Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Arkansas?
Only a third of Arkansans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that folks in Arkansas don’t really have it too bad in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Arkansas cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using Saturday Night Science and data.
After analyzing the 64 largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Natural State.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Most Miserable Places In Arkansas
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Monticello is the happiest place in Arkansas.
For more Arkansas reading, check out:
The 10 Most Miserable Places In Arkansas For 2023
/10
Population: 6,192
Poverty Level: 27.5%
Median Home Price $93,100
Married Households 9.0%
Households With Kids 39.7%
More on De Queen: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 13,372
Poverty Level: 33.0%
Median Home Price $68,700
Married Households 16.0%
Households With Kids 40.1%
More on Forrest City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 5,612
Poverty Level: 17.4%
Median Home Price $110,300
Married Households 14.0%
Households With Kids 35.25%
More on Berryville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 6,491
Poverty Level: 4.3%
Median Home Price $162,300
Married Households 19.0%
Households With Kids 49.27%
More on Pea Ridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 24,666
Poverty Level: 25.3%
Median Home Price $89,400
Married Households 17.0%
Households With Kids 31.94%
More on West Memphis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,352
Poverty Level: 22.8%
Median Home Price $92,800
Married Households 26.0%
Households With Kids 38.33%
More on Wynne: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 7,016
Poverty Level: 23.5%
Median Home Price $88,400
Married Households 23.0%
Households With Kids 37.82%
More on Osceola: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 5,943
Poverty Level: 15.0%
Median Home Price $135,200
Married Households 26.0%
Households With Kids 47.42%
More on Ward: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 7,015
Poverty Level: 15.1%
Median Home Price $119,700
Married Households 22.0%
Households With Kids 24.11%
More on Heber Springs: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 85,887
Poverty Level: 15.1%
Median Home Price $169,700
Married Households 15.0%
Households With Kids 43.17%
More on Springdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In The Natural State
To rank the unhappiest places in Arkansas, we had to determine what criteria make people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress-free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2017-2021 report for the happy criteria, flipped the list with Saturday Night Science, and it spit out the answer.
Like magic.
Here are the criteria we used to measure misery:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of families with kids
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 64 places in Arkansas with over 5,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 64 for each of the seven criteria, with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index “earning” the title “Most Miserable City In Arkansas.”
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
We updated this article for 2023, and it’s our tenth time ranking the most miserable cities in Arkansas.
There You Have It – The Least Happy Cities In Arkansas
As we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in Arkansas is usually a subjective matter.
