Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Brinkley’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for incomes. Brinkley’s level of violent crime is 8.4 per 1,000 residents, against 3.6 in Arkansas’ towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. On incomes, just 9 of Arkansas’ 201 towns do worse. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. Its National Register listings include Gazzola and Vaccaro Building and LaBelle House (Additional Documentation). Brinkley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Brinkley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Black, William, Family House| Widest gap | Brinkley | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17.6% | 10.4% |
Census counts: 327 in 1880, a peak of 5,275 in 1970, 2,700 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Brinkley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brinkley, 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 Brinkley.
The share of adults in Brinkley who feel lonely: 37%. This Arkansas town does better than the Arkansas average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 18. Also worth knowing: 11% of Brinkley adults binge drink, below both Arkansas’ towns (15%) and U.S. towns (16%). In Brinkley, 21% of adults have diabetes, and 43% get no exercise outside work.
| Brinkley | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 25% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 34% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Brinkley | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.5% | 14.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.1% | 76.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17.6% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The public schools here belong to the Brinkley School District. Its two schools are below. Public school enrollment in the town: 432 students across 2 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C.B. Partee Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 262 | D |
| Brinkley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 170 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
The rate of thefts and burglaries in Brinkley is 29.6 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Of the losses FEMA expects in Brinkley, 50% come from earthquakes and 19% from tornadoes. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 77% of U.S. communities. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2011.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Summer afternoons peak near 91° in July, and January nights bottom out around 32°; snowfall runs to about 3 inches a winter. Brinkley has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Half the trips to work are shorter than 33 miles. Brinkley: 26% of residents live below the poverty line. Jobs in the town fell by 294 from 2013 to 2023, to 924. In Brinkley, the typical household income is $39,000.
| Brinkley | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 26% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest park or preserve is Greenlee Park, at 55 acres. Across 2 parks and preserves: 0.9 miles of trail. Brinkley’s trail network density stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Brinkley | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Greenlee Park | 0.2 mi | 55 |
| 2. Brinkley City Park | 0.2 mi | 28 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Brinkley; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Brinkley residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
3,188 counted in 2010 and 2,700 in 2020; an estimated 2,468 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
11 places in Brinkley on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Brinkley.
City in Arkansas, United States
Brinkley is the most populous city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,700, down from 3,188 in 2010. Located within the Arkansas Delta, Brinkley was founded as a railroad town in 1872. The city has historically been a transportation and agricultural center in the region, more recently developing a reputation for outdoors recreation and the ivory-billed woodpecker. Birding has become important to the city and region following the purported discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in 2004, a species thought to be extinct 60 years earlier. Located halfway between Little Rock and Memphis, the city has used the slogan "We'll Meet You Half-Way" i…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
9 notable people were born here, including Louis Jordan and Al Bell.
