Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Johnson's standout: the median household earns $96K. Overall it grades B+, 17th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas. It also does better than most on health: residents are healthier than 61% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its crime rate is higher than 69% of U.S. towns, with 11 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $344K, 4.2 years of the Fayetteville metro’s $82K median household income. Its National Register listings include Johnson House and Mill and Jackson House. Only 2 of the 123 Arkansas towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Johnson. Johnson's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Johnson beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Johnson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 274 in 1970, 3,609 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1970 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Johnson, 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 Johnson.
Johnson trades workers with Fayetteville and other neighbors, looks healthier within Arkansas than nationally and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Arkansas.
Home values rose 40% in five years, to about $344K, against 20% across Arkansas. The median property tax bill is $2,015, against $1,040 across Arkansas, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Johnson home is worth about $344,000, up 3.5% in a year, 54% above the Arkansas typical home. 44% of households own their home here. Its going rate for rent is $1,104 a month.
| Johnson | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 44% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,104 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Johnson’s level of property crime stands at 15 per 1,000 residents, above both Arkansas’ towns (13.5) and U.S. towns (9.9). Its violent crime rate is 2.9 per 1,000 residents. Within Arkansas, it does better than 64% of towns.
| Johnson | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 3.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15 per 1,000 residents | 13.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Fayetteville Drake Fld weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 188 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 82% of Arkansas places with climate records. The Fayetteville Drake Fld weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 41 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 98% of Arkansas places with climate records.
In July, afternoons reach 89°; in January, nights fall to 26°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Johnson has about as many jobs (1,767) as working residents, but only 18 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 995 in 2013 to 1,767.
The typical journey to work for Johnson comes to 21 minutes. Just 1% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based in Johnson grew to 1,767 in 2023, 772 more than in 2013. Also worth knowing: among 123 Arkansas towns, just 6 have a higher median household income than Johnson.
| Johnson | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.1% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Arkansas it is healthier than 87% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
In Johnson, nearly a fifth of adults say their health is fair or poor, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 25% and U.S. towns at 19%. The share of adults in Johnson who have diabetes: 9.6%. Of 32 CDC measures, Johnson beats the Arkansas average on 17 and trails it on 2. Two figures for adults here: 34% sleep under 7 hours, 76% had a checkup this year.
| Johnson | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 13% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 39% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Johnson | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.8% | 4% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.5% | 7.7% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 70.2% | 76.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Since 2011, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Johnson. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Just over two fifths of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by heat waves at 29%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.5 miles of trail wind through 3 parks and preserves.
| Johnson | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Carol E. Van Scyoc Trailhead | — | 3 |
| 2. Johnson City Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
| 3. Ed Bockerstedt Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Johnson. Close and well known come first.
17 mi MuseumCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art
5 mi Stadium & arenaDonald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
5 mi Stadium & arenaBud Walton Arena
31 mi LandmarkChrist of the Ozarks
25 mi State parkDevil's Den State Park
21 mi National Military ParkPea Ridge National Military Park132K visitors a yearCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art: Charvex, CC0 · Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium: Bobak at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Bud Walton Arena: ~ (The Rebel At) ~, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christ of the Ozarks: Bobak Ha'Eri, Public domain · Devil's Den State Park: jaystout, CC BY 2.0 · Pea Ridge National Military Park: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Johnson
About 3 of every 100 Johnson residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
3 places in Johnson on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Arkansas, United States
Johnson is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, United States. The community is located in the Ozark Mountains and is surrounded by valleys and natural springs. Early settlers took advantage of these natural features and formed an economy based on mining lime, the Johnson Mill and trout. Although a post office was opened in the community in 1887, Johnson did not incorporate until it required the development of a city government to provide utility services in 1961. Located between Fayetteville and Springdale in the heart of the rapidly growing Northwest Arkansas metropolitan statistical area, Johnson has been experiencing a population and building boom in recent years. As of the 2020 censu…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Johnson.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson | #17 | B+ | B | C | B | B |
| Fayetteville | #26 | B− | C+ | D | A | B+ |
| Springdale | #61 | C | B+ | C− | B− | C− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Johnson grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #17 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades B for health, C for safety and B for schools.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 64% 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.
