The 10 Worst Small Towns In Arkansas For 2025

Most Americans have never been to small town Arkansas. However, as the Arkansan who live there know, small town Arkansas is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Arkansas has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Natural State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 138 of Arkansas’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Arkansas where you’d never want to live:

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Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

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These are the worst small towns in Arkansas for 2025:

1. Earle
2. Eudora
3. Stamps
4. Brinkley
5. Dermott
6. Kensett
7. Marked Tree
8. Marvell
9. Waldron
10. Calico Rock

So what is the worst small town to call home in Arkansas for 2025? According to the most recent census data, Earle is the worst small town to live in Arkansas.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Earle home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Arkansas or the worst places to live in Arkansas.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Arkansas For 2025

1. Earle

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas R Machnitzki | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,421
Median Home Value: $93,300
Median Income: $26,985
Unemployment Rate: 20.1%

2. Eudora

Source: Wikipedia User tara young | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,843
Median Home Value: $52,200
Median Income: $27,140
Unemployment Rate: 9.6%

3. Stamps

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,510
Median Home Value: $71,200
Median Income: $33,152
Unemployment Rate: 20.2%

4. Brinkley

Source: Wikipedia User Brandonrush | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 2,651
Median Home Value: $84,000
Median Income: $38,285
Unemployment Rate: 18.4%

5. Dermott

Source: Wikipedia User Brandonrush | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,727
Median Home Value: $77,600
Median Income: $25,518
Unemployment Rate: 16.3%

6. Kensett

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,027
Median Home Value: $92,200
Median Income: $27,839
Unemployment Rate: 5.3%

7. Marked Tree

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,235
Median Home Value: $85,700
Median Income: $45,197
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%

8. Marvell

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,008
Median Home Value: $59,100
Median Income: $49,000
Unemployment Rate: 26.9%

9. Waldron

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 3,370
Median Home Value: $99,300
Median Income: $41,028
Unemployment Rate: 12.4%

10. Calico Rock

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,795
Median Home Value: $119,300
Median Income: $26,250
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

Next 10 Towns

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Arkansas is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Arkansas, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2019-2023 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

• Population Density (The lower, the worse)
• Highest Unemployment Rates
• Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
• Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
• Education (Number of high school dropouts)
• High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 138 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2025, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Arkansas.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Arkansas

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Natural State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The worst small towns in Arkansas are Earle, Eudora, Stamps, Brinkley, Dermott, Kensett, Marked Tree, Marvell, Waldron, and Calico Rock.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Arkansas, according to science:

1. Johnson (Pop. 3,628)
2. Salem (Pop. 2,727)
3. Lake Hamilton (Pop. 1,912)

For more Arkansas reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In Arkansas

