City · Jackson County, Arkansas

Swifton, Arkansas

Swifton is a city in Jackson County, Arkansas. It has 1,101 residents. Swifton, Arkansas has a quality-of-life score of 9 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,319 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Arkansas it ranks #155 of 218 cities and towns. It ranks best on students per teacher (low), home price to income ratio (low) and time spent in the emergency room (low). It ranks worst on voter turnout (low), preventable hospital stays (high) and food environment index (low).

9Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,319 of 15,651 cities and towns
Arkansas: #155 of 218 in AR
Population: 1,101 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 2,035.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 0568360

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.

Safety32#10,692/15,637
Economy4#14,958/15,631
Housing99#131/14,977
Health4#14,940/15,609
Healthcare13#13,539/15,650
Environment21#12,171/15,453
Education20#12,572/15,649
Infrastructure14#13,442/15,650
Community10#14,086/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,946/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Swifton, Arkansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Jackson 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 · low9.6×
99/100Arkansas 12.5×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsJackson County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.4×
99/100Arkansas 3.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Time spent in the emergency room · low103 min
95/100Arkansas 165 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesJackson County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Arkansas 7.0 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataJackson County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.40%
93/100Arkansas 0.56%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Pharmacies · high2.4 /10k
87/100Arkansas 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsJackson County value

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low36.3%
0/100Arkansas 52.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionJackson County value
Preventable hospital stays · high6,230 /100k
0/100Arkansas 3,115 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJackson County value
Food environment index · low5.2
2/100Arkansas 4.6United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJackson County value
Unemployment rate · high15.4%
3/100Arkansas 4.1%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Drought exposure · high98%
3/100Arkansas 78%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAJackson County value
New business applications · low7.2 /1k
3/100Arkansas 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauJackson County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
942 (2015-2019) → 1,101 (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
68.7% (2015-2019) → 84.6% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Unemployment rateWorsening
1.6% (2015-2019) → 15.4% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$38,200 (2015-2019) → $58,000 (2020-2024)
+52%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateWorsening
38.0% (2015-2019) → 48.0% (2020-2024)
+9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
14.3% (2015-2019) → 7.6% (2020-2024)
−6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Swifton, Arkansas improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved2

Household income+52%$38,200 → $58,000
Broadband+16 points68.7% → 84.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Swifton, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.5 min2015-2019	29.3 min2020-2024	+6.7 min	Within the margin of error	6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.3%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	−6.7 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Broadband subscriptions	68.7%2015-2019	84.6%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	82%
Child poverty rate	38.0%2015-2019	48.0%2020-2024	+9.9 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Effective property tax rate	0.49%2015-2019	0.40%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
High school diploma or higher	85.5%2015-2019	81.3%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Home price to income ratio	1.4×2015-2019	1.4×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	80%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4652015-2019	0.3812020-2024	−0.084	Within the margin of error	93%
Median household income	$38,2002015-2019	$58,0002020-2024	+52%	Improved	86%
Poverty rate	29.6%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	30.5%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Rent-burdened households	52.2%2015-2019	53.7%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	50%

“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 Swifton, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Swifton, 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, Swifton, Arkansas itself moved +1.4 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

1,101 residents (±289)

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 (+9.4 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

1,101 residents (±289)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

White95%1,048
Black1.3%†14
Hispanic or Latino0.9%†10
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races2.6%†29

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Black (+1.2 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

642 residents (±164)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

No high school diploma19%†120
High school or GED43%†278
Some college21%†138
Associate degree8.9%†57
Bachelor's degree5.9%†38
Graduate degree1.7%†11

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View 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.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

350 households (±86)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k27%†96
$25k–50k17%†61
$50k–75k18%†63
$75k–100k8.0%†28
$100k–150k28%†99
$150k–200k0.9%†3
$200k or more0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+23.2 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

350 households (±86)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own62%218
Rent38%†132

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−16.1 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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

121 households (±56)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $75082%†99
$750–1,00018%†22
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

218 homes (±57)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $150k90%†197
$150k–250k9.6%†21
$250k–400k0.0%0

Age of homes

392 homes (±94)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

2010 or later2.8%†11
2000–200914%†54
1980–199932%†124

Size of homes

392 homes (±94)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom2.6%†10
2 bedrooms23%†91

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

385 workers (±114)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone91%†349
Carpool3.4%†13
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.5%†21
Other0.5%†2

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† 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

364 workers (±110)

Swifton, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under 15 min8.8%†32
15–29 min41%†149
30–44 min29%†107

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 Jackson County, the county holding most of Swifton's residents.

Jackson County has 310 employer establishments, 185 for every 10,000 residents (0.75× the US rate of 248; 0.81× Arkansas's), with 3,609 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,045. The Census Bureau also counts 860 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 310; 860 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 185; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 3,609
Average annual pay: $49,045; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	33	19.7	0.95×About typical	236	$68,237	72
Restaurants and other eating places	19	11.3	0.62×Fewer than typical	282	$19,936	6
Religious organizations	16	9.6	1.72×More than typical	51	$17,294	—
Lessors of real estate	11	6.6	0.53×Fewer than typical	31	$28,806	79
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	10	6	3.42×More than typical	58	$43,224	6
Limited-service restaurants	10	6	0.74×Fewer than typical	200	$16,980	—
Offices of physicians	10	6	0.92×About typical	56	$108,357	—
Specialty trade contractors	10	6	0.39×Fewer than typical	45	$64,289	50
Truck transportation	10	6	1.18×About typical	66	$54,227	33
Gasoline stations	9	5.4	1.66×Too few to compare	77	$31,429	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	8	4.8	1.17×Too few to compare	13	$72,923	9
Banks and credit unions	8	4.8	1.48×Too few to compare	64	$56,219	—

Rank places for an industry Open Jackson County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,741 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: Swifton is mostly in Jackson County.

See federal money in Jackson 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.

Swifton, 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.

Jackson County8100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Jackson 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
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/0568360