Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bentonville's standout: its public schools beat 98% of Arkansas towns on state tests and graduation. Overall it grades A, 6th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas. The median household earns $113K and it is healthier than 85% of U.S. towns. 43% of working residents work locally in Bentonville, against 21% in Arkansas’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 1 of Arkansas’ 201 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Koons House and Braithwaite House.
Where Bentonville beats most towns.
Elliott House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Founders Classical Academies of Arkansas Bentonville | K–8 | 787 |
| Willowbrook Elementary School | K–4 | 671 |
| Vaughn Elementary | K–4 | 647 |
Census counts: 696 in 1880, 54,164 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
37 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Bentonville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bentonville, 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 Bentonville.
Bentonville is among the three healthiest towns in Arkansas, fares better on crime within Arkansas than nationally and carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Arkansas (mostly inland flooding).
At 6 years of the Fayetteville metro’s $82K median household income, the typical home (about $490K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Arkansas towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. Home values rose 44% in five years, to about $490K, against 20% across Arkansas.
The typical Bentonville home is worth about $490,000, up 2.2% in a year, about twice the Arkansas typical home. 28% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Bentonville. Only 9 of the 122 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher median rent than Bentonville.
| Bentonville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 28% | 45% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 50% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,344 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 123 Arkansas towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Bentonville School District. Three of its 27 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founders Classical Academies of Arkansas BentonvilleLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 787 | A+ |
| Bentonville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,579 | A |
| Haas Hall BentonvilleTop results in townGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 433 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Its A− for the outdoors ranks #3 of 123 in Arkansas.
47 miles of trail in 31 parks and preserves. Bentonville’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. Slaughter Pen MTB Park, at 410 acres with 16.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Bentonville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Slaughter Pen MTB Park | 16.6 mi | 410 |
| 2. Handcut Hollow MTB Park | 10.2 mi | 322 |
| 3. Orchards Park | 1.3 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
55,667 jobs are based in Bentonville, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 39,216 in 2013 to 55,667.
20% of Bentonville workers work from home. Since 2013, Bentonville has added 16,451 jobs, to 55,667 in 2023. 5.2% of Bentonville residents live below the poverty line.
| Bentonville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 6.1% | 11% |
| Median household income | $113,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
It ranks #2 of the 123 Arkansas towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Arkansas is stroke: 2% of its 38,912 adults have had a stroke, against 4% statewide.
No town among the 123 in Arkansas we compare has a lower share of adults who have obesity than Bentonville. Bentonville beats the Arkansas average on 22 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than Bentonville.
| Bentonville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 41% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 13% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bentonville | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2% | 4% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.9% | 7.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 17.5% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 100% of Arkansas towns, with expected losses of about $191 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Bentonville is 31 of 100. Since 1992, 25 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bentonville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Bentonville 4 S weather station 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 89.3°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 90% of Arkansas places with climate records; January nights average 25.7°.
Bentonville has chilly winters and warm summers. Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 7 have a lower January low than Bentonville. About 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Bentonville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 92°F | 85°F |
| January low | 26°F | 30°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 17.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 83% of Arkansas’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 796 to 563 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bentonville. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art
20 mi Stadium & arenaDonald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
29 mi LandmarkChrist of the Ozarks
20 mi Stadium & arenaBud Walton Arena
11 mi National Military ParkPea Ridge National Military Park132K visitors a year
in town MuseumThe Museum of Native American HistoryCrystal 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 · Bud Walton Arena: ~ (The Rebel At) ~, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pea Ridge National Military Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Museum of Native American History: Ethan.jarrett, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bentonville
About 5 of every 100 Bentonville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
35,301 counted in 2010 and 54,164 in 2020; an estimated 63,057 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.3% since 2020, after 53.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
37 places in Bentonville on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Bentonville.
City in Arkansas, United States
Bentonville is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers adjacent to the east. The city proper had a population of 54,164 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in Arkansas. It is one of the four main cities in the three-county Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area, with 546,725 residents in 2020. The original store of Sam Walton, who later founded Walmart, the world's largest retailer, can be found in Bentonville, along with the retailer's headquarters and 350-acre home office. Bentonville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Bentonville.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentonville | #6 | A | C+ | B− | A+ | A |
| Centerton | #3 | A+ | B− | A− | A+ | A− |
| Bella Vista | #4 | A | B | B+ | A+ | A− |
| Rogers | #22 | B | B | C | A− | B− |
| Cave Springs | #5 | A | C− | A | A+ | A |
| Highfill | #2 | A+ | B | A− | A+ | B+ |
| Little Flock | #27 | B− | C+ | B− | A− | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Bentonville grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #6 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades A for health, B− for safety and A+ for schools.
That is 6 years of the area's median household income ($81,650 across the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR metro area).
8 notable people were born here, including Asa Hutchinson and Tim Hutchinson.
