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%

Waldron$890/mo

Typical home $158K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $704/mo · Housing →

Fordyce$680/mo

Typical home $120K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.47% · or rent about $639/mo · Housing →

The difference: $220 a month, about $2,600 a year, between Waldron and Fordyce.

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

Fordyce places higher on 12 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

C−WaldronSafer than 15% of U.S. towns D−FordyceSafer than 4% of U.S. towns

Schools

C+WaldronBetter than 38% of districts in the state C−FordyceBetter than 17% of districts in the state

Health

DWaldronHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns DFordyceHealthier than 10% of U.S. towns

7Waldron

12Fordyce

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

Lowest depressionHealth · 127 towns #72#5 Lowest obesityHealth · 127 towns #33#98 Shortest commuteGetting around · 127 towns #38#98 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 127 towns #49#105 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 127 towns #109#63 Most walkableOutdoors · 127 towns #71#36 Fastest growingGrowth · 126 towns #97#125 SafestSafety · 106 towns #71#92

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

WaldronFordyce

Snow a year3″1″

January low28°F 31°F

July high92°F 91°F

Growing season (days)203d 226d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)59th 67th

Outdoors & history

WaldronFordyce

Trails0 mi 0 mi

Conserved land0.9%1.3%

Settled1845 —

National Register places7 22

Archive photos11 18

Famous people born here6 —

Community

WaldronFordyce

Library hours a week29 hrs 34 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

122 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WaldronAR FordyceAR

Waldron ↔ Fordyce122 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

WaldronFordyce

People

Population 3,344Highest 3,268Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -6.4%Highest AR: +3.3% -21%Lowest AR: +3.3%

Median age 39.2±3Lowest about the AR average 42.4±2.6Highest 10% above AR

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

Kids under 18 18.8%±5.3Lowest AR: 23.1% 23.9%±6.4Highest AR: 23.1%

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

Age 65+ 13.6%±4Lowest AR: 17.6% 25.2%±5.7Highest AR: 17.6%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.8%Lowest AR: 25.7% 10.7%Highest AR: 25.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2%±2.1Lowest AR: 5.1% 3%±2.3Highest AR: 5.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $33,839±$18kLowest 44% below AR $38,079±$12kHighest 37% below AR

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $105,300±$32kHighest 44% below AR $92,600±$22kLowest 51% below AR

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $704±$132Highest 26% below AR $639±$170Lowest 33% below AR

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $535Highest 49% below AR $434Lowest 58% below AR

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.1%±15.2Highest AR: 44.8% 47.2%±22.5Lowest AR: 44.8%

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

Below poverty line 19.4%Highest AR: 16% 17.1%Lowest AR: 16%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 60.4%Lowest AR: 66.4% 66.1%Highest AR: 66.4%

Typical home builtmedian year 1978Highest 9 yrs older than AR 1976Lowest 11 yrs older than AR

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 15% below AR 25 minHighest 12% above AR

Work from home 0%±1Lowest AR: 8.8% 0.6%±1Highest AR: 8.8%

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

Work in townworking residents 39.4%Lowest 43.7%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 28.8 miHighest 16.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.05Highest 1.79Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Fort Smith (11%)Little Rock (4%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in FordyceFew work in Waldron

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.9%Lowest 1.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 0.4 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2 2

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 40.5Lowest 56.7Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #79 of 113 in AR #95 of 113 in AR

School district WALDRON SCHOOL DISTRICTFORDYCE SCHOOL DISTRICT

High school in town Waldron High SchoolFordyce High School

Students per teacherat that high school 8.8Lowest 9.4Highest

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.

Waldron neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Waldron’s Town Square.

Fordyce neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Fordyce’s Town Square.

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Towns like Waldron

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Nashville4,063 people · $168K homes

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Green Forest3,112 people · $143K 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.

Waldron vs Fordyce

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $220 more a month in Waldron

Fordyce places higher on 12 of 20 AR lists

What daily life feels like in each

122 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

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Towns like Waldron

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