Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,217, settled in 1857.
Harrisburg’s best subject grades are an A− for walkability and cost of living; its weakest is a D− for health. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Harrisburg, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On walkability, just 8 of Arkansas’ 200 towns do better. The median household income is $48K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. Harrisburg has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Modern News Building and Poinsett County Courthouse. Harrisburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Harrisburg beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 482 in 1890, 2,212 in 2020. The archive holds 28 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Harrisburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harrisburg, 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 Harrisburg.
Harrisburg beats the Arkansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 41% of Harrisburg adults get no exercise outside work, above both the Arkansas town median (34%) and the median of U.S. towns (25%). 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Harrisburg.
| Harrisburg | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 25% | 19% |
| What stands out | Harrisburg | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.2% | 18.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.5% | 8.6% |
| More smokers | 21.6% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Harrisburg School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Harrisburg High School, with 516 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 428 | B− |
| Harrisburg High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 516 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
About one in 4 of Harrisburg’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Harrisburg is 17 minutes. Since 2013, Harrisburg has added 559 jobs, to 1,392 in 2023.
| Harrisburg | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Harrisburg’s violent crime rate is 5 per 1,000 residents.
| Harrisburg | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.6 per 1,000 residents | 13.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harrisburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Harrisburg home is worth about $149,000, up 5.6% in a year, 34% below the Arkansas typical home. 46% of Harrisburg households own their home. Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 10 have a lower median rent than Harrisburg.
| Harrisburg | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $688 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Harrisburg has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 31° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Poinsette County Fairgrounds, at 25 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Poinsette County Fairgrounds | — | 25 |
| 2. Lawrence Reddman Municipal Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Harrisburg; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Harrisburg residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
Where Harrisburg’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Harrisburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Harrisburg.
City in Arkansas, United States
Harrisburg is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,212 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is the county seat of Poinsett County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Ron Bass and Chuck Malone.
