A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Corning$600/mo

Typical home $106K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.49% · or rent about $704/mo · Housing →

Barling$1,180/mo

Typical home $199K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.82% · or rent about $1,128/mo · Housing →

The difference: $580 a month, about $6,900 a year, between Barling and Corning.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Barling places higher on 13 of 20 AR lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Arkansas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

BCorningSafer than 59% of U.S. towns CBarlingSafer than 34% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−CorningBetter than 54% of districts in the state BBarlingBetter than 58% of districts in the state

Health

DCorningHealthier than 8% of U.S. towns CBarlingHealthier than 30% of U.S. towns

7Corning

13Barling

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 127 towns #8#115 Most new homesHousing · 118 towns #97#12 Cheapest rentCost of living · 126 towns #16#105 Lowest property taxCost of living · 127 towns #5#90 Lowest obesityHealth · 127 towns #74#7 Lowest depressionHealth · 127 towns #112#47 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 127 towns #122#60 Fewest smokersHealth · 127 towns #89#41

Left end = #1 in Arkansas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Corning’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

CorningBarling

Snow a year5″3″

January low28°F 30°F

July high90°F 94°F

Growing season (days)224d 224d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)82nd 46th

Outdoors & history

CorningBarling

Trails0 mi 4 mi

Conserved land1.5%4.5%

Settled1877 1956

National Register places3 —

Archive photos12 6

Famous people born here1 1

Community

CorningBarling

Library hours a week41 hrs —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

220 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CorningAR BarlingAR

Corning ↔ Barling220 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Arkansas average

CorningBarling

People

Population 3,134Lowest 5,007Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.4%Lowest AR: +3.3% +2.9%Highest AR: +3.3%

Median age 42.2±4.4Lowest 10% above AR 42.5±4.6Highest 10% above AR

Barling and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 20.9%±4.6Highest AR: 23.1% 18.3%±4.1Lowest AR: 23.1%

Corning and Barling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 24.2%±6.6Highest AR: 17.6% 19.8%±4.5Lowest AR: 17.6%

Corning and Barling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.3%Highest AR: 25.7% 21.1%Lowest AR: 25.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.6%±1.5Lowest AR: 5.1% 7.2%±3Highest AR: 5.1%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $50,408±$13kLowest 17% below AR $54,387±$8kHighest 11% below AR

Barling and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $89,500±$10kLowest 52% below AR $140,000±$19kHighest 26% below AR

Rentmedian gross, monthly $704±$49Lowest 26% below AR $1,128±$130Highest 19% above AR

Property taxmedian, yearly $437Lowest 58% below AR $1,143Highest 10% above AR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36.4%±13.8Lowest AR: 44.8% 38.1%±20.1Highest AR: 44.8%

Barling and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 14.8%Lowest AR: 16% 15.1%Highest AR: 16%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 73.8%Highest AR: 66.4% 72.4%Lowest AR: 66.4%

Typical home builtmedian year 1974Lowest 13 yrs older than AR 1988Highest 1 yr newer than AR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 7% below AR 18 minLowest 20% below AR

Work from home 5.1%±6.1Lowest AR: 8.8% 9%±3.9Highest AR: 8.8%

Barling and Corning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 26.3%Highest 2%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.8 miHighest 6.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.70Highest 0.32Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Paragould (13%)Fort Smith (59%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BarlingFew work in Corning

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.5%Lowest 4.5%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.3 miLowest 3.6 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.3 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3 3

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 77.1Highest 22.0Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #46 of 113 in AR #28 of 113 in AR

School district CORNING SCHOOL DISTRICTFORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT

High school in town Corning High SchoolNone in town

Students per teacherat that high school 6.0 —

Arkansas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Corning neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Corning’s Town Square.

Barling neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Barling’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Corning

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Lonoke4,267 people · $107K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Corning vs Barling

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $580 more a month in Barling

Barling places higher on 13 of 20 AR lists

What daily life feels like in each

220 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Corning and Barling

Towns like Corning

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