 46.3% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
56.9% (2015-2019) → 76.5% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
35.6% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
10.0% (2015-2019) → 17.3% (2020-2024)
+7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$37,540 (2015-2019) → $48,307 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateImproving
4.5% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Prescott, Arkansas improved on 0 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Rent / income+15 points35.6% → 51.0%

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Prescott, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.6 min2015-2019	20.5 min2020-2024	−2.2 min	Within the margin of error	72%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.0%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	+7.4 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Broadband subscriptions	65.7%2015-2019	68.5%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Effective property tax rate	0.57%2015-2019	0.45%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	40%
High school diploma or higher	94.8%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	1.7×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3492015-2019	0.3802020-2024	+0.031	Within the margin of error	26%
Median household income	$37,5402015-2019	$48,3072020-2024	+29%	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent as share of income	35.6%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+15 points	Declined	4%
Rent-burdened households	56.9%2015-2019	76.5%2020-2024	+20 points	Within the margin of error	9%

“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 Prescott, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Prescott, 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, Prescott, Arkansas itself moved −2.6 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

3,032 residents (±13)

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

1,271 households (±177)

Prescott, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k26%†330
$25k–50k32%†401
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,271 households (±177)

Prescott, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own55%699
Rent45%572

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

1,405 workers (±245)

Prescott, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone96%1,342
Carpool4.3%†61
Public transit0.1%†

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 Nevada County, the county holding most of Prescott's residents.

Nevada County has 114 employer establishments, 140 for every 10,000 residents (0.57× the US rate of 248; 0.61× Arkansas's), with 1,716 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,414. The Census Bureau also counts 469 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 114; 469 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 140; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 1,716
Average annual pay: $43,414; US $68,342

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

Gasoline stations	9	11.1	3.42×Too few to compare	183	$30,869	—
Religious organizations	8	9.8	1.78×Too few to compare	25	$14,560	—
Truck transportation	8	9.8	1.95×Too few to compare	315	$42,873	27
Restaurants and other eating places	6	7.4	0.40×Too few to compare	40	$17,175	—
Ambulatory health care services	5	6.2	0.30×Too few to compare	21	$67,476	30
Automotive repair and maintenance	5	6.2	1.22×Too few to compare	26	$45,038	11
Insurance agencies and brokerages	4	4.9	1.12×Too few to compare	13	$36,846	9
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	3	3.7	2.11×Too few to compare	12	$37,083	—
Full-service restaurants	3	3.7	0.48×Too few to compare	17	$14,529	—
General merchandise stores	3	3.7	2.09×Too few to compare	19	$23,789	3
Lessors of real estate	3	3.7	0.30×Too few to compare	13	$7,000	15
Offices of physicians	3	3.7	0.57×Too few to compare	13	$87,846	—

Rank places for an industry Open Nevada County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,125 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Nevada 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.

Prescott, 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.

Nevada County2100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Nevada 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/0557260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends