Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Charleston gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $197K for a typical one, or 3.5 years of the county’s $56K median household income. It grades B− overall, 29th among Arkansas's 123 graded towns. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 76% of Arkansas towns. Charleston’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, against 21 minutes in Arkansas’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 11 of Arkansas’ 201 towns do better. Charleston has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Singleton Family Cemetery and Charleston Commercial Historic District.
Where Charleston beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Charleston Elementary School | PK–6 | 502 |
| Charleston High School | 7–12 | 410 |
Franklin County Courthouse, Southern DistrictEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Charleston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 393 in 1880, 2,588 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2016 and 4 maps from 1906 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Charleston, 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 Charleston.
Charleston pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has commutes longer than most of Arkansas.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $197K.
Its public schools are run by the Charleston School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Charleston High School, with 410 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 502 | A− |
| Charleston High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 410 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 1,045 working residents takes 35.2 minutes, against 22.5 across Arkansas.
Most working residents leave Charleston for work: only 19% work in town. Since 2013, Charleston has added 107 jobs, to 643 in 2023. 9.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Charleston.
| Charleston | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 22% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.9% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 7,901 U.S. towns with household incomes like Charleston’s, it is less healthy than 53%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Arkansas it is healthier than 62% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
Charleston beats the Arkansas average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 41% of Charleston adults have high blood pressure.
| Charleston | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 41% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 25% | 19% |
| What stands out | Charleston | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14.6% | 18.5% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.3% | 10.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Charleston’s violent crime rate is 4 per 1,000 residents. Within Arkansas, it does better than 64% of towns. Charleston’s property crime rate is 6.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Charleston | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Charleston has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Charleston is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 30% of residents (23% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (22% statewide). Charleston has grown 7.1% since 2020, to 2,760 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 22% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 26% across Arkansas.
| Charleston | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.6 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 20% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.5 points. Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Charleston | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 19% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 20.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.2% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.3% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.4% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.6% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.5% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,800, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Charleston home is worth about $197,000, up 3.9% in a year, 12% below the Arkansas typical home.
| Charleston | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $764 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 60% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Charleston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Charleston; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Charleston residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
3 places in Charleston on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Charleston.
City in Arkansas, United States
Charleston is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States, and along with Ozark is one of the two county seats of Franklin County. The population was 2,588 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Charleston grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #29 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades C for health, C for safety and A− for schools.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 64% of towns.
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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Dale Bumpers and John Adams.
