Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
McGehee earns a D−, 119th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally. The median household income is $37K, and 34% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: 1% of its land is conserved. 34% of residents live below the poverty line in McGehee, above both the Arkansas town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Jay Lewis House and McGehee National Guard Armory. McGehee reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 24 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025.
Where McGehee beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Parnell-Sharpe House| Widest gap | McGehee | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.9% | 10.4% |
Census counts: 1,157 in 1910, a peak of 5,671 in 1980, 3,849 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1936 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 McGehee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in McGehee, 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 McGehee.
McGehee fares better on crime within Arkansas than nationally and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the Arkansas rate.
Across 5 parks and preserves: 4.9 miles of trail. The biggest park or preserve is McGehee Recreational Complex, at 23 acres. The trail network density for McGehee comes to 0.7 miles per square mile.
| McGehee | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McGehee Recreational Complex | 0.5 mi | 23 |
| 2. Desha County Health Unit | — | 12 |
| 3. Stephens Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The public schools here belong to the McGehee School District. The largest public high school is McGehee High School, with 326 students. Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McGehee Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 547 | C |
| McGehee High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 326 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than McGehee. CDC measures, 32 in all: McGehee beats Arkansas on 2 and trails on 20. 44% of adults get no exercise outside work locally.
| McGehee | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 25% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 34% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | McGehee | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.8% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 8.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19.9% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.3 years of the county’s $38K median household income, the typical home (about $86K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of Arkansas towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living. Values fell 7% in the past year while the Arkansas typical home rose 3.4%.
In the year to September 2026, typical home values slipped 7%. Among households in McGehee, 47% own their home. The typical rent locally is $784 a month.
| McGehee | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $784 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 55.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 77% of Arkansas’s graded towns. Reported crimes rose from 91 to 128 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
For McGehee, the rate of reported violence is 7 per 1,000 residents. The town’s rate of thefts and burglaries is 30.4 per 1,000 residents.
| McGehee | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30.4 per 1,000 residents | 13.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
In McGehee, the midsummer high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of working residents in McGehee who work locally: 33%. Jobs based locally fell to 1,370 in 2023, 324 fewer than in 2013. Also worth knowing: for McGehee, the average trip to work is 17 minutes. Half commute less than 19 miles.
| McGehee | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 33% | 21% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $37,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
98 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 21 properties have flooded more than once.
McGehee has had 98 paid flood insurance claims since 1979. On expected storm and flood damage, McGehee sits above three fifths of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in McGehee after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2025. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 34% come from inland flooding and 23% from earthquakes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of McGehee; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 McGehee residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
1.1% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
9 places in McGehee on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in McGehee.
City in Arkansas, United States
McGehee mə-GHEE is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, McGehee had a population of 3,849.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
McGehee grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #119 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.3 years of the area's median household income ($37,662 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including Caldwell Jones and Nancy A. Collins.
