Like all states, Arkansas has certain places that are going on hard times. These Arkansas places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Arkansas.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 67 cities in Arkansas with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Arkansas For 2024:
What’s the poorest city in Arkansas? According to the facts, Helena-West Helena is the poorest place in Arkansas for 2024.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Arkansas reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Arkansas
- Cheapest Places To Live In Arkansas
- Most Dangerous Places in Arkansas
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Arkansas For 2024
1. Helena-West Helena
/10
Population: 9,470
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $31,118 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.9% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 3,213
More on Helena-West Helena: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Helena-West Helena, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Arkansas thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 9,470 people averages the lowest median household income in Arkansas and the 2nd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Forrest City
/10
Population: 13,010
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $36,368 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 35.3% (highest)
People In Poverty: 4,592
More on Forrest City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The second poorest city in Arkansas is Forrest City.
The city ranks as having the highest incidence of poverty and 6th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 10th highest in the Natural State.
3. Monticello
/10
Population: 8,443
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $34,176 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.3% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,222
More on Monticello: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Placing as the third poorest city, Monticello’s median income ranks as the 3rd lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 26.32% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Natural State.
4. Newport
/10
Population: 7,984
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 5)
Median Income: $32,440 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.0% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,999
More on Newport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Newport ranks as the fourth poorest place in Arkansas.
The town ranks as having the 2nd lowest median household income and the 10th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Arkadelphia
/10
Population: 10,354
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $37,634 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 26.7% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,762
More on Arkadelphia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
The fifth poorest city in Arkansas is Arkadelphia.
The city ranks as having the 9th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 6th highest in Arkansas.
Still not the best news for Arkadelphia.
6. Wynne
/10
Population: 8,284
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 10)
Median Income: $39,280 (12th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 27.2% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,253
More on Wynne: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Wynne ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Natural State.
It ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty and the 15th highest unemployment rate.
7. Trumann
/10
Population: 7,383
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 4)
Median Income: $37,618 (8th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 25.1% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 1,853
More on Trumann: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Trumann places as the seventh poorest city in Arkansas.
The city of over 7,383 ranks as having the 9th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Clarksville
/10
Population: 9,453
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 4)
Median Income: $35,911 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 23.4% (16th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,216
More on Clarksville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Clarksville ranks as the eighth poorest city in Arkansas.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Hope
/10
Population: 8,921
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 6)
Median Income: $43,018 (18th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.6% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,552
More on Hope: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Hope couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Arkansas; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 18th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Hope ranks as having the 4th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Arkansas.
