Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,323, settled in 1882. 2.8 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Arkansas town.
Trash day: look up yoursHeber Springs gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $254K for a typical one, or 4.5 years of the county’s $56K median household income. It grades C− overall, 66th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 83% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and the median household income is $51K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its schools outperform 85% of the state's. On civic life, just 4 of Arkansas’ 182 towns do better. Heber Springs has 9 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Cleburne County Courthouse and Hugh L. King House. Only 7 of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher median age than Heber Springs.
Where Heber Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Heber Springs Elementary School | PK–5 | 743 |
| Heber Springs Middle School | 6–8 | 391 |
| Heber Springs High School | 9–12 | 483 |
Census counts: 322 in 1890, 6,969 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 3 maps from 1963 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 Heber Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Heber Springs, 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 Heber Springs.
Heber Springs pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
| Heber Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Spring Park | 1 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $254K.
Its public schools are run by the Heber Springs School District. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Heber Springs High School, with 483 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heber Springs Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 743 | B+ |
| Heber Springs High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 483 | B+ |
| Heber Springs Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 391 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Since 2003, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Heber Springs.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,019 U.S. towns with household incomes like Heber Springs’s, it is healthier than 50%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Arkansas it is healthier than 58% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
Heber Springs beats the Arkansas average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 44% of Heber Springs adults have high blood pressure, above both the Arkansas town median (41%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 14% of adults binge drink in Heber Springs.
| Heber Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 41% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 39% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 25% | 19% |
| What stands out | Heber Springs | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.6% | 10.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.6% | 14.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 214 to 70 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 7.4 per 1,000 residents, Heber Springs’ property crime rate is where Arkansas’ towns sit at 13.8 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Heber Springs’ violent crime rate is 2 per 1,000 residents. Within Arkansas, it does better than 57% of towns.
| Heber Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 3.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Heber Springs has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Heber Springs is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Heber Springs’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Heber Springs has lost 260 jobs, to 3,067 in 2023. The top destinations are Searcy (5%), Little Rock (4%) and Conway (4%).
| Heber Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 21% | 8% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 6.1% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Heber Springs home is worth about $254,000, up 2.3% in a year, 13% above the Arkansas typical home.
| Heber Springs | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $847 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 60% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Heber Springs; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Heber Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
9 places in Heber Springs on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Heber Springs.
City in Arkansas, United States
Heber Springs is a city in and the county seat of Cleburne County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 6,969 as of the 2020 Census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Heber Springs grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #66 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades C− for health, C for safety and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 57% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
10 notable people were born here, including Laurell K. Hamilton and Everett G. Burkhalter.
