Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety2#901/924
Economy19#747/925
Housing64#337/925
Health11#821/925
Healthcare42#532/923
Environment23#710/917
Education19#746/925
Infrastructure15#785/925
Community30#645/925
Leisure & amenities16#780/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where El Dorado, AR micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Social associations · high19.5 /10k
99/100Arkansas 11.7 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · low2.2×
95/100Arkansas 3.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Public libraries · high1.6 /10k
91/100Arkansas 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · high2.2 /10k
84/100Arkansas 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Days with unhealthy air · low0.0%
81/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low6.7%
77/100Arkansas 11.3%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010

Weaknesses

Violent crime rate · high882 /100k
1/100Arkansas 532 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Physical inactivity · high34.5%
6/100Arkansas 34.4%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Premature death · high14,004 /100k
7/100Arkansas 11,156 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Life expectancy · low71.6 yrs
7/100Arkansas 74.0 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · low35.0%
7/100Arkansas 43.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · low50.4%
8/100Arkansas 63.4%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
38,942 (2020) → 36,926 (2025)
−5.2%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
13% (2021) → 70% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+58 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
62.7% (2015-2019) → 84.6% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
19.5% (2020 & 2021) → 34.3% (2023 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
33.9 /100k (2021) → 14.7 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−57%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
19.0 /100k (2021) → 9.7 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

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, El Dorado, AR micropolitan area improved on 13 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 10 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Broadband+22 points62.7% → 84.6%
Firearm deaths−46%43.7 /100k → 23.8 /100k
Uninsured−2.4 points9.0% → 6.7%
Pharmacies+5.5%2.1 /10k → 2.2 /10k
Restaurants+9.5%6.7 /10k → 7.3 /10k

Declined4

Grocery stores−30%1.5 /10k → 1.1 /10k
New businesses−9.6%12.4 /1k → 11.2 /1k
Violent crime+12%787 /100k → 882 /100k
Gyms−30%0.8 /10k → 0.5 /10k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of El Dorado, AR micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.8 /10k2020	3.0 /10k2025	+5.5%	Improved	41%
Average commute time	19.6 min2015-2019	20.1 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	45%
Average weekly wage	$1,0182020	$1,2022025	+18%	Improved	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.1%2015-2019	19.1%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Broadband subscriptions	62.7%2015-2019	84.6%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	98%
Child poverty rate	25.8%2015-2019	24.5%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Distance to an airport	108 mi2020	108 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	22%
Drug overdose deaths	17.7 /100k2020	14.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−17%	Improved	41%
Effective property tax rate	0.54%2015-2019	0.57%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Firearm deaths	43.7 /100k2020	23.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−46%	Improved	98%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−30%	Declined	3%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.8 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	−30%	Declined	12%
High school diploma or higher	84.9%2015-2019	88.5%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	75%
Homicide rate	20.2 /100k2020	9.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−52%	Improved	79%
Income adjusted for local prices	$53,3262019	$69,6982024	+31%	Improved	42%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4702015-2019	0.4802020-2024	+0.010	Within the margin of error	29%
Median household income	$44,6632015-2019	$55,2592020-2024	+24%	Improved	32%
New business applications	12.4 /1k2020	11.2 /1k2025	−9.6%	Declined	3%
Pharmacies	2.1 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	+5.5%	Improved	85%
Poverty rate	19.1%2015-2019	19.5%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Public libraries	1.6 /10k2019	1.6 /10k2024	+4.2%	Little change	84%
Rent as share of income	30.0%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Rent-burdened households	50.0%2015-2019	44.4%2020-2024	−5.6 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Restaurants and bars	6.7 /10k2020	7.3 /10k2025	+9.5%	Improved	78%
Suicide rate	18.4 /100k2020	18.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−1.6%	Little change	65%
Traffic deaths	24.8 /100k2015-2019	22.1 /100k2020-2024	−11%	Improved	78%
Unemployment rate	7.9%2020	5.4%2025	−2.5 points	Improved	35%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.0%2015-2019	6.7%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Improved	89%
Violent crime rate	787 /100k2020	882 /100k2025	+12%	Declined	17%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like El Dorado, AR micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of El Dorado, AR micropolitan area 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, El Dorado, AR micropolitan area itself moved −0 points in standing on average over the same 29 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

37,900 residents

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

15,002 households (±384)

El Dorado, AR micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k25%3,796
$25k–50k21%3,188
$50k–75k17%2,575

Homes

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

Owners and renters

15,002 households (±384)

El Dorado, AR micropolitan area
United States share

Own73%10,905
Rent27%4,097

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

15,832 workers (±612)

El Dorado, AR micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone85%13,397
Carpool7.0%1,102
Public transit0.1%†17

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 no occupation wages for El Dorado, AR micropolitan area.