Rank	Town	Population	Unemployment Rate	Home Value	Median Income
1	Earle	1,421	20.1%	$93,300	$26,985
2	Eudora	1,843	9.6%	$52,200	$27,140
3	Stamps	1,510	20.2%	$71,200	$33,152
4	Brinkley	2,651	18.4%	$84,000	$38,285
5	Dermott	2,727	16.3%	$77,600	$25,518
6	Kensett	2,027	5.3%	$92,200	$27,839
7	Marked Tree	2,235	4.3%	$85,700	$45,197
8	Marvell	1,008	26.9%	$59,100	$49,000
9	Waldron	3,370	12.4%	$99,300	$41,028
10	Calico Rock	1,795	4.2%	$119,300	$26,250
11	Glenwood	1,746	0.9%	$108,300	$33,889
12	Newark	1,522	4.9%	$96,000	$34,770
13	Hoxie	2,623	5.9%	$83,000	$35,234
14	North Crossett	2,583	5.8%	$74,600	$38,750
15	Mcgehee	3,744	1.1%	$93,000	$33,679
16	Hamburg	2,992	7.4%	$77,700	$35,027
17	Mcalmont	1,473	22.4%	$215,800	$32,231
18	Swifton	1,082	12.9%	$73,500	$46,250
19	Dumas	3,877	6.4%	$90,800	$34,938
20	Marianna	3,502	25.4%	$73,800	$20,507
21	Salem	1,471	4.6%	$88,200	$35,679
22	Caraway	1,078	4.7%	$73,800	$41,667
23	Sweet Home	1,206	12.7%	$160,300	$1,000
24	Diaz	1,250	4.8%	$85,200	$46,473
25	Marshall	1,445	3.5%	$101,900	$29,688
26	Lepanto	1,858	7.5%	$66,900	$42,730
27	Dover	1,932	4.8%	$106,700	$33,491
28	Lamar	1,826	3.1%	$139,500	$41,579
29	Mansfield	1,341	10.0%	$112,500	$54,318
30	Danville	2,123	6.6%	$117,400	$65,625
31	Decatur	1,516	2.7%	$141,800	$43,239
32	Horatio	1,025	6.9%	$109,900	$44,417
33	Horseshoe Bend	2,458	16.8%	$117,500	$40,868
34	Gurdon	1,777	9.4%	$94,300	$45,769
35	London	1,179	3.1%	$96,700	$49,000
36	Dewitt	2,980	11.3%	$85,800	$48,221
37	Landmark	3,679	4.2%	$127,700	$44,577
38	Bald Knob	2,545	7.6%	$136,500	$49,107
39	Clarendon	1,565	6.2%	$72,400	$33,500
40	Harrisburg	2,574	7.6%	$112,700	$52,077
41	Clinton	2,506	0.0%	$121,300	$41,447
42	Yellville	1,239	12.5%	$131,100	$38,889
43	Nashville	4,114	9.0%	$138,400	$39,207
44	Prescott	3,063	4.1%	$95,100	$29,403
45	Melbourne	2,227	6.0%	$203,000	$34,303
46	Judsonia	2,092	2.8%	$114,400	$43,811
47	Sulphur Springs	1,035	0.0%	$114,900	$34,353
48	Cave City	1,930	6.3%	$119,900	$41,250
49	Ozark	3,555	9.9%	$125,100	$49,283
50	Piney	4,485	6.0%	$131,300	$49,002
51	Des Arc	1,447	2.0%	$86,800	$31,328
52	Lake Village	2,280	7.7%	$120,200	$44,803
53	Waldo	1,159	0.0%	$91,000	$43,958
54	Mccrory	2,062	3.1%	$94,100	$49,318
55	Crossett	4,719	5.8%	$101,200	$42,792
56	Plumerville	1,008	0.0%	$112,100	$38,438
57	Flippin	1,305	6.9%	$111,800	$40,559
58	Rector	1,631	5.9%	$82,500	$41,534
59	Hampton	1,185	2.5%	$86,300	$48,182
60	Carlisle	2,175	4.4%	$132,600	$34,858
61	Monette	1,385	9.8%	$113,300	$54,063
62	Fordyce	3,320	12.6%	$92,500	$43,056
63	Alexander	3,488	5.5%	$157,700	$69,022
64	Bull Shoals	1,687	13.5%	$157,200	$46,848
65	England	2,568	4.2%	$92,600	$47,379
66	Mount Ida	1,358	4.1%	$157,900	$43,114
67	Augusta	1,881	7.6%	$117,100	$49,744
68	Tuckerman	1,382	2.8%	$82,200	$42,500
69	Booneville	3,814	10.7%	$91,800	$49,653
70	Little Flock	3,040	10.7%	$383,900	$56,961
71	Hackett	1,195	4.3%	$125,400	$50,365
72	Paris	3,287	5.2%	$112,700	$48,789
73	Ash Flat	1,309	3.0%	$87,200	$48,036
74	Midway	1,296	0.0%	$140,600	$37,875
75	Murfreesboro	1,815	3.6%	$105,500	$48,125
76	Leachville	1,818	2.1%	$115,800	$48,500
77	Bono	2,575	9.8%	$143,100	$46,897
78	Marmaduke	1,369	1.6%	$111,000	$50,824
79	Mulberry	1,573	3.0%	$122,600	$47,596
80	Wrightsville	1,409	1.8%	$62,400	$45,104
81	Lonoke	4,260	12.6%	$123,700	$49,323
82	Gassville	2,216	7.2%	$126,600	$47,404
83	Atkins	2,877	5.9%	$108,300	$58,299
84	Highland	1,124	4.8%	$103,400	$51,250
85	Bay	2,369	2.9%	$109,000	$58,000
86	Corning	3,169	4.7%	$85,800	$44,197
87	Lake City	2,452	7.5%	$125,500	$57,449
88	West Crossett	1,214	3.8%	$94,000	$58,500
89	Green Forest	3,072	3.9%	$127,100	$63,813
90	Ashdown	4,225	9.1%	$130,900	$47,398
91	Smackover	2,137	2.8%	$113,100	$53,105
92	Mountain View	2,890	0.0%	$200,600	$27,228
93	Lincoln	2,862	5.3%	$151,000	$59,688
94	Piggott	3,589	3.0%	$111,900	$49,306
95	Eureka Springs	2,269	1.6%	$246,900	$41,821
96	Oppelo	1,033	8.1%	$124,700	$65,813
97	Huntsville	3,086	2.0%	$146,300	$52,472
98	Barling	4,919	4.3%	$125,200	$52,009
99	Brookland	4,230	6.5%	$163,500	$59,677
100	Cedarville	1,750	1.4%	$158,100	$54,821