City · White County, Arkansas

Searcy, Arkansas

Searcy is a city in White County, Arkansas, part of the Searcy, AR metro area. It has 23,340 residents. Searcy, Arkansas has a quality-of-life score of 10 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,112 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arkansas it ranks #142 of 218 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), students per teacher (low) and drinking water violations (low). It ranks worst on drought exposure (high), mammography screening (low) and average weekly wage (low).

10Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,112 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arkansas: #142 of 218 in AR
Population: 23,340 (2020-2024)
Land area: 18 mi²
Density: 1,274.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 0563020

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.

Safety10#14,134/15,637
Economy6#14,654/15,631
Housing74#3,893/14,977
Health17#12,888/15,609
Healthcare9#14,178/15,650
Environment18#12,602/15,453
Education37#9,920/15,649
Infrastructure45#8,657/15,650
Community12#13,729/15,651
Leisure & amenities13#13,684/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low16.3 min
96/100Arkansas 22.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Students per teacher · low11.4×
91/100Arkansas 12.5×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsWhite County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Arkansas 1United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhite County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.56%
83/100Arkansas 0.56%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Public libraries · high1.1 /10k
79/100Arkansas 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesWhite County value
High ozone days · low0 days
76/100Arkansas 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWhite County value

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high96%
4/100Arkansas 78%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWhite County value
Mammography screening · low34.0%
6/100Arkansas 43.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhite County value
Average weekly wage · low$913
7/100Arkansas $1,176United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWhite County value
Voter turnout · low52.9%
7/100Arkansas 52.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionWhite County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low43.5%
7/100Arkansas 63.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhite County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,104 /100k
7/100Arkansas 3,115 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWhite County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
2.0 /1k (2021) → 3.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+82%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.6% (2015-2019) → 89.3% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$41,014 (2015-2019) → $52,170 (2020-2024)
+27%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
33.5% (2015-2019) → 29.6% (2020-2024)
−3.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
8.0% (2015-2019) → 11.0% (2020-2024)
+3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
High school diploma or higherImproving
88.5% (2015-2019) → 90.9% (2020-2024)
+2.4 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, Searcy, Arkansas improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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.

Improved2

Broadband+13 points76.6% → 89.3%
Household income+27%$41,014 → $52,170

Declined1

Uninsured+3 points8.0% → 11.0%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Searcy, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.6 min2015-2019	16.3 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	52%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.5%2015-2019	29.6%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Broadband subscriptions	76.6%2015-2019	89.3%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	71%
Child poverty rate	21.4%2015-2019	22.4%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Effective property tax rate	0.39%2015-2019	0.56%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Little change	4%
High school diploma or higher	88.5%2015-2019	90.9%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Home price to income ratio	3.5×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	75%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4712015-2019	0.4662020-2024	−0.005	Within the margin of error	55%
Median household income	$41,0142015-2019	$52,1702020-2024	+27%	Improved	49%
Poverty rate	20.0%2015-2019	18.8%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent as share of income	30.5%2015-2019	30.8%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Rent-burdened households	51.2%2015-2019	51.7%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Unemployment rate	6.0%2015-2019	6.1%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.0%2015-2019	11.0%2020-2024	+3 points	Declined	19%

“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 Searcy, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Searcy, 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, Searcy, 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

23,340 residents (±42)

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

8,776 households (±437)

Searcy, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k22%1,922
$25k–50k24%2,098
$50k–75k19%1,657

Homes

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

Owners and renters

8,776 households (±437)

Searcy, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own54%4,705
Rent46%4,071

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

9,444 workers (±578)

Searcy, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone81%7,664
Carpool8.0%752
Public transit0.3%†26

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 Searcy, 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 White County, the county holding most of Searcy's residents.

White County has 1,637 employer establishments, 209 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248; 0.91× Arkansas's), with 23,543 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,469. The Census Bureau also counts 6,049 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,637; 6,049 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 209; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 23,543
Average annual pay: $41,469; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	162	20.6	0.99×About typical	1,666	$63,144	289
Restaurants and other eating places	122	15.5	0.85×About typical	2,421	$17,871	25
Specialty trade contractors	111	14.1	0.91×About typical	648	$52,245	618
Religious organizations	64	8.2	1.47×More than typical	514	$21,385	—
Offices of other health practitioners	59	7.5	1.24×About typical	362	$47,688	118
Lessors of real estate	58	7.4	0.60×Fewer than typical	165	$34,752	462
Building equipment contractors	55	7	1.16×About typical	317	$47,126	122
Automotive repair and maintenance	52	6.6	1.32×More than typical	286	$43,626	170
Limited-service restaurants	51	6.5	0.81×About typical	1,381	$15,377	7
Full-service restaurants	48	6.1	0.80×Fewer than typical	809	$23,131	11
Truck transportation	41	5.2	1.03×About typical	707	$72,726	233
Construction of buildings	40	5.1	0.67×Fewer than typical	207	$54,942	271

Rank places for an industry Open White County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 78,473 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 $13.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Searcy, Arkansas: $0.56 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $13.1K; −14% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.56; US $1,994
Sole-source: 4.9%; US 30%
Single offer: 84%; 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

FINZER ROLLER, INC.$11K84%
SWAIN DISTRIBUTION INC$2,07116%

Spending by fiscal year

3.8KFY2017
6.4KFY2018
3.4KFY2019
7.3KFY2020
1.5KFY2021
766.2FY2022
172.1FY2023
10.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Rubber product manufacturing · 3262$11K84%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$1,40611%
Metalworking machinery manufacturing · 3335$4543.5%
Hardware manufacturing · 3325$1010.8%
Engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment manufacturing · 3336$52.890.4%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$52.82

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

Searcy, Arkansas's figures are part of those of White County, AR ($2.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.5% of that total.

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

See federal money in White 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.

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

House

J. French HillR-AR-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.2%

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.

White County13100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Searcy, AR9

Other cities and towns in White 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/0563020

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends