The 10 Worst Small Towns In Arkansas For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in AR are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 30,239 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Arkansas.

Most Americans have never been to Arkansas. However, as the people who live there know, Arkansas is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Arkansas has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Natural State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 147 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:

These are the worst small towns in Arkansas for 2022:

  1. Wickes
  2. Eudora
  3. Dermott
  4. Stamps
  5. Marked Tree
  6. Marvell
  7. Marianna
  8. Glenwood
  9. Ozark
  10. Earle

So what is the worst small town to call home in Arkansas for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Wickes is the worst small town to live in Arkansas.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Arkansas has its stuff figured out.

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 2022

1. Wickes

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,133
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $1,000 (1000th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.7% (54th worst)
More on Wickes:  Data

2. Eudora

Eudora, AR

Source: Wikipedia User tara young | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,246
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 7)
Median Home Value: $45,300 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.3% (5th worst)
More on Eudora:  Data | Photos

3. Dermott

Dermott, AR

Source: Wikipedia User Brandonrush | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,807
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $69,400 (22nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.8% (7th worst)
More on Dermott:  Data | Photos

4. Stamps

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,770
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 3)
Median Home Value: $50,000 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 16.1% (8th worst)
More on Stamps:  Data

5. Marked Tree

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,277
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $66,300 (18th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.3% (59th worst)
More on Marked Tree:  Data

6. Marvell

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,620
Rank Last Year: 17 (Up 11)
Median Home Value: $48,100 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 23.3% (2nd worst)
More on Marvell:  Data

7. Marianna

Marianna, AR

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas R Machnitzki (thom | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 3,472
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 5)
Median Home Value: $70,700 (24th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 22.5% (3rd worst)
More on Marianna:  Data | Photos

8. Glenwood

Glenwood, AR

Source: Wikipedia User Chris Litherland | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,979
Rank Last Year: 21 (Up 13)
Median Home Value: $83,900 (56th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (8worst)
More on Glenwood:  Data | Photos

9. Ozark

Ozark, AR

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas & Dianne Jones | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 3,618
Rank Last Year: 46 (Up 37)
Median Home Value: $78,000 (43rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.7% (6th worst)
More on Ozark:  Data | Photos

10. Earle

Earle, AR

Source: Wikipedia User Thomas R Machnitzki | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,174
Rank Last Year: 24 (Up 14)
Median Home Value: $59,100 (11th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 19.6% (4th worst)
More on Earle:  Data | Photos

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

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

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Arkansas for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 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 a lot - 147 to be exact.

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

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

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.

