Scores by category

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

Safety5#881/924
Economy54#427/925
Housing67#306/925
Health38#572/925
Healthcare72#262/923
Environment2#895/917
Education77#216/925
Infrastructure65#321/925
Community34#608/925
Leisure & amenities42#535/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an airport · low17 mi
89/100Arkansas 46 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · low25.8%
83/100Arkansas 27.1%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Pharmacies · high2.1 /10k
81/100Arkansas 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Primary care physicians · high84 /100k
80/100Arkansas 69 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
New business applications · high14.9 /1k
78/100Arkansas 12.7 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · high33.7%
77/100Arkansas 25.7%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Violent crime rate · high778 /100k
2/100Arkansas 532 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · high2,372 /100k
5/100Arkansas 1,645 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · high55
5/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.1 µg/m³
6/100Arkansas 8.6 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Drought exposure · high89%
9/100Arkansas 78%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high9.9 /100k
9/100Arkansas 7.0 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
6% (2021) → 89% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+83 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
High ozone daysWorsening
1 days (2017) → 1 days (2022)
+83%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.4% (2015-2019) → 89.9% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
28.6 /100k (2021) → 13.7 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−52%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
23.8% (2020 & 2021) → 31.2% (2023 & 2024)
+7.5 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
63.3% (2010 & 2021) → 70.3% (2022 & 2024)
+7 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%

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, Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area improved on 13 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 7 moved within the margin of error and 8 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+11 points79.4% → 89.9%
Firearm deaths−13%24.1 /100k → 20.9 /100k
Overdose deaths−38%22.0 /100k → 13.7 /100k
Homicides−37%15.7 /100k → 9.9 /100k
Bachelor's++3.3 points30.4% → 33.7%

Declined4

Traffic deaths+35%14.0 /100k → 18.9 /100k
Uninsured+0.9 points8.8% → 9.7%
Grocery stores−7.4%1.0 /10k → 1.0 /10k
Price / income+0.4×2.8× → 3.2×

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.3 /10k2020	3.5 /10k2025	+5.2%	Improved	40%
Average commute time	23.0 min2015-2019	23.4 min2020-2024	+0.3 min	Within the margin of error	53%
Average weekly wage	$9892020	$1,1792025	+19%	Improved	17%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.4%2015-2019	33.7%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Improved	62%
Broadband subscriptions	79.4%2015-2019	89.9%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	67%
Child poverty rate	20.5%2015-2019	19.2%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Distance to an airport	16 mi2020	17 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	7%
Drug overdose deaths	22.0 /100k2020	13.7 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−38%	Improved	66%
Effective property tax rate	0.75%2015-2019	0.66%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	40%
Firearm deaths	24.1 /100k2020	20.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−13%	Improved	72%
Grocery stores	1.0 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	−7.4%	Declined	29%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.3 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+0.2%	Little change	42%
High school diploma or higher	90.4%2015-2019	92.3%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Improved	57%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	60%
Homicide rate	15.7 /100k2020	9.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−37%	Improved	64%
Income adjusted for local prices	$51,6372019	$68,4542024	+33%	Improved	57%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4762015-2019	0.4732020-2024	−0.004	Within the margin of error	66%
Median household income	$54,7462015-2019	$67,1542020-2024	+23%	Improved	26%
New business applications	15.0 /1k2020	14.9 /1k2025	−0.4%	Little change	5%
Pharmacies	2.2 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	−3.7%	Little change	60%
Poverty rate	15.1%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Property crime rate	3,201 /100k2020	2,372 /100k2025	−26%	Improved	34%
Public libraries	0.4 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−0.6%	Little change	58%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.4%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Rent as share of income	28.9%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Rent-burdened households	47.4%2015-2019	46.0%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Restaurants and bars	7.8 /10k2020	7.8 /10k2025	+1%	Little change	50%
Suicide rate	17.7 /100k2020	18.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+4.1%	Little change	52%
Traffic deaths	14.0 /100k2015-2019	18.9 /100k2020-2024	+35%	Declined	14%
Unemployment rate	6.5%2020	3.9%2025	−2.6 points	Improved	38%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.8%2015-2019	9.7%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Declined	20%
Violent crime rate	952 /100k2020	778 /100k2025	−18%	Improved	53%