10. Malvern
/10
Population: 10,859
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 4)
Median Income: $37,210 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 24.4% (15th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,644
More on Malvern: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Arkansas is Malvern.
The city of 10,859 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Natural State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Arkansas for 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 67 places with more than 5,000 people in Arkansas, we ranked each place from 1 to 67 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Helena-West Helena, crowned the “Poorest Place In Arkansas For 2024”.
This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Arkansas.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Arkansas For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Arkansas, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Arkansas.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Arkansas, according to data:
-
Richest: Cave Springs
2nd Richest: Centerton
3rd Richest: Pea Ridge
For more Arkansas reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Arkansas
- Safest Places In Arkansas
- Worst Places To Live In Arkansas
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Arkansas
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Arkansas
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helena-West Helena | 9,470 | 33.9% | $31,118 | 3,213 |
| 2 | Forrest City | 13,010 | 35.3% | $36,368 | 4,592 |
| 3 | Monticello | 8,443 | 26.3% | $34,176 | 2,222 |
| 4 | Newport | 7,984 | 25.0% | $32,440 | 1,999 |
| 5 | Arkadelphia | 10,354 | 26.7% | $37,634 | 2,762 |
| 6 | Wynne | 8,284 | 27.2% | $39,280 | 2,253 |
| 7 | Trumann | 7,383 | 25.1% | $37,618 | 1,853 |
| 8 | Clarksville | 9,453 | 23.4% | $35,911 | 2,216 |
| 9 | Hope | 8,921 | 28.6% | $43,018 | 2,552 |
| 10 | Malvern | 10,859 | 24.4% | $37,210 | 2,644 |
| 11 | Pine Bluff | 41,172 | 24.9% | $39,411 | 10,243 |
| 12 | West Memphis | 24,351 | 24.7% | $40,904 | 6,007 |
| 13 | Morrilton | 6,980 | 25.4% | $43,608 | 1,769 |
| 14 | Magnolia | 11,044 | 24.8% | $43,000 | 2,743 |
| 15 | Alma | 5,837 | 28.9% | $46,273 | 1,683 |
| 16 | Osceola | 6,911 | 24.6% | $44,492 | 1,701 |
| 17 | Warren | 5,409 | 21.2% | $39,222 | 1,148 |
| 18 | Pocahontas | 7,384 | 21.1% | $38,912 | 1,554 |
| 19 | Texarkana | 29,404 | 22.9% | $45,233 | 6,727 |
| 20 | Blytheville | 13,276 | 23.4% | $45,746 | 3,102 |
| 21 | Searcy | 22,961 | 22.8% | $45,588 | 5,244 |
| 22 | Walnut Ridge | 5,411 | 22.0% | $45,950 | 1,189 |
| 23 | Cherokee Village | 5,061 | 14.8% | $35,257 | 751 |
| 24 | Jacksonville | 29,332 | 22.4% | $47,121 | 6,570 |
| 25 | El Dorado | 17,606 | 22.2% | $46,869 | 3,901 |
| 26 | Russellville | 28,946 | 20.9% | $43,669 | 6,064 |
| 27 | Hot Springs | 38,025 | 21.2% | $46,537 | 8,057 |
| 28 | Harrison | 13,154 | 16.0% | $39,677 | 2,108 |
| 29 | Berryville | 5,667 | 18.0% | $43,388 | 1,021 |
| 30 | Jonesboro | 78,379 | 22.4% | $51,124 | 17,517 |
| 31 | North Little Rock | 64,454 | 21.2% | $49,166 | 13,664 |
| 32 | Camden | 10,587 | 21.2% | $48,302 | 2,240 |
| 33 | Mountain Home | 12,876 | 15.1% | $42,281 | 1,944 |
| 34 | Batesville | 11,163 | 21.0% | $52,304 | 2,343 |
| 35 | Fayetteville | 95,022 | 21.2% | $56,881 | 20,173 |
| 36 | Fort Smith | 89,315 | 18.9% | $50,799 | 16,880 |
| 37 | Conway | 65,159 | 19.1% | $54,036 | 12,464 |
| 38 | Mena | 5,605 | 17.8% | $53,288 | 997 |
| 39 | De Queen | 6,132 | 18.8% | $55,207 | 1,150 |
| 40 | Van Buren | 23,398 | 19.0% | $56,493 | 4,436 |
| 41 | Paragould | 29,690 | 17.4% | $54,732 | 5,177 |
| 42 | Stuttgart | 8,189 | 19.0% | $59,124 | 1,558 |
| 43 | Heber Springs | 7,066 | 13.1% | $50,472 | 922 |
| 44 | Sheridan | 5,002 | 17.0% | $55,520 | 849 |
| 45 | Little Rock | 202,218 | 16.5% | $58,697 | 33,325 |
| 46 | Beebe | 8,447 | 12.2% | $55,072 | 1,027 |
| 47 | Prairie Grove | 7,131 | 14.3% | $56,541 | 1,021 |
| 48 | Siloam Springs | 17,632 | 15.8% | $59,911 | 2,789 |
| 49 | Springdale | 86,705 | 14.7% | $59,985 | 12,780 |
| 50 | Greenbrier | 5,755 | 11.4% | $57,234 | 658 |
| 51 | Ward | 6,149 | 13.6% | $74,688 | 835 |
| 52 | Cabot | 26,543 | 12.8% | $69,094 | 3,402 |
| 53 | Greenwood | 9,544 | 11.6% | $63,232 | 1,103 |
| 54 | Benton | 35,318 | 10.6% | $66,868 | 3,750 |
| 55 | Sherwood | 32,715 | 9.9% | $74,917 | 3,245 |
| 56 | Rogers | 69,961 | 10.6% | $78,075 | 7,387 |
| 57 | Bryant | 20,750 | 7.8% | $76,282 | 1,620 |
| 58 | Marion | 13,635 | 7.8% | $77,350 | 1,062 |
| 59 | White Hall | 5,559 | 10.2% | $85,227 | 569 |
| 60 | Lowell | 10,005 | 9.0% | $83,827 | 896 |
| 61 | Maumelle | 19,183 | 6.8% | $89,880 | 1,298 |
| 62 | Tontitown | 5,114 | 3.0% | $83,705 | 151 |
| 63 | Farmington | 7,991 | 3.6% | $83,783 | 284 |
| 64 | Bentonville | 54,513 | 6.2% | $99,074 | 3,374 |
| 65 | Pea Ridge | 6,851 | 5.3% | $93,113 | 361 |
| 66 | Centerton | 18,655 | 4.7% | $104,464 | 880 |
| 67 | Cave Springs | 5,521 | 0.5% | $143,393 | 26 |