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

  1. Johnson (Pop. 3,719)
  2. Lake Hamilton (Pop. 2,174)
  3. Salem (Pop. 2,163)

For more Arkansas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Arkansas

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Wickes 1,133 6.7% $1,000
2 Eudora 2,246 19.3% $45,300
3 Dermott 2,807 16.8% $69,400
4 Stamps 1,770 16.1% $50,000
5 Marked Tree 2,277 6.3% $66,300
6 Marvell 1,620 23.3% $48,100
7 Marianna 3,472 22.5% $70,700
8 Glenwood 1,979 5.0% $83,900
9 Ozark 3,618 18.7% $78,000
10 Earle 2,174 19.6% $59,100
11 Brinkley 2,661 9.2% $76,000
12 Rison 1,139 15.1% $95,000
13 Foreman 1,142 11.5% $49,500
14 Stephens 1,058 3.6% $53,400
15 Newark 1,290 2.6% $66,800
16 Kensett 2,288 5.1% $64,500
17 Clarendon 1,470 9.4% $60,000
18 Diaz 1,435 14.3% $74,100
19 Decatur 1,536 5.8% $92,700
20 Murfreesboro 1,905 8.4% $76,500
21 Hamburg 2,647 8.1% $68,500
22 Waldron 3,379 9.5% $73,300
23 Mcalmont 1,692 34.0% $138,500
24 Flippin 1,247 11.5% $85,700
25 Waldo 1,370 5.7% $52,300
26 Salem 1,532 3.0% $75,100
27 Melbourne 1,655 10.0% $78,600
28 Clinton 2,538 7.8% $114,600
29 Lepanto 1,922 7.4% $55,000
30 Mountain View 2,877 2.6% $170,600
31 Coal Hill 1,056 1.0% $74,700
32 Mulberry 1,586 6.1% $67,500
33 Madison 1,055 4.6% $21,800
34 Calico Rock 2,338 9.3% $82,300
35 Green Forest 2,805 6.2% $84,200
36 Lamar 1,696 3.7% $102,000
37 Leachville 2,498 9.5% $80,800
38 Horseshoe Bend 2,692 9.6% $82,400
39 Bald Knob 2,868 5.4% $130,100
40 Caraway 1,219 10.2% $55,200
41 Judsonia 2,360 4.5% $88,800
42 Dumas 3,850 7.0% $78,700
43 Landmark 3,628 9.2% $99,500
44 Gurdon 2,099 4.1% $72,600
45 Yellville 1,281 13.6% $120,100
46 Perryville 1,449 11.8% $79,600
47 Marshall 1,327 4.5% $105,500
48 Cherokee Village 4,883 12.4% $70,500
49 Swifton 1,182 13.6% $56,800
50 Hoxie 2,610 9.5% $73,200
51 Nashville 4,359 11.4% $123,000
52 Booneville 3,822 11.2% $84,000
53 Monette 1,514 8.8% $86,900
54 Ash Flat 1,198 2.0% $76,800
55 Fordyce 3,748 8.7% $72,100
56 Mansfield 1,199 7.7% $93,300
57 Tuckerman 1,734 3.0% $73,200
58 Danville 2,197 3.3% $90,500
59 Wrightsville 1,695 3.3% $79,100
60 Corning 3,092 7.6% $77,600
61 Huntsville 2,544 5.5% $102,400
62 North Crossett 2,704 8.1% $65,600
63 Atkins 3,031 8.6% $74,600
64 Prescott 2,995 3.5% $63,000
65 Dover 2,400 5.5% $98,500
66 Mcgehee 3,748 4.0% $92,700
67 Augusta 2,244 10.8% $79,700
68 Marmaduke 1,377 9.6% $83,800
69 Lake Village 2,258 5.7% $74,200
70 Rector 1,948 8.5% $62,800
71 Piney 4,518 12.5% $95,900
72 Alexander 3,263 5.4% $99,100
73 Paris 3,403 4.8% $91,800
74 Cave City 2,228 2.9% $79,200
75 Hampton 1,645 5.3% $76,400
76 Gassville 2,515 9.5% $95,400
77 Lincoln 2,465 3.6% $114,900
78 Des Arc 1,334 6.0% $72,500
79 Little Flock 2,776 5.5% $262,700
80 Bono 2,449 11.1% $107,000
81 Hazen 1,724 6.5% $96,600
82 Kibler 1,176 5.1% $104,200
83 Lonoke 4,206 6.5% $96,000
84 Carlisle 2,248 4.3% $86,600
85 Mccrory 1,831 2.5% $84,000
86 Cotter 1,123 4.8% $125,600
87 Piggott 3,579 6.5% $91,800
88 Ashdown 4,415 12.6% $75,500
89 Eureka Springs 2,397 0.6% $161,300
90 Mammoth Spring 1,117 2.3% $80,100
91 Mount Ida 1,160 9.5% $160,100
92 Barling 4,957 2.5% $97,000
93 Cedarville 1,688 1.1% $116,400
94 Harrisburg 2,874 4.6% $73,600
95 Bay 2,341 5.1% $84,600
96 Dewitt 3,046 3.7% $94,700
97 Mineral Springs 1,051 8.4% $84,300
98 Tumbling Shoals 1,036 2.7% $114,200
99 Smackover 1,758 5.9% $88,500
100 Sulphur Springs 1,320 0.0% $105,500
Download The Entire Arkansas Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

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