War at, 1904
Bonanza’s story
129 years in pictures
Census counts: 906 in 1900, a low of 247 in 1960, 587 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 5 maps from 1887 on.
- 1897Bonanza is settled
BonanzaAR
A town of 603, settled in 1897.
Population
603
2025 Census estimate · +2.9% since 2020
Median home value
$133K
Census ACS
Household income
$64K
median
Median age
29.0
years
Jobs based here
68
A commuter town
Is Bonanza a good place to live?
No town among the 124 in Arkansas we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Bonanza. Bonanza has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
603 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Bonanza: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bonanza, and how to reach them.
PowerSWEPCO12.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterBonanza WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Bonanza’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personArkansas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSebastian County ClerkSebastian County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2015
ZIP code7291672916 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bonanza.
Who lives here
More children than Arkansas overall
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 18%, against 26% across Arkansas. Children under 18 are 37% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 26% of residents (37% statewide). In Bonanza, the median age is 29 years, below both the Arkansas town median (36.6 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). 603 people lived in Bonanza by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 2.9% more than in 2020.
29median age · AR 38.5
| Bonanza | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 29 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 18% | 20% | 29% |
BonanzaArkansasUnited States
Ages · share of residents
27%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma19%
High school33%
Some college25%
Associate’s6%
Bachelor’s12%
Graduate6%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 22% and 66% women
The Census survey reached too few of Bonanza’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±21.9 points. Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Bonanza | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 27.4% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.8% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.4% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.4% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 18.5% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.5% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.6% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.2% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.8% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.4% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Work & commute
More than half of Bonanza’s working residents commute to Fort Smith
Among residents in Bonanza, 13% live below the poverty line, against 18% in Arkansas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs locally rose by 30, to 68. The average commute for Bonanza comes to 20 minutes. The top destinations are Fort Smith (53%), Greenwood (7%) and Hackett (3%).
0%work in town
| Bonanza | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Bonanza0%
Fort Smith53%
Greenwood7%
Hackett3%
Van Buren3%
9 mi
median commute distance
68
jobs based in Bonanza
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Bonanza faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 69% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Bonanza after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2015. 44% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 14%.
69risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Bonanza, expect mild winters and hot summers
The typical July afternoon high locally is 93°F.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter32–53°
Spring49–73°
Summer69–91°
Fall51–74°
Nov 6
typical first frost
Mar 25
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Bonanza
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Bonanza is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
0
violent crimes reported in 2024
1
property crimes reported in 2024
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Health
How healthy Bonanza is
Among adults in Bonanza, 31% get no exercise outside work. This Arkansas town does better than the Arkansas average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 3. 17% of adults in Bonanza report frequent physical distress; 14% binge drink.
| Bonanza | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 41% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Arkansas
5 better24 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Bonanza | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.8% | 18.5% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11% | 14.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 8.2% |
Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
0% of Bonanza is conserved land
There are 0.2 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. Bonanza’s trail network density is 0.1 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 3 acres in the town.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,790 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bonanza Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 16 attractions →Spiro Mounds and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bonanza. Close and well known come first.
10 mi Ancient siteSpiro Mounds
4 mi National forestOzark–St. Francis National Forest
11 mi National Historic SiteFort Smith National Historic Site107K visitors a year
39 mi State parkDevil's Den State Park
11 mi MuseumFort Smith Trolley Museum
11 mi MuseumW.H.H. Clayton HouseSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Spiro Mounds: Herb Roe Original uploader was Heironymous Rowe at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ozark–St. Francis National Forest: Paul A. Mistretta, USDA Forest Service, CC BY 3.0 us · Fort Smith National Historic Site: Photolitherland (talk) Chris Litherland, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Devil's Den State Park: jaystout, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Smith Trolley Museum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · W.H.H. Clayton House: Hakbak, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bonanza
19pages on Bonanza
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bonanza
Arkansas Colleges of Health EducationUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Fort Smith8 miUniversity of Arkansas-Fort SmithUniversity or college · Public · Fort Smith10.7 mi$7,334 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Bonanza residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Bonanza for work
Where Bonanza’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
68jobs based in Bonanza
0%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Bonanza
City in Arkansas, United States
Bonanza is a city in Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the population of Bonanza was 587. Bonanza began as a coal mining town of the Central Coal and Coke Company.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 548 ft
- Area code
- 479
Questions about Bonanza
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bonanza, AR a good place to live?
Bonanza has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.