Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 13,802, settled in 1869. Public schools that outperform most of Arkansas.
Trash & recyclingHarrison's standout: its public schools beat 96% of Arkansas towns on state tests and graduation. Overall it grades C+, 39th among Arkansas's 123 graded towns. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is health: residents are less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. 50% of working residents work locally in Harrison, above both the Arkansas town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Harrison is home to North Arkansas College. Only 13 of Arkansas’ 182 towns score higher on civic life.
Where Harrison beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Skyline Heights Elementary School | 1–4 | 479 |
| Forest Heights Elementary School | 1–4 | 375 |
| Harrison Kindergarten | K | 177 |
Census counts: 582 in 1880, 13,069 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1904 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Harrison is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harrison, 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 Harrison.
Harrison draws workers from Fayetteville and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Arkansas.
7.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Harrison’s trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Harrison | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Anstaff Soccer Complex and Harrison Tennis Complex | 1 mi | 31 |
| 2. Lake Harris Park | 0.3 mi | 4 |
| 3. Minnie Harris Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Harrison School District. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Harrison High School, with 843 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 865 | A |
| Harrison High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 843 | A− |
| Skyline Heights Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 1–4 | Grades 1–4 | 479 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
10,504 jobs are based in Harrison, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.9 minutes, against 22.5 across Arkansas.
The average trip to work in Harrison is 16 minutes. The top destinations are Little Rock (3%), Fayetteville (2%) and Rogers (2%). The median household income in Harrison is $44,000.
| Harrison | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 6.3% | 6.1% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 3,690 U.S. towns with household incomes like Harrison’s, it is healthier than 52%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Arkansas it is less healthy than 54% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
17% of Harrison adults report frequent physical distress. Harrison beats the Arkansas average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 36% of Harrison adults feel lonely.
| Harrison | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 35% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | Harrison | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 311 to 222 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 60% of towns.
| Harrison | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 3.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.2 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Harrison weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 231 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 79% of Arkansas places with climate records. The Harrison weather station records that about 41 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 94% of Arkansas places with climate records.
Harrison has chilly winters and warm summers. Only 2 of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare have a lower July high than Harrison.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harrison.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Home values rose 38% in five years, to about $235K, against 20% across Arkansas.
The typical Harrison home is worth about $235,000, up 3.8% in a year, close to the Arkansas typical home. 55% of households own their home in Harrison.
| Harrison | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $753 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Harrison
About 4 of every 100 Harrison residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
9 places in Harrison on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Harrison.
City in Arkansas, United States
Harrison is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is named after Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor who laid out the city along Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. As of the 2020 census, Harrison had a population of 13,069. It is the 30th largest city in Arkansas, based on official 2019 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Harrison is the principal city of the Harrison Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boone and Newton counties. The community has a history of racism; there were two race riots in the early 20th century and an influx of white supremacist organizations during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harrison grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #39 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades C− for health, C for safety and A+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 60% of towns.
That is 4.3 years of the area's median household income ($54,384 across the Harrison, 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.
9 notable people were born here, including John Paul Hammerschmidt and Gracie Pfost.
