Scores by category

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

Safety12#13,720/15,637
Economy4#15,075/15,631
Housing98#338/14,977
Health6#14,677/15,609
Healthcare7#14,552/15,650
Environment17#12,894/15,453
Education24#11,935/15,649
Infrastructure40#9,349/15,650
Community5#14,816/15,651
Leisure & amenities8#14,378/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Effective property tax rate · low0.19%
99/100Arkansas 0.56%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty
Students per teacher · low9.4×
99/100Arkansas 12.5×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsLawrence County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low90 min
98/100Arkansas 165 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLawrence County value
Public libraries · high1.9 /10k
90/100Arkansas 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesLawrence County value
Rent-burdened households · low44.2%
87/100Arkansas 44.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Arkansas 1United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLawrence County value

Weaknesses

Drought exposure · high100%
1/100Arkansas 78%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAALawrence County value
Voter turnout · low46.0%
2/100Arkansas 52.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionLawrence County value
Traffic deaths · high50.6 /100k
2/100Arkansas 20.8 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataLawrence County value
Food environment index · low5.3
2/100Arkansas 4.6United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLawrence County value
Average weekly wage · low$852
3/100Arkansas $1,176United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLawrence County value
Flu vaccinations · low25.0%
3/100Arkansas 42.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLawrence County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
5,098 (2015-2019) → 5,434 (2020-2024)
+6.6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
22.8% (2015-2019) → 44.6% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
12.2 /1k (2021) → 2.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−77%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.4% (2015-2019) → 90.3% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
6.3% (2015-2019) → 15.1% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Poverty rateWorsening
17.7% (2015-2019) → 25.6% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Walnut Ridge, Arkansas improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+15 points75.4% → 90.3%

Declined2

Child poverty+22 points22.8% → 44.6%
Uninsured+8.8 points6.3% → 15.1%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.6 min2015-2019	23.6 min2020-2024	+5.0 min	Within the margin of error	10%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.0%2015-2019	22.9%2020-2024	+6 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Broadband subscriptions	75.4%2015-2019	90.3%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	79%
Child poverty rate	22.8%2015-2019	44.6%2020-2024	+22 points	Declined	4%
High school diploma or higher	86.6%2015-2019	85.2%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	52%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4202015-2019	0.4692020-2024	+0.049	Within the margin of error	17%
Median household income	$41,1722015-2019	$45,0272020-2024	+9.4%	Within the margin of error	16%
Poverty rate	17.7%2015-2019	25.6%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Rent as share of income	24.3%2015-2019	27.7%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Rent-burdened households	40.2%2015-2019	44.2%2020-2024	+4 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Unemployment rate	9.5%2015-2019	5.0%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.3%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Declined	4%

“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 Walnut Ridge, Arkansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Walnut Ridge, 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, Walnut Ridge, Arkansas itself moved −9.1 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

5,434 residents (±19)

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: Under 10 women (−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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

5,434 residents (±19)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

White92%4,984
Black1.9%†105
Hispanic or Latino1.5%†83

Education

3,408 residents (±178)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

No high school diploma15%†504
High school or GED26%892
Some college25%863

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

2,089 households (±151)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $25k31%658
$25k–50k24%494
$50k–75k12%†244
$75k–100k9.4%†197
$100k–150k15%†319
$150k–200k3.4%†70
$200k or more5.1%†107

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−8.4 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 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

2,089 households (±151)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Own57%1,197
Rent43%892

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

833 households (±154)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $75051%†425
$750–1,00030%†248
$1,000–1,50016%†131

Home values

1,197 homes (±153)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under $150k60%722
$150k–250k33%†390
$250k–400k4.1%†49

Age of homes

2,323 homes (±156)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

2010 or later6.9%†161
2000–20098.6%†200
1980–199929%679

Size of homes

2,323 homes (±156)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Studio0.4%†9
1 bedroom7.9%†184
2 bedrooms32%747

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

2,326 workers (±228)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Drive alone87%2,016
Carpool8.6%†201
Public transit0.8%†19
Walk1.2%†28
Bike0.4%†9
Work from home0.9%†21
Other1.4%†32

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

2,305 workers (±230)

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Arkansas share

Under 15 min43%996
15–29 min17%†383
30–44 min27%622

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 Lawrence County, the county holding most of Walnut Ridge's residents.

Lawrence County has 284 employer establishments, 176 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248; 0.76× Arkansas's), with 3,289 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,046. The Census Bureau also counts 1,324 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 284; 1,324 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 176; US 248 · Arkansas 229
Paid employees: 3,289
Average annual pay: $39,046; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	24	14.8	0.81×About typical	304	$17,516	4
Ambulatory health care services	16	9.9	0.47×Fewer than typical	181	$56,575	128
Specialty trade contractors	16	9.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	158	$87,823	139
Truck transportation	15	9.3	1.83×More than typical	65	$52,231	119
Religious organizations	13	8	1.45×More than typical	52	$19,538	—
Full-service restaurants	11	6.8	0.89×About typical	85	$19,059	—
Gasoline stations	11	6.8	2.10×More than typical	68	$31,529	—
General merchandise stores	10	6.2	3.50×More than typical	168	$29,292	4
Limited-service restaurants	10	6.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	178	$16,573	—
Lessors of real estate	9	5.6	0.45×Too few to compare	17	$16,882	87
Automotive repair and maintenance	8	4.9	0.98×Too few to compare	22	$57,182	43
Banks and credit unions	8	4.9	1.53×Too few to compare	63	$49,381	—

Rank places for an industry Open Lawrence County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,181 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Spending by fiscal year

10.3KFY2017
23.3KFY2018
6.1KFY2019
4.6KFY2020
6KFY2021
18.5KFY2022
7.5KFY2023
0FY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in Lawrence 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.

Walnut Ridge, 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.

Lawrence County8100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lawrence 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/0572890