Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 6,701, settled in 1908. Public schools that outperform most of Arkansas.
Cave Springs is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 5th of 123 in Arkansas. Its schools rank ahead of 98% of Arkansas towns, it reports less crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns, and residents are healthier than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $575K for a typical one and 7 times the Fayetteville metro’s $82K median household income. Cave Springs’ median rent is $2,222 a month, above both Arkansas’ towns ($875 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Of the 108 Arkansas towns we compare, none has a lower violent crime rate than Cave Springs. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Cave Springs beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Evening Star Elementary School | K–4 | 716 |
| Widest gap | Cave Springs | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 18.6% |
1,729 counted in 2010 and 5,495 in 2020; an estimated 6,701 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.3% since 2020, after 217.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Cave Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 192 in 1930, 5,495 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cave Springs, 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 Cave Springs.
Cave Springs is the healthiest town in Arkansas, has schools in the top 5% of Arkansas and reports less crime than Lowell or any other graded neighbor.
At 7 years of the Fayetteville metro’s $82K median household income, the typical home (about $575K) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Arkansas towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Bentonville is next at $490K.
93% of Cave Springs households own their home. The typical Cave Springs home is worth about $575,000, up 2.9% in a year, more than twice the Arkansas typical home.
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. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evening Star Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 716 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Its A tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; Lowell (B) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Cave Springs is 2.2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
It is the healthiest of the 123 Arkansas towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Arkansas is tooth loss: 7.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 18.6% statewide.
10% of adults report frequent physical distress in Cave Springs. Of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Cave Springs. 29% of adults feel lonely in Cave Springs.
| Cave Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 41% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.2% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | Cave Springs | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.1% | 18.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 18.5% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.5% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Cave Springs has 744 jobs for its 2,999 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. 19.1% of workers work from home, against 8.8% across Arkansas.
Most working residents leave Cave Springs for work: only 2% work in town. Cave Springs’ median household income is $146,000. Jobs based in Cave Springs grew to 744 in 2023, 649 more than in 2013.
| Cave Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $146,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 1.8% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 19% | 6.1% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 22% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Cave Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
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 89.6°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 87% of Arkansas places with climate records; January nights average 25.7°.
Cave Springs has chilly winters and warm summers. Only 7 of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare have a lower January low than Cave Springs. About 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Cave Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 92°F | 85°F |
| January low | 26°F | 30°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cave Springs.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cave Springs. Close and well known come first.
8 mi MuseumCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art
15 mi Stadium & arenaDonald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
29 mi LandmarkChrist of the Ozarks
15 mi Stadium & arenaBud Walton Arena
14 mi National Military ParkPea Ridge National Military Park132K visitors a year
34 mi State parkDevil's Den State ParkCrystal 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 · Devil's Den State Park: jaystout, CC BY 2.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Cave Springs
About 4 of every 100 Cave Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
Where Cave Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Arkansas, United States
Cave Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas. The population was 5,495 at the time of the 2020 census, up from 1,729 in 2010 census. It is part of the Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area. In June 2022, Cave Springs was named the 3rd highest average home values in the state of Arkansas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Cave Springs.
At #5 in AR, it grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Bentonville (A) comes closest. Springdale next door grades lower for schools (B− to Cave Springs’s A+) and higher for cost of living (B+ to C−).
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cave Springs | #5 | A | C− | A | A+ | A |
| Rogers | #22 | B | B | C | A− | B− |
| Springdale | #61 | C | B+ | C− | B− | C− |
| Bentonville | #6 | A | C+ | B− | A+ | A |
| Lowell | #8 | A | B+ | B | A− | B+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Cave Springs grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #5 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades A for health, A for safety and A+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Hugh A. Dinsmore and Bart Hester.
