Salem makes Arkansas’s top 10 on 2 lists
Salem is ranked on 31 lists against the 127 Arkansas towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 8.
Older than 98% of Arkansas
Not better or worse, just Salem’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Salem does best on
Each list ranks every AR town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Salem marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for public schools
Lists where Salem sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Salem lands in the top half on 11 of 17 lists
Each dot is Salem’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in AR, the right end is last. Areas where Salem does best come first.
Every AR list, and where Salem lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Cave Springs · 90 / 100
Lowest obesity#1 Bentonville · 32%
#7
Fewest smokers#1 Bella Vista · 10%
#26
Most active#1 Cave Springs · 18%
#21
Fewest uninsured#1 Cave Springs · 6%
#6
Lowest depression#1 Hot Springs Village · 20%
#47
Closest to a top hospital#1 Paris · 0.5 mi
#62 
People
Most educated#1 Bentonville · 55.3%
#37
Youngest#1 Arkadelphia · 23.4
#125
Oldest#1 Hot Springs Village · 69.6
#3
Most residents 65+#1 Hot Springs Village · 60.3%
#8
Most kids#1 Alma · 35.7%
#125 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Nashville · 12.5 min
#79 Growth
Fastest growing#1 Cave Springs · +217.8%
#83
Losing population#1 Helena-West Helena · −22.5%
#44 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Crossett · 1.2 yrs
#92
Cheapest rent#1 Mountain View · $396/mo
Lowest property tax#1 Brinkley · $393/yr
#81
Rent easiest to afford#1 Malvern · 26.6%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Clarksville · 14.5%
#78
Most trails#1 Horseshoe Bend · 3.7 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 DeWitt · 94.3 / sq mi
#96 Climate
Snowiest#1 Gravette · 13 in
#103
Least snow#1 Ozark · 1.0 in
#8
Mildest winters#1 Texarkana · 34.4°
#40
Hottest summers#1 Van Buren · 93.4°
#54
Coolest summers#1 Huntsville · 88.5°
#76
Longest growing season#1 Stuttgart · 250 days
#47
Wettest#1 Mena · 58 in
#9 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Rockwell · 16.7%
#124
Most new homes#1 Pea Ridge · 52.9 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 West Fork · +85.0%
#78
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Horseshoe Bend · 19.7 per home
Safety
Safest#1 Cave Springs · 5.3
The number on the right is Salem’s spot. All of Arkansas’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every AR list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.