But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in Arkansas, according to science:
- Monticello
- Arkadelphia
- Stuttgart
For more Arkansas reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Arkansas
- Cheapest Places To Live In Arkansas
- Most Dangerous Places in Arkansas
- Richest Cities In Arkansas
- Safest Places In Arkansas
- Worst Places To Live In Arkansas
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Arkansas
Miserable Cities In Arkansas For 2023
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Level | Median Home Value | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Queen, AR | 6,192 | 27.5% | $93,100 | 9.0% | 39.7% |
| 2 | Forrest City, AR | 13,372 | 33.0% | $68,700 | 16.0% | 40.1% |
| 3 | Berryville, AR | 5,612 | 17.4% | $110,300 | 14.0% | 35.25% |
| 4 | Pea Ridge, AR | 6,491 | 4.3% | $162,300 | 19.0% | 49.27% |
| 5 | West Memphis, AR | 24,666 | 25.3% | $89,400 | 17.0% | 31.94% |
| 6 | Wynne, AR | 8,352 | 22.8% | $92,800 | 26.0% | 38.33% |
| 7 | Osceola, AR | 7,016 | 23.5% | $88,400 | 23.0% | 37.82% |
| 8 | Ward, AR | 5,943 | 15.0% | $135,200 | 26.0% | 47.42% |
| 9 | Heber Springs, AR | 7,015 | 15.1% | $119,700 | 22.0% | 24.11% |
| 10 | Springdale, AR | 85,887 | 15.1% | $169,700 | 15.0% | 43.17% |
| 11 | Beebe, AR | 8,343 | 9.9% | $127,400 | 24.0% | 43.94% |
| 12 | Warren, AR | 5,485 | 22.2% | $77,300 | 18.0% | 26.22% |
| 13 | Texarkana, AR | 29,492 | 21.6% | $128,000 | 16.0% | 29.94% |
| 14 | Paragould, AR | 29,327 | 18.1% | $149,100 | 25.0% | 36.97% |
| 15 | Alma, AR | 5,806 | 32.3% | $152,400 | 23.0% | 41.43% |
| 16 | Morrilton, AR | 6,948 | 30.2% | $115,500 | 24.0% | 31.07% |
| 17 | Walnut Ridge, AR | 5,392 | 22.4% | $78,800 | 29.0% | 33.98% |
| 18 | Greenbrier, AR | 5,683 | 11.6% | $143,400 | 32.0% | 45.47% |
| 19 | Marion, AR | 13,624 | 6.9% | $169,300 | 23.0% | 41.98% |
| 20 | Cabot, AR | 26,411 | 11.4% | $166,100 | 23.0% | 38.77% |
| 21 | Helena-West Helena, AR | 9,707 | 43.0% | $70,700 | 22.0% | 27.7% |
| 22 | Jacksonville, AR | 29,385 | 19.1% | $134,500 | 22.0% | 32.19% |
| 23 | Prairie Grove, AR | 6,908 | 14.4% | $174,000 | 29.0% | 38.52% |
| 24 | Blytheville, AR | 13,559 | 23.7% | $89,200 | 25.0% | 31.99% |
| 25 | Siloam Springs, AR | 16,944 | 18.0% | $166,200 | 17.0% | 40.97% |
| 26 | Centerton, AR | 17,455 | 5.4% | $205,900 | 20.0% | 48.62% |
| 27 | Hope, AR | 9,010 | 28.0% | $83,200 | 23.0% | 35.86% |
| 28 | Pocahontas, AR | 7,269 | 23.2% | $90,700 | 33.0% | 29.66% |
| 29 | Mena, AR | 5,626 | 25.5% | $88,400 | 22.0% | 26.42% |
| 30 | Newport, AR | 7,829 | 23.8% | $90,700 | 22.0% | 21.7% |
| 31 | Russellville, AR | 29,057 | 21.0% | $135,500 | 16.0% | 34.57% |
| 32 | Van Buren, AR | 23,213 | 18.8% | $132,900 | 24.0% | 33.75% |
| 33 | Malvern, AR | 10,626 | 26.2% | $89,100 | 24.0% | 27.3% |
| 34 | Greenwood, AR | 9,498 | 12.2% | $143,800 | 31.0% | 37.04% |
| 35 | Camden, AR | 10,644 | 24.9% | $82,500 | 27.0% | 25.16% |
| 36 | Fort Smith, AR | 89,116 | 19.0% | $137,800 | 18.0% | 32.49% |
| 37 | Pine Bluff, AR | 41,964 | 23.8% | $78,500 | 24.0% | 26.29% |
| 38 | Lowell, AR | 9,630 | 6.4% | $191,600 | 21.0% | 39.53% |
| 39 | Bentonville, AR | 52,565 | 7.1% | $281,800 | 12.0% | 41.14% |
| 40 | Rogers, AR | 68,340 | 9.6% | $199,000 | 12.0% | 40.71% |
| 41 | Benton, AR | 34,746 | 10.7% | $156,700 | 31.0% | 36.07% |
| 42 | Harrison, AR | 13,081 | 16.0% | $119,900 | 20.0% | 25.43% |
| 43 | Mountain Home, AR | 12,722 | 14.8% | $136,400 | 15.0% | 22.54% |
| 44 | El Dorado, AR | 17,800 | 22.6% | $93,500 | 23.0% | 29.62% |
| 45 | White Hall, AR | 5,599 | 11.6% | $170,300 | 33.0% | 39.3% |
| 46 | Hot Springs, AR | 38,050 | 20.3% | $130,700 | 18.0% | 26.42% |
