Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,892, settled in 1876. 3.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Arkansas town.
Melbourne’s best subject grades are an A for schools and an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Melbourne, against 18% in Arkansas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 10 of Arkansas’ 201 towns score lower on hazard risk. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country. On civic life, just 3 of Arkansas’ 182 towns do better. Melbourne is home to Ozarka College. Melbourne has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Melbourne beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Elementary School | PK–6 | 458 |
| Melbourne High School | 7–12 | 381 |
| Ozarka College Technical Center | 9–12 | — |
Where Melbourne’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Melbourne is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 149 in 1880, 1,830 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1991 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Melbourne, 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 Melbourne.
19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Melbourne, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 14%. 30% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Melbourne. Melbourne beats the Arkansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Melbourne | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 25% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Melbourne | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 12.4% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.5% | 7.7% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5.3% | 4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Melbourne School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Melbourne High School, with 381 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 458 | A |
| Melbourne High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 381 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
About one in 4 of Melbourne’s working residents works in town. Melbourne’s median household income is $39,000. Since 2013, Melbourne has lost 363 jobs, to 1,117 in 2023.
| Melbourne | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The FEMA risk score in Melbourne is 87 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 3 have a lower median rent than Melbourne. 55% of Melbourne households own their home. The typical Melbourne home is worth about $177,000, up 3.5% in a year, 21% below the Arkansas typical home.
| Melbourne | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $601 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 55% | 60% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Melbourne has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 27° and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Melbourne
About 4 of every 100 Melbourne residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
3 places in Melbourne on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Arkansas, United States
Melbourne is a city in and the county seat of Izard County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Melbourne had a population of 1,830. It is home to the main campus of Ozarka College.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.1 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Arkansas town.
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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Glen D. Johnson and John E. Miller.
