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%

Harrison$1,360/mo

Typical home $239K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $753/mo · Housing →

Malvern$830/mo

Typical home $146K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.52% · or rent about $764/mo · Housing →

The difference: $530 a month, about $6,400 a year, between Harrison and Malvern.

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

Harrison places higher on 16 of 23 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

CHarrisonSafer than 30% of U.S. towns DMalvernSafer than 9% of U.S. towns

Schools

A+HarrisonBetter than 95% of districts in the state C−MalvernBetter than 23% of districts in the state

Health

C−HarrisonHealthier than 15% of U.S. towns DMalvernHealthier than 8% of U.S. towns

16Harrison

7Malvern

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Best schoolsSchools · 113 towns #7#99 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 38 towns #31#1 Highest graduation rateSchools · 115 towns #2#79 Most new homesHousing · 118 towns #31#99 Lowest depressionHealth · 127 towns #72#8 Most trailsOutdoors · 89 towns #21#62 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 127 towns #23#81 Shortest commuteGetting around · 127 towns #13#64

Left end = #1 in Arkansas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Harrison’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

HarrisonMalvern

Snow a year10″1″

January low28°F 29°F

July high89°F 92°F

Growing season (days)231d 220d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th 58th

Outdoors & history

HarrisonMalvern

Trails7 mi 2 mi

Conserved land1.3%0.7%

Settled1869 —

National Register places9 14

Archive photos30 —

Famous people born here12 —

Community

HarrisonMalvern

Library hours a week49 hrs 43 hrs

Colleges in town1 1

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

130 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HarrisonAR MalvernAR

Harrison ↔ Malvern130 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

HarrisonMalvern

People

Population 13,350Highest 10,953Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1%Lowest AR: +3.3% +5.3%Highest AR: +3.3%

Median age 40.9±2.8Highest 6% above AR 39.4±1.9Lowest about the AR average

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

Kids under 18 20.3%±2.8Highest AR: 23.1% 20%±3.4Lowest AR: 23.1%

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

Age 65+ 23.4%±2.8Highest AR: 17.6% 18.6%±3.1Lowest AR: 17.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15.4%Highest AR: 25.7% 12.9%Lowest AR: 25.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.5%±1.2Highest AR: 5.1% 2.4%±1.4Lowest AR: 5.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $44,056±$7kLowest 28% below AR $46,250±$14kHighest 24% below AR

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $169,600±$11kHighest 10% below AR $104,500±$17kLowest 44% below AR

Rentmedian gross, monthly $753±$57Lowest 20% below AR $764±$43Highest 19% below AR

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $883Highest 15% below AR $541Lowest 48% below AR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.2%±10.8Highest AR: 44.8% 26.6%±10.2Lowest AR: 44.8%

Below poverty line 14.9%Lowest AR: 16% 20.2%Highest AR: 16%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 54.8%Highest AR: 66.4% 50.2%Lowest AR: 66.4%

Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 6 yrs older than AR 1969Lowest 18 yrs older than AR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 29% below AR 22 minHighest 4% below AR

Work from home 6.3%±2.8Highest AR: 8.8% 4.2%±3Lowest AR: 8.8%

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

Work in townworking residents 50.1%Highest 23.4%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 3.3 miLowest 18.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.00Highest 1.09Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Little Rock (3%)Little Rock (13%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MalvernFew work in Harrison

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.3%Highest 0.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 7.1 miHighest 2.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3 3

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 79.0Highest 63.4Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #7 of 113 in AR #99 of 113 in AR

School district NORTH ARKANSAS COLLEGE SECONDARY CENTER · HARRISON SCHOOL DISTRICTASU THREE RIVERS CAREER CENTER · MALVERN SCHOOL DISTRICT

High school in town Harrison High SchoolMalvern High School

Students per teacherat that high school 7.1Lowest 8.6Highest

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.

Harrison neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Harrison’s Town Square.

Malvern neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Malvern’s Town Square.

Add a town

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One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Harrison

+ Compare

Blytheville12,790 people · $119K homes

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Newport8,024 people · $163K homes

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Camden10,307 people · $107K homes

+ Compare

El Dorado17,115 people · $124K 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.

Harrison vs Malvern

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $530 more a month in Harrison

Harrison places higher on 16 of 23 AR lists

What daily life feels like in each

130 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Harrison and Malvern

Towns like Harrison

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