| 47 | Bryant, AR | 20,399 | 4.9% | $181,300 | 28.0% | 38.13% |
| 48 | Maumelle, AR | 19,070 | 5.8% | $225,900 | 32.0% | 34.73% |
| 49 | Searcy, AR | 23,074 | 20.9% | $151,300 | 18.0% | 30.83% |
| 50 | Trumann, AR | 7,416 | 25.9% | $96,200 | 35.0% | 33.86% |
| 51 | North Little Rock, AR | 64,444 | 21.7% | $149,200 | 22.0% | 27.77% |
| 52 | Clarksville, AR | 9,444 | 22.2% | $122,800 | 17.0% | 27.31% |
| 53 | Sherwood, AR | 32,544 | 7.7% | $162,100 | 27.0% | 29.87% |
| 54 | Batesville, AR | 11,117 | 19.8% | $123,000 | 22.0% | 29.7% |
| 55 | Farmington, AR | 7,601 | 3.5% | $184,000 | 31.0% | 35.62% |
| 56 | Jonesboro, AR | 77,520 | 20.5% | $169,100 | 27.0% | 34.0% |
| 57 | Magnolia, AR | 11,205 | 26.4% | $132,400 | 22.0% | 31.71% |
| 58 | Cave Springs, AR | 5,224 | 1.0% | $302,200 | 33.0% | 52.84% |
| 59 | Little Rock, AR | 201,893 | 15.6% | $179,500 | 21.0% | 28.17% |
| 60 | Conway, AR | 63,746 | 18.4% | $195,800 | 22.0% | 30.2% |
| 61 | Fayetteville, AR | 92,070 | 21.2% | $255,600 | 14.0% | 25.81% |
| 62 | Stuttgart, AR | 8,363 | 17.5% | $125,200 | 34.0% | 26.15% |
| 63 | Arkadelphia, AR | 10,332 | 25.4% | $123,600 | 16.0% | 22.07% |
| 64 | Monticello, AR | 8,567 | 26.8% | $107,900 | 21.0% | 25.56% |
Pretty sure Prairie Grove has over 2000 people in it and it’s not on the list at all…
Come on really? Check your facts and post pictures of the real town. That isn’t the picture of Lincoln.
Contentment, happiness and misery are clearly all subjective and based on an individual’s state of mind. From my perspective, where you live, what you earn, whether or not you’re married, whether or not you’re a home owner and whether or not you have a college degree are not indicators of happiness/joy and/or misery. If your happiness is based on these things I think you’re sadly, a very miserable person. My joy stems from the loves in my life, my family and friends; and the things I can do to help others and sow into the lives of others. Ultimately my joy comes from my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. But even if you are not a believer, your happiness should not come from these things. If it does, your emotional state will always fluctuate with your circumstances and surroundings; and personally, I don’t want to live that way.
Polls based on data makes me sad.I grew up in Prescott ,Arkansas,then moved away for many years.Prescott was once a thriving town with plenty of jobs and the kind of “Mayberry”town where everyone knew everyone.Through the years,because of economic changes,Prescott lost several businesses.The interstate and chain businesses hurt the mom and pop stores .I came home a year and a half ago.I can say that this is the best move that I have ever made.I don’t base my opinion on polls or theories .I base my love for the city of Prescott on the people who meet at Izzys cafe for lunch and are met by the owner who makes sure that you are treated like roylalty,the checkers at the grocery who carry on a conversation as if they have known you forever, even if they havent,the friendly “hellos” in passing,the library where it’s ok to speak loud because you greet your neighbor there.It’s the warmth that you feel just driving through town.The Farmers Markets,the parades,ballgames,festivals,county fairs and most of all,the strive to make Prescott a better place to raise your kids.Unless you’ve lived in this town, throw your data in the trash.Small towns like Prescott still exist,where life is slow and peaceful,quiet and caring.I don’t miss the fast,corrupt,noisy cities I have lived in one bit.Prescott may not be on your list of “to do ” cities,but I’m proud to call it home.