Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 34,518, settled in 2006. Public schools that outperform most of Arkansas.
Trash & recyclingBella Vista is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, 4th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas. Its schools outperform 97% of the state's and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 76% of the country. Its lowest mark, a B, is in cost of living. 32% of residents are 65 or older in Bella Vista, against 16% in Arkansas’ towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Only 8 of Arkansas’ 149 towns score higher on safety. Bella Vista has 11 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Wonderland Cave and Hagler-Cole Cabin.
Where Bella Vista beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Cooper Elementary School | K–4 | 628 |
| Widest gap | Bella Vista | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 18.5% |
0.1% of the town is conserved land, across 21 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Bella Vista is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,589 in 1980, 30,104 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bella Vista, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Bella Vista.
Bella Vista pairs an A+ for schools with modest home prices, fares better on crime within Arkansas than nationally and has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Arkansas.
At 2.6 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #3 of 87 Arkansas towns.
122 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. The trail density in Bella Vista is 2.6 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Tanyard Creek Park, 47 acres with 2.9 miles of trail.
| Bella Vista | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tanyard Creek Park | 2.9 mi | 47 |
| 2. Loch Lomond Recreation Complex | 0.6 mi | 26 |
| 3. Granton Park | — | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A+ for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $357K. Its A+ ranks #5 of the 123 Arkansas towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Bentonville School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 628 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $1,796, against $1,040 across Arkansas, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
88% of Bella Vista households own their home. Only 6 of the 122 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher median rent than Bella Vista. The typical Bella Vista home is worth about $357,000, up 1.7% in a year, 59% above the Arkansas typical home.
| Bella Vista | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,395 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Arkansas is food insecurity: 8% of its 24,773 adults worry about having enough food, against 18.5% statewide. Within Arkansas it is healthier than 96% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
28% of adults feel lonely in Bella Vista. Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Bella Vista. 13% of adults report frequent physical distress in Bella Vista.
| Bella Vista | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 20% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 39% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bella Vista | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 18.5% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.5% | 18.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.4% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bella Vista has 2,604 jobs for its 12,331 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 21.5% of workers work from home, against 8.8% across Arkansas.
Most working residents leave Bella Vista for work: only 6% work in town. Bella Vista’s average trip to work is 28 minutes. Since 2013, Bella Vista has added 525 jobs, to 2,604 in 2023.
| Bella Vista | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 22% | 6.1% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.6% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 6% | 22% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 11 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 95% of Arkansas’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 57 reported in 2025, 1.7 per 1,000 residents.
Among 108 Arkansas towns, just 8 have a lower property crime rate than Bella Vista.
| Bella Vista | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 3.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Bentonville 4 S weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 46 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 85% of Arkansas places with climate records. July afternoons average 90°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 82% of Arkansas places with climate records; January nights average 25.3°.
Bella Vista has chilly winters and warm summers. Of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare, none has a lower January low than Bella Vista. About 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Bella Vista | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 92°F | 85°F |
| January low | 25°F | 30°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 2013, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bella Vista.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bella Vista. Close and well known come first.
7 mi MuseumCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art
28 mi Stadium & arenaDonald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
30 mi LandmarkChrist of the Ozarks
11 mi National Military ParkPea Ridge National Military Park132K visitors a year
29 mi Stadium & arenaBud Walton Arena
29 mi National BattlefieldWilson's Creek National Battlefield371K visitors a yearCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Charvex, CC0 · Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium: Bobak at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Christ of the Ozarks: Bobak Ha'Eri, Public domain · Pea Ridge National Military Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bud Walton Arena: ~ (The Rebel At) ~, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wilson's Creek National Battlefield: National Park Service, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Bella Vista
About 3 of every 100 Bella Vista residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
26,461 counted in 2010 and 30,104 in 2020; an estimated 34,518 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 14.7% since 2020, after 13.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
11 places in Bella Vista on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Arkansas, United States
Bella Vista is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 30,102 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 33,274 in 2024. The community has taken advantage of the natural setting within the Springfield Plateau of the Ozark Mountains since first established in 1917 as a summer resort destination. The oak/hickory forests, valleys, creeks, and steep rises that characterize the city's topography have slowly given way to a series of reservoirs, golf courses, and other amenities. A largely residential city, early settlement was predominantly summer cabins, later giving way to single-family housing of a retirement community developed by Cooper Communities with services…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Bella Vista.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bella Vista | #4 | A | B | B+ | A+ | A− |
| Gravette | #15 | B+ | A | B− | A− | C+ |
| Bentonville | #6 | A | C+ | B− | A+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Bella Vista grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #4 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety and A+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
