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%

McRae$1,110/mo

Typical home $196K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.53% · or rent about $668/mo · Housing →

Sparkman$680/mo

Typical home $121K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.47% · or rent about $539/mo · Housing →

The difference: $430 a month, about $5,200 a year, between McRae and Sparkman.

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.

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

McRaeSparkman

Snow a year2″2″

January low30°F 31°F

July high93°F 92°F

Growing season (days)228d 223d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)88th 71st

Outdoors & history

McRaeSparkman

Settled—1911

National Register places5 —

Archive photos5 —

Famous people born here1 4

Community

McRaeSparkman

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

101 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

McRaeAR SparkmanAR

McRae ↔ Sparkman101 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

McRaeSparkman

People

Population 623Highest 430Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -9.7% AR: +3.3% —

Median age 42.5±7Highest 10% above AR 42.4±20.6Lowest 10% above AR

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

Kids under 18 25.4%±5.9Highest AR: 23.1% 17.9%±7Lowest AR: 23.1%

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

Age 65+ 12.2%±3.9Lowest AR: 17.6% 17.9%±7.5Highest AR: 17.6%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 8.2%Lowest AR: 25.7% 10.9%Highest AR: 25.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.7%±3.3Lowest AR: 5.1% 4.4%±3Highest AR: 5.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $35,132±$15kLowest 42% below AR $39,063±$5kHighest 36% below AR

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $99,400±$37kHighest 47% below AR $74,300±$16kLowest 60% below AR

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $668±$64Highest 29% below AR $539±$144Lowest 43% below AR

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $530Highest 49% below AR $346Lowest 67% below AR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 68.6%±25.4Highest AR: 44.8% 38%±30Lowest AR: 44.8%

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

Below poverty line 14.4%Lowest AR: 16% 17.2%Highest AR: 16%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 60.8%Highest AR: 66.4% 54.7%Lowest AR: 66.4%

Typical home builtmedian year 1978Highest 9 yrs older than AR 1973Lowest 14 yrs older than AR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 24 minHighest 8% above AR 19 minLowest 16% below AR

Work from home 1.4%±1.6Lowest AR: 8.8% 7.1%±9.8Highest AR: 8.8%

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

Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 7.7%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.3 miHighest 23.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.39Lowest 0.85Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Searcy (31%)Fordyce (8%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SparkmanFew work in McRae

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%

Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 72.3Highest 40.4Lowest

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.

McRae neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to McRae’s Town Square.

Sparkman neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sparkman’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like McRae

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Cherry Valley543 people · $78K homes

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Tyronza627 people · $92K homes

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Palestine800 people · $68K 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.

McRae vs Sparkman

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $430 more a month in McRae

What daily life feels like in each

101 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside McRae and Sparkman

Towns like McRae

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