Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dumas earns a D−, ranked 121st of 123 in Arkansas, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. The median household income is $35K, and 34% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $104K for a typical one, or 2.8 years of the county’s $38K median household income. 34% of residents live below the poverty line in Dumas, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 17% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Its National Register listings include Merchants & Farmers Bank and McKennon-Shea House. Dumas's crime rate is higher than 93% of U.S. towns, with 33 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025.
Where Dumas beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Merchants & Farmers Bank| Widest gap | Dumas | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 24.8% | 10.4% |
4,706 counted in 2010 and 4,001 in 2020; an estimated 3,476 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 13% since 2020, after 15% 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 Dumas is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 519 in 1910, a peak of 6,091 in 1980, 4,001 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1989 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dumas, 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 Dumas.
Dumas fares better on crime within Arkansas than nationally, but it has poverty well above the Arkansas rate and has little public open land.
40% of Dumas adults say their health is fair or poor. Only 1 of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Dumas. 22% of Dumas adults report frequent mental distress.
| Dumas | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 25% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 39% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Dumas | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.8% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 24.8% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Dumas School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reed Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 368 | D |
| Dumas High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 266 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
At 56.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 79% of Arkansas’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate in Dumas is 9.4 per 1,000 residents. Dumas reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less. The property crime rate in Dumas is 15.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Dumas | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.4 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $104K, is 10% below its June 2023 peak. At about $104K, home values are up 2% in five years, against a rise of 20% across Arkansas.
49% of households own their home in Dumas. The typical Dumas home is worth about $104,000, up 1.2% in a year, 54% below the Arkansas typical home. Dumas’ median rent is $718 a month.
| Dumas | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $718 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dumas.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dumas has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 34° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
44% of Dumas’s working residents work right in town. Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 6 have a lower median household income than Dumas. The top destinations are Pine Bluff (5%), Little Rock (5%) and Monticello (4%).
| Dumas | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 44% | 21% | 8% |
| Median household income | $35,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Just 31 of its 1,854 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Dumas itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Memorial Park, at 29 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Memorial Park | — | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Dumas; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Dumas residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
5 places in Dumas on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Dumas.
City in Arkansas, United States
Dumas ( DO-miss) is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,001 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.
Dumas grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #121 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D− for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
3 notable people were born here, including Jim Hines and Gerald Johnson.
