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Ward vs Austin

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+21 pts in Austin) and household income (+56% in Austin).

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Ward, ARKnown for its schoolsArkansas · 6,573 people
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Austin, AROne of the healthiest townsArkansas · 3,915 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

WardKnown for its schools
Schools#10 for schools in ARof 113 towns Housing$208K typical home8% below the AR typical home Health55% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Ward →
AustinOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 75%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates SafetySafer than 74%of U.S. towns we grade All about Austin →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Growth since 2010+21 pts
Austin has grown faster since 2010
Austin +69.8%Ward +48.8%
Household income+56%
Households in Austin earn more
Austin $113,764Ward $72,734
Work from home+11.7 pts
More people work from home in Ward
Ward 13.4%Austin 1.7%
Bachelor’s degree++21.9 pts
More adults in Austin have a degree
Austin 44%Ward 22.1%
Homeowners+12.2 pts renters
Ward has more renters
Austin 81.2%Ward 69%
★ What stands out · Report cards

Austin places higher on 12 of 19 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
CWardSafer than 30% of U.S. towns B+AustinSafer than 74% of U.S. towns
Schools
AWardBetter than 87% of districts in the state –AustinNot graded
Health
C+WardHealthier than 45% of U.S. towns B+AustinHealthier than 75% of U.S. towns
6Ward
12Austin

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most remote workersWork · 126 towns #17#113 Most new homesHousing · 118 towns #16#66 SafestSafety · 106 towns #43#3 Fewest smokersHealth · 127 towns #58#12 Most educatedPeople · 127 towns #53#8 Most walkableOutdoors · 127 towns #53#89 Lowest depressionHealth · 127 towns #123#94 Lowest obesityHealth · 127 towns #26#2

Left end = #1 in Arkansas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Ward’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $210 more a month in Austin

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.

Ward$1,220/mo
Typical home $208K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.72% · or rent about $1,202/mo · Housing →
Austin$1,420/mo
Typical home $247K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $1,335/mo · Housing →

The difference: $210 a month, about $2,500 a year, between Austin and Ward.

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.

Where they are

Ward and Austin share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

WardAustinWardAustin
Ward ↔ Austin1.9 miles apart · They share a border
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
WardAustin
Snow a year2″2″
January low28°F28°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)209d209d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)86th94th
Outdoors & history
WardAustin
Settled—1873
National Register places1—
Archive photos—2
Community
WardAustin
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

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.

WardAustin
People
Population 6,573Highest 3,915Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +48.8%Lowest AR: +3.3% +69.8%Highest AR: +3.3%
Median age 30.2±1.6Lowest 22% below AR 30.5±3.3Highest 21% below AR
Austin and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.9%±5.7Highest AR: 23.1% 27.7%±6.5Lowest AR: 23.1%
Ward and Austin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 7.8%±2.7Highest AR: 17.6% 7.1%±3Lowest AR: 17.6%
Ward and Austin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.1%Lowest AR: 25.7% 44%Highest AR: 25.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.8%±2Lowest AR: 5.1% 6.4%±3.5Highest AR: 5.1%
Austin and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $72,734±$11kLowest 20% above AR $113,764±$23kHighest 87% above AR
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $189,100±$10kLowest about the AR average $220,500±$22kHighest 17% above AR
Austin and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,202±$239Lowest 27% above AR $1,335±$104Highest 41% above AR
Austin and Ward are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,368Lowest 32% above AR $1,380Highest 33% above AR
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 26.7%±18Highest AR: 44.8% 12.7%±11.9Lowest AR: 44.8%
Ward and Austin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 11.1%Highest AR: 16% 1.6%Lowest AR: 16%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69%Lowest AR: 66.4% 81.2%Highest AR: 66.4%
Typical home builtmedian year 2006Lowest 19 yrs newer than AR 2008Highest 21 yrs newer than AR
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 29% above AR 26 minLowest 14% above AR
Work from home 13.4%±5.2Highest AR: 8.8% 1.7%±1.4Lowest AR: 8.8%
Work in townworking residents 1.8%Highest 0.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.3 miHighest 23.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.11Highest 0.10Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Little Rock (24%)Little Rock (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AustinFew work in Ward
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 49.1Highest 36.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #10 of 113 in AR—
School district CABOT SCHOOL DISTRICT—
High school in town None in town—
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.

Ward neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Ward’s Town Square.

Austin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Austin’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Ward and Austin

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Towns like Ward

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Greenbrier6,018 people · $207K homes
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Vilonia4,498 people · $233K homes
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Prairie Grove7,798 people · $256K homes
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Gravette3,714 people · $216K 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.

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