“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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro 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, Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area itself moved +0.3 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

758,629 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

311,547 households (±1,828)

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area
United States share

Under $25k17%53,009
$25k–50k21%65,891
$50k–75k17%51,705

Homes

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

Owners and renters

311,547 households (±1,828)

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area
United States share

Own64%198,580
Rent36%112,967

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

353,688 workers (±3,430)

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area
United States share

Drive alone78%277,139
Carpool8.4%29,848
Public transit0.4%1,460

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR employ 83,740 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Registered Nurses11,550 jobs	11,550	$81,070US $97,550	−17%	1.48×
Retail Salespersons10,620 jobs	10,620

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.

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR has 19,170 employer establishments, 250 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248), with 315,713 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,517. The Census Bureau also counts 63,853 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 19,170; 63,853 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 250; US 248
Paid employees: 315,713
Average annual pay: $56,517; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,906	24.9	1.19×About typical	19,533	$79,913	3,811
Restaurants and other eating places	1,379	18	0.98×About typical	28,156	$20,959	316
Specialty trade contractors	1,161	15.2	0.98×About typical	13,294	$62,288	4,677
Lessors of real estate	876	11.4	0.93×About typical	3,098	$50,546	6,329
Offices of physicians	672	8.8	1.36×More than typical	7,518	$110,523	740
Limited-service restaurants	660	8.6	1.07×About typical	13,814	$19,104	131
Offices of other health practitioners	641	8.4	1.38×More than typical	3,136	$47,696	1,546
Religious organizations	638	8.3	1.50×More than typical	6,088	$26,442	—
Legal services	572	7.5	1.39×More than typical	2,774	$78,572	607
Insurance agencies and brokerages	538	7	1.60×More than typical	3,011	$76,827	1,273
Full-service restaurants	530	6.9	0.90×About typical	12,232	$23,341	116
Building equipment contractors	528	6.9	1.15×About typical	5,990	$60,783	970

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 765,621 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 $310.7M on contracts performed in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area: $400 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $310.7M; +56% vs FY2025
Per resident: $400; US $2,007
Sole-source: 9.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 28%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$113.3M36%
Department of Veterans Affairs$75.6M24%
Department of the Air Force$45.1M15%
Departmental Offices$16.7M5.4%
Defense Logistics Agency$10M3.2%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management$7.8M2.5%
Department of the Navy$6.6M2.1%
Public Buildings Service$6.2M2.0%

Top recipients

ALBERICI CONSTRUCTORS INC$68.2M22%
TLS-CES SERVICES I, LLC$32.4M10%
RIGID CONSTRUCTORS LLC$24.6M7.9%
GIDEON CONTRACTING, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY$19.6M6.3%
HENRYS AERIAL SERVICE INC$16.7M5.4%

Spending by fiscal year

221.9MFY2017
161.7MFY2018
237.5MFY2019
651.2MFY2020
456.8MFY2021
377.7MFY2022
331.8MFY2023
295.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$92.9M30%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$43.2M14%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$40.9M13%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$16.7M5.4%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$14.6M4.7%
Facilities support services · 5612

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 $5.7B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area: $7,318 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $5.7B; −17% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,318; US $12,975
Loan face value: $511.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$2.8B50%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$723.3M13%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$505.9M8.9%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$253.2M4.5%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$198.8M3.5%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$167.4M2.9%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$117.3M2.1%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$106.8M1.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$81.7M1.4%
LITTLE ROCK, AR
ARKANSAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION$78.2M1.4%
LITTLE ROCK, AR
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES$75.8M1.3%
LITTLE ROCK, AR
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS$30.4M0.5%
CONWAY, AR
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SYSTEM

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$3.8B66%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$820.7M14%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$391.5M6.9%
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Education$119.2M2.1%
Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development

Assistance by fiscal year

5.1BFY2021
4.9BFY2022
5.1BFY2023
5.4BFY2024
6.8BFY2025
5.7BFY2026

County aggregates

89%

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 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, 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.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

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 2026-10-06
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
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M30780

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro 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)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, 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

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

What was bought