Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mount Ida’s best subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and a B for history; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Mount Ida, against 18% in Arkansas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 7 of Arkansas’ 201 towns score lower on incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. Only 13 of Arkansas’ 201 towns score lower on the outdoors. Mount Ida has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Montgomery County Courthouse and Collier Springs Shelter. Mount Ida has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Mount Ida beats most towns.
Montgomery County CourthouseIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Mount Ida is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 298 in 1920, 996 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Ida, 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 Mount Ida.
49% of Mount Ida adults have high blood pressure, above both the Arkansas town median (41%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 20% of adults report frequent physical distress in Mount Ida. Mount Ida beats the Arkansas average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11.
| Mount Ida | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 41% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Mount Ida | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.8% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.8% | 14.4% |
| More adults with heart disease | 12.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Mount Ida School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Ida High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 202 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Mount Ida has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Mount Ida is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
About one in 5 of Mount Ida’s working residents works in town. Mount Ida’s median household income is $37,000. Jobs based in Mount Ida fell to 415 in 2023, 174 fewer than in 2013.
| Mount Ida | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $37,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 1 have a lower median rent than Mount Ida. 56% of Mount Ida households own their home. Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Mount Ida | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $576 a month | $878 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 56% | 60% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Mount Ida; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Mount Ida residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
2 places in Mount Ida on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Mount Ida.
City in Arkansas, United States
Mount Ida is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1842, the city saw a silver boom in the 1880s bring early prosperity and economic development to the area. Today, the economy is largely ranching, poultry farming, silviculture, and tourism around Lake Ouachita. It is known as the quartz crystal capital of the U.S. and is known worldwide for its quartz deposits. The population was 996 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.
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 B+.
4 notable people were born here, including Lon Warneke and Sherman Edwards.
