Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dyess Colony Center is on the National Register of Historic Places. Dyess has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Dyess beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 433 in 1970, a peak of 515 in 2000, 339 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 3 maps from 1939 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dyess, 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 Dyess.
Dyess’ typical journey to work is 22 minutes, near the Arkansas town median (21 minutes) and below the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Most working residents leave Dyess for work: only 1% work in town. For residents here, the share who live below the poverty line is 29%. The median commute is under 30 miles.
| Dyess | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 29% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Dyess’ FEMA risk score stands at 77 of 100. Expected losses in Dyess break down as 31% from earthquakes and 29% from drought. Flood insurance has paid out on 3 claims here since 1987.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 91° and January nights of 31°, with about 2 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Dyess, nearly a third of adults say their health is fair or poor. Among 124 Arkansas towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Dyess.
| Dyess | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 25% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 17% |
| What stands out | Dyess | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 29.4% | 18.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.5% | 18.5% |
| More smokers | 22.6% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dyess City Park | — | 3 |
| 2. Dyess Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Dyess; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Dyess residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
Where Dyess’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Arkansas, United States
Dyess is a town in Mississippi County, Arkansas, which was founded as Dyess Colony in 1934 by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration as part of the Roosevelt administration's agricultural relief and rehabilitation program. It was the largest agrarian community established by the Federal Government during the Great Depression. As of the 2020 census, the population of Dyess was 339, down from 410 in 2010. Dyess Colony was the boyhood home of country music singer Johnny Cash.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dyess has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including Tommy Cash and Bill Scrimshire.
