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%

Hope$700/mo

Typical home $123K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $823/mo · Housing →

Malvern$830/mo

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

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,500 a year, between Malvern and Hope.

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

Malvern places higher on 12 of 22 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

D−HopeSafer than 4% of U.S. towns DMalvernSafer than 9% of U.S. towns

Schools

C−HopeBetter than 16% of districts in the state C−MalvernBetter than 23% of districts in the state

Health

D−HopeHealthier than 4% of U.S. towns DMalvernHealthier than 8% of U.S. towns

9Hope

12Malvern

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 126 towns #112#56 Lowest obesityHealth · 127 towns #118#64 Most conserved landOutdoors · 107 towns #22#67 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 127 towns #117#81 Most activeHealth · 127 towns #115#84 Fewest smokersHealth · 127 towns #74#102 Most trailsOutdoors · 89 towns #43#62 Most remote workersWork · 126 towns #106#83

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

HopeMalvern

Snow a year2″1″

January low32°F 29°F

July high92°F 92°F

Growing season (days)226d 220d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)51st 58th

Outdoors & history

HopeMalvern

Trails4 mi 2 mi

Conserved land2.1%0.7%

Settled1880 —

National Register places14 14

Archive photos6 —

Famous people born here28 —

Community

HopeMalvern

Library hours a week43 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

66 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HopeAR MalvernAR

Hope ↔ Malvern66 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

HopeMalvern

People

Population 8,671Lowest 10,953Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -11.3%Lowest AR: +3.3% +5.3%Highest AR: +3.3%

Median age 41.3±3.7Highest 7% above AR 39.4±1.9Lowest about the AR average

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

Kids under 18 25.7%±4Highest AR: 23.1% 20%±3.4Lowest AR: 23.1%

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

Age 65+ 19.4%±3Highest AR: 17.6% 18.6%±3.1Lowest AR: 17.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 14.2%Highest AR: 25.7% 12.9%Lowest AR: 25.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4%±2.2Highest AR: 5.1% 2.4%±1.4Lowest AR: 5.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $37,500±$6kLowest 38% below AR $46,250±$14kHighest 24% below AR

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $91,900±$6kLowest 51% below AR $104,500±$17kHighest 44% below AR

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $823±$61Highest 13% below AR $764±$43Lowest 19% below AR

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $541 48% below AR $541 48% below AR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.9%±18Highest AR: 44.8% 26.6%±10.2Lowest AR: 44.8%

Below poverty line 23.4%Highest AR: 16% 20.2%Lowest AR: 16%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 60.4%Highest AR: 66.4% 50.2%Lowest AR: 66.4%

Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest 11 yrs older than AR 1969Lowest 18 yrs older than AR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 14% below AR 22 minHighest 4% below AR

Work from home 2.3%±2Lowest AR: 8.8% 4.2%±3Highest AR: 8.8%

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

Work in townworking residents 28.7%Highest 23.4%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.3 miLowest 18.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.11Highest 1.09Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Prescott (4%)Little Rock (13%)

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

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 2.1%Highest 0.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 3.6 miHighest 2.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3 3

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 66.0Highest 63.4Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #104 of 113 in AR #99 of 113 in AR

School district UA HOPE TEXARKANA TECHNICAL CENTER · HOPE SCHOOL DISTRICTASU THREE RIVERS CAREER CENTER · MALVERN SCHOOL DISTRICT

High school in town Hope High SchoolMalvern High School

Students per teacherat that high school 6.6Lowest 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.

Hope neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hope’s Town Square.

Malvern neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Malvern’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Hope and Malvern

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

Towns like Hope

+ Compare

Camden10,307 people · $107K homes

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Newport8,024 people · $163K homes

+ Compare

Trumann7,410 people · $112K homes

+ Compare

Pocahontas7,538 people · $120K 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.

Hope vs Malvern

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs about the same each month

Malvern places higher on 12 of 22 AR lists

What daily life feels like in each

66 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Hope and Malvern

Towns like Hope

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