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.

El Dorado, AR has 1,036 employer establishments, 277 for every 10,000 residents (1.12× the US rate of 248), with 15,851 paid employees at an average annual pay of $62,336. The Census Bureau also counts 2,948 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,036; 2,948 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 277; US 248
Paid employees: 15,851
Average annual pay: $62,336; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of El Dorado, AR by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	90	24.1	1.15×About typical	833	$58,906	215
Religious organizations	70	18.7	3.37×More than typical	314	$19,997	—
Restaurants and other eating places	65	17.4	0.95×About typical	1,040	$17,607	14
Specialty trade contractors	47	12.6	0.81×About typical	1,296	$60,223	190
Truck transportation	35	9.4	1.85×More than typical	348	$64,523	77
Limited-service restaurants	34	9.1	1.13×About typical	674	$17,040	4
Offices of physicians	34	9.1	1.40×More than typical	318	$71,535	22
Building equipment contractors	28	7.5	1.24×About typical	421	$71,192	34
Gasoline stations	28	7.5	2.31×More than typical	221	$24,543	—
Lessors of real estate	25	6.7	0.54×Fewer than typical	74	$97,527	219
Full-service restaurants	23	6.1	0.80×About typical	307	$18,678	7
Banks and credit unions	22	5.9	1.82×More than typical	197	$52,015	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 37,413 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $220.9K on contracts performed in El Dorado, AR micropolitan area: $5.98 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $220.9K; −96% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5.98; US $1,994
Sole-source: 74%; 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

Federal Aviation Administration$82.3K37%
National Institutes of Health$82.3K37%
Transportation Security Administration$56.4K26%

Top recipients

ASRC FEDERAL ADVANCED RESEARCH, LLC$82.3K37%
SOUTHERN DESIGN AND MECHANICAL, INC.$82.3K37%
BIALEK CORPORATION OF MARYLAND$56.4K26%

Spending by fiscal year

537.5KFY2017
2.2MFY2018
2.3MFY2019
481.7KFY2020
89.5KFY2021
963.2KFY2022
118.6KFY2023
63.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Building equipment contractors · 2382$82.3K37%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$82.3K37%
Household and institutional furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturing · 3371$56.4K26%

Largest awards

F11 ERMS OPTIMIZATION FOR VARIOUS SITES VENDOR: ASRC FEDERAL ADVANCED RESEARCH, INC$82.3K
ASRC FEDERAL ADVANCED RESEARCH, LLC· Union County, AR· Equipment maintenance· Jul 30, 2026 – Jul 30, 2026· 6973GH26F01160
C115560-FAIRBANKS NIJHUIS 5 INCH, 2823A HORIZONTAL SPLIT CASE PUMP.$82.3K
SOUTHERN DESIGN AND MECHANICAL, INC.· Union County, AR· Other equipment & supplies· Dec 12, 2025 – Dec 12, 2025· 75N99026P00006
FURNITURE AND ANCILLARY SERVICES FOR ELD.9228$56.4K
BIALEK CORPORATION OF MARYLAND· Union County, AR· Other equipment & supplies· Jun 10, 2026 – Jun 10, 2026· 70T01026F7668N009

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $277.1M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for El Dorado, AR micropolitan area: $7,503 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $277.1M; −4.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,503; US $12,955
Loan face value: $12.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$156.8M57%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$35.6M13%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$21.2M7.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$18.7M6.8%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$12.5M4.5%
93.600 · Head Start$9.9M3.6%
20.901 · Payments for Essential Air Services$6.6M2.4%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$3.8M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

FAMILIES & CHILDRN TOGETHER, INC.$9.9M3.6%
EL DORADO, AR
CITY OF EL DORADO$8.1M2.9%
EL DORADO, AR
SOUTH ARKANSAS COLLEGE$3.9M1.4%
EL DORADO, AR
ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$2.3M0.8%
LITTLE ROCK, AR
PF HILLSBORO LLC$602.2K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$223.6M81%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$24.7M8.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Administration for Children and Families$9.9M3.6%
Department of Health and Human Services
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation$6.6M2.4%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

241.9MFY2021
264.3MFY2022
261.7MFY2023
317.1MFY2024
291MFY2025
277.1MFY2026

County aggregates

90%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in El Dorado, AR

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Union CountyCentral county2136,926

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

El DoradoPrincipal city17,115

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Arkansas

Areas based in Arkansas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M20980

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like El Dorado, AR micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in El Dorado, AR

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Arkansas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined4

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type