Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Arkansas.
Elkins gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $285K, 3.5 years of the Fayetteville metro’s $82K median household income. It grades A− overall, 10th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, its schools outperform 85% of the state's. On health, just 11 of Arkansas’ 201 towns do better. Elkins has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Cannon Creek Bridge and Maguire-Williams House. Only 4 of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Elkins.
Where Elkins beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Elkins Primary School | PK–2 | 322 |
| Elkins Elementary School | 3–5 | 283 |
| Elkins Middle School | 6–8 | 394 |
Maguire-Williams House2,648 counted in 2010 and 3,602 in 2020; an estimated 4,184 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.3% since 2020, after 36% 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 Elkins is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 418 in 1970, 3,602 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1846 and a map from 1976 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elkins, 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 Elkins.
Elkins pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, looks healthier within Arkansas than nationally and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Arkansas.
Its A for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $285K.
Its public schools are run by the Elkins School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Elkins High School, with 463 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkins Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 394 | B+ |
| Elkins High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 463 | C |
| Elkins Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 283 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Since 2008, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elkins.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Elkins for work: only 6% work in town. 6.5% of Elkins residents live below the poverty line, below both the Arkansas town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). The average trip to work in Elkins is 26 minutes.
| Elkins | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Home values rose 37% in five years, to about $285K, against 20% across Arkansas.
At $1,431 a month, Elkins’ median rent is above both Arkansas’ towns ($875 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Elkins home is worth about $285,000, up 2.7% in a year, 27% above the Arkansas typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Arkansas it is healthier than 93% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures. Its widest gap with Arkansas is diabetes: 8.6% of its 2,589 adults have diabetes, against 13.3% statewide.
Elkins beats the Arkansas average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 8.6% of adults have diabetes in Elkins. Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 9 have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Elkins.
| Elkins | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 13% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 41% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Elkins | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.6% | 13.3% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.6% | 4% |
| More binge drinkers | 17.7% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Fayetteville Drake Fld weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 41 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 96% of Arkansas places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.1°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 92% of Arkansas places with climate records; January nights average 26.2°.
Elkins has chilly winters and warm summers. Elkins’ July high is 89°F. About 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Elkins | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 92°F | 85°F |
| January low | 26°F | 30°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Arkansas, it does better than 76% of towns.
| Elkins | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 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
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Arkansas average. Elkins has grown 16% since 2020, to 4,184 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of Elkins residents are under 18.
| Elkins | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.8 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 27% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 20% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 16% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.6 points. Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Elkins | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.6% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.2% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.1% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.3% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.7% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.2% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.1% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.8% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 2.9% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,200, single groups can be off by several points
| Elkins | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bunch Park | 0.5 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Elkins. Close and well known come first.
27 mi MuseumCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art
9 mi Stadium & arenaDonald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
32 mi LandmarkChrist of the Ozarks
9 mi Stadium & arenaBud Walton Arena
33 mi National RiverBuffalo National River1.4M visitors a year
21 mi State parkDevil's Den State ParkCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Charvex, CC0 · Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium: Bobak at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Christ of the Ozarks: Bobak Ha'Eri, Public domain · Bud Walton Arena: ~ (The Rebel At) ~, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Buffalo National River: Mattsrealm, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Devil's Den State Park: jaystout, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Elkins
About 2 of every 100 Elkins residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
Where Elkins’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Elkins on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Arkansas, United States
Elkins is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, United States. The community is located in the Boston Mountains, deep in the Ozark Mountains. A combination of the former unincorporated communities of Harris and Hood, Elkins was established in 1964. Located immediately east of Fayetteville in the Northwest Arkansas metropolitan statistical area, Elkins had a population of 3,602 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Elkins.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elkins | #10 | A− | A− | C+ | A | B+ |
| Fayetteville | #26 | B− | C+ | D | A | B+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Elkins grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #10 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 76% 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−.
