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%

Malvern$830/mo

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

Hope$700/mo

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

12Malvern

9Hope

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

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

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

MalvernHope

Snow a year1″2″

January low29°F 32°F

July high92°F 92°F

Growing season (days)220d 226d

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

Outdoors & history

MalvernHope

Trails2 mi 4 mi

Conserved land0.7%2.1%

Settled—1880

National Register places14 14

Archive photos—6

Famous people born here—28

Community

MalvernHope

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.

MalvernAR HopeAR

Malvern ↔ Hope66 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

MalvernHope

People

Population 10,953Highest 8,671Lowest

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

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

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

Kids under 18 20%±3.4Lowest AR: 23.1% 25.7%±4Highest 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+ 18.6%±3.1Lowest AR: 17.6% 19.4%±3Highest 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+ 12.9%Lowest AR: 25.7% 14.2%Highest AR: 25.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.4%±1.4Lowest AR: 5.1% 4%±2.2Highest 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 $46,250±$14kHighest 24% below AR $37,500±$6kLowest 38% 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 $104,500±$17kHighest 44% below AR $91,900±$6kLowest 51% 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 $764±$43Lowest 19% below AR $823±$61Highest 13% 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 26.6%±10.2Lowest AR: 44.8% 60.9%±18Highest AR: 44.8%

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

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 4.2%±3Highest AR: 8.8% 2.3%±2Lowest 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 23.4%Lowest 28.7%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 18.8 miHighest 6.3 miLowest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HopeFew work in Malvern

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Lowest 2.1%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 2.3 miLowest 3.6 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 0.3 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3 3

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

Schools

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

School district ASU THREE RIVERS CAREER CENTER · MALVERN SCHOOL DISTRICTUA HOPE TEXARKANA TECHNICAL CENTER · HOPE SCHOOL DISTRICT

High school in town Malvern High SchoolHope High School

Students per teacherat that high school 8.6Highest 6.6Lowest

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.

Malvern neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Malvern’s Town Square.

Hope neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hope’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Malvern and Hope

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

Bordering Malvern

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Rockport800 people · $140K homes

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Perla141 people · $88K homes

Towns like Malvern

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Blytheville12,790 people · $119K homes

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Trumann7,410 people · $112K homes

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Stuttgart7,903 people · $153K homes

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Harrison13,350 people · $170K 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.

Malvern vs Hope

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 Malvern and Hope

Bordering Malvern

Towns like Malvern

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