Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
El Dorado earns a D, ranked 88th of 123 in Arkansas, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns, including 249 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. It also has a long history, with 32 places on the National Register. 49% of working residents work locally in El Dorado, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 5 of Arkansas’ 201 towns score higher on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include El Dorado Junior College Building and Rialto Theatre.
Where El Dorado beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Matthew Rainey House
Census counts: 443 in 1880, a peak of 25,292 in 1960, 17,756 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 4 maps from 1927 on.
29 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far El Dorado is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in El Dorado, 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 El Dorado.
El Dorado draws workers from Smackover and beyond and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Arkansas rate.
Violent crime runs at 15.2 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Arkansas rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes fell from 879 to 721 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
El Dorado’s property crime rate stands at 28.8 per 1,000 residents.
| El Dorado | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.2 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the El Dorado School District. Three of the 8 schools are below, and why each made the list. The largest public high school is El Dorado High School, with 1,235 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 581 | B− |
| El Dorado High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,235 | C |
| Hugh Goodwin Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 508 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
The biggest place to walk is Lions Club Park, 178 acres with 5.5 miles of trail. Count the trails in 10 parks and preserves and they come to 10 miles. In El Dorado, the concentration of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| El Dorado | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lions Club Park | 5.5 mi | 178 |
| 2. South Arkansas Arboretum | — | 13 |
| 3. Mosby Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
17% of El Dorado adults report frequent physical distress. The town beats the Arkansas average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. Two figures for adults in the town: 17% have diabetes, 39% get no exercise outside work.
| El Dorado | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 41% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | El Dorado | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.8% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 16.8% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
10,304 jobs are based in El Dorado, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16 minutes, against 22.5 across Arkansas.
Half commute less than 3 miles. El Dorado’s income of the median household comes in at $49,000. The share of residents in El Dorado who live below the poverty line: 23%. Also worth knowing: since 2013, El Dorado has lost 880 jobs, to 10,304 in 2023.
| El Dorado | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 10% | 6.1% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 2.4 years of the El Dorado area’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $133K) costs less against local pay than in 82% of Arkansas towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. At about $133K, home values are down 2% in five years, against a rise of 20% across Arkansas.
Homes sold in El Dorado spent a median 28 days on the market. 57% of households live in a home they own here. In El Dorado, the median rent is $880 a month.
| El Dorado | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $880 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The typical July afternoon high for El Dorado comes to 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in El Dorado. 33% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by ice storms at 17%. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2009.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among adults 25 and older in El Dorado, 17% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 35 to 64 are a third of residents (37% statewide). This Arkansas town is shrinking: down 6.5% since 2020, to 16,609 residents (2025 estimate).
| El Dorado | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 17% | 20% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 25% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.6 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 16% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2 points). Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women.
| El Dorado | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.9% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.5% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.3% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.6% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.4% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.6% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.8% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.3% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 8.7% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.4% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of El Dorado
About 3 of every 100 El Dorado residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
Where El Dorado’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
29 places in El Dorado on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 notable people were born in El Dorado.
City in Arkansas, United States
El Dorado (locally el durr-AY-doh) is a city in and the county seat of Union County, on the southern border of Arkansas, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population of the city is 17,755. El Dorado's population has an African American majority. El Dorado is headquarters of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission as well as Murphy USA, Deltic Timber Corporation and a DelekUS oil refinery. The city has a downtown arts district, the Murphy Arts District (MAD); a community college, South Arkansas College (SouthArk); and a multi-cultural arts center, South Arkansas Arts Center (SAAC). El Dorado is the population, cultural and business center of south central Arkansas. The city was th…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
El Dorado grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #88 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D for health, D− for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.4 years of the area's median household income ($55,259 across the El Dorado, AR area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
35 notable people were born here, including Charles Portis and Daniel Gafford.
