ARMap-doton-Central City, 2005
Central City’s story
46 years in pictures
Census counts: 339 in 1980, 461 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
- 1980Central City is settled
Central CityAR
A town of 469, settled in 1980.
Population
469
2025 Census estimate · +0.2% since 2020
Median home value
$135K
Census ACS
Household income
$70K
median
Median age
41.1
years
Jobs based here
30
A commuter town
Is Central City a good place to live?
Among 124 Arkansas towns, just 2 have a higher share of households owning their home than Central City. Central City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
469 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
BarlingCentral City
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Central City: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Central City, and how to reach them.
PowerOG&E11.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFranklin WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Central City’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 code7294172941 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 Central City.
Work & commute
About half of Central City’s working residents commute to Fort Smith
Most working residents leave Central City for work: only 0% work in town. Central City’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, below both Arkansas’ towns (21 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Central City grew to 30 in 2023, 22 more than in 2013.
0%work in town
| Central City | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 10% | 6.2% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Central City0%
Fort Smith46%
Van Buren5%
Lavaca4%
Little Rock3%
10 mi
median commute distance
30
jobs based in Central City
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
A typical July afternoon in Central City is hotter than in the typical Arkansas or U.S. town
Central City’s July high is 93°F, against 92°F in Arkansas’ towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Central City has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter31–53°
Spring49–73°
Summer69–92°
Fall50–74°
Nov 6
typical first frost
Mar 25
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Central City
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities.
63risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHeat waves
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Safety
Crime reported in Central City
1 crime was reported in Central City in 2025: 1 property and 0 violent. In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Central City is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
1
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Health
How healthy Central City is
Central City beats the Arkansas average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 33% of Central City adults have obesity.
| Central City | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 39% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 41% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 20% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Arkansas
9 better21 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Central City | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.1% | 18.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.2% |
Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
6.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
6.7% of Central City is conserved land
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Among 112 Arkansas towns, just 5 have a higher share of conserved land than Central City.
6.7%conserved
6.7%
conserved · 97 of 1,453 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central City Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 18 attractions →Spiro Mounds and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Central City. Close and well known come first.
19 mi Ancient siteSpiro Mounds
35 mi MountainMount Magazine
14 mi National forestOzark–St. Francis National Forest
11 mi National Historic SiteFort Smith National Historic Site107K visitors a year
31 mi State parkDevil's Den State Park
11 mi MuseumFort Smith Trolley MuseumSources: 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 · Mount Magazine: Fredlyfish4, 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
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Central City
18pages on Central City
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Central City
Arkansas Colleges of Health EducationUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Fort Smith4.7 miUniversity of Arkansas-Fort SmithUniversity or college · Public · Fort Smith8.3 mi$7,334 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Central City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Central City for work
Where Central City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
30jobs based in Central City
0%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Central City
City in Arkansas, United States
Central City 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 Central City was 461.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 440 ft
Questions about Central City
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Central City, AR a good place to live?
Central City has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.