Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Malvern grades D overall, 80th among Arkansas's 123 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its crime rate is higher than 91% of U.S. towns, with 83 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, homes are within reach, about $139K for a typical one, or 2.5 years of the Malvern area’s $55K median household income. Malvern’s violent crime rate is 7.4 per 1,000 residents, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 3.6 and U.S. towns at 1.6. Malvern has 14 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Clark House and Strauss House.
Where Malvern beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,520 in 1890, 10,867 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1948 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Malvern is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Malvern, 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 Malvern.
Malvern fares better on crime within Arkansas than nationally, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Against the 4,422 U.S. towns with household incomes like Malvern’s, it is less healthy than 75%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Arkansas it is less healthy than 71% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
43% of Malvern adults sleep under 7 hours. Malvern beats the Arkansas average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 37% of Malvern adults get no exercise outside work.
| Malvern | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 19% |
| What stands out | Malvern | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.2% | 8.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27% | 18.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Malvern School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Malvern High School, with 559 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malvern Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 781 | C− |
| Malvern High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 559 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
At 52.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 74% of Arkansas’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Malvern is 22.2 per 1,000 residents. Malvern reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.5 years of the Malvern area’s $55K median household income, the typical home (about $139K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Arkansas towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Values fell 3.2% in the past year while the Arkansas typical home rose 3.4%.
50% of households own their home in Malvern. The typical Malvern home is worth about $139,000, 38% below the Arkansas typical home. Malvern’s median rent is $764 a month.
| Malvern | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $764 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2.3 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Malvern City Park, at 43 acres.
| Malvern | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Malvern City Park | — | 43 |
| 2. Ouachita River Whitewater Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Centennial Park | 0.1 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Malvern has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 31° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Malvern has about as many jobs (4,037) as working residents, but only 871 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Malvern’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Malvern fell to 4,037 in 2023, 322 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Little Rock (13%), Hot Springs (12%) and Benton (3%).
| Malvern | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 21% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Malvern.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Malvern. Close and well known come first.
15 mi National ParkHot Springs National Park2.5M visitors a year
39 mi National Historic SiteLittle Rock Central High School National Historic Site49K visitors a year15 mi Theme parkMagic Springs and Crystal Falls
14 mi GardenGarvan Woodland Gardens38 mi Zoo & aquariumLittle Rock Zoo17 mi Zoo & aquariumArkansas Alligator Farm and Petting ZooHot Springs National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site: Adam Jones, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Garvan Woodland Gardens: Nngowen, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Malvern
About 2 of every 100 Malvern residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
14 places in Malvern on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Malvern.
City in Arkansas, United States
Malvern is a city in and the county seat of Hot Spring County, Arkansas, United States. Founded as a railroad stop at the eastern edge of the Ouachita Mountains, the community's history and economy have been tied to available agricultural and mineral resources. The production of bricks from locally available clay has earned the city the nickname, "The Brick Capital of the World". As of the 2020 census, Malvern had a population of 10,867.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Malvern.
Rockport and Perla aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Malvern with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Malvern grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #80 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D for health, D for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
16 notable people were born here, including Fred Jones and Fran Bennett.
