Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nashville earns a D, 84th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $41K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 93% of the country. It also has a long history, with 8 places on the National Register. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Nashville, above both the Arkansas town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 2 of Arkansas’ 201 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Nashville City Park, at 70 acres.
Where Nashville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 172 in 1880, 4,153 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and a map from 1951 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Nashville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nashville, 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 Nashville.
Nashville draws workers from Mineral Springs and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
3,621 jobs are based in Nashville, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 12.5 minutes, against 22.5 across Arkansas.
About one in 3 of Nashville’s working residents works in town. Nashville’s average trip to work is 13 minutes. Jobs based in Nashville fell to 3,621 in 2023, 878 fewer than in 2013.
| Nashville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 21% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Nashville School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Nashville High School, with 444 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–3 | Grades K–3 | 569 | B+ |
| Nashville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 444 | C− |
| Nashville Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 375 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,721 U.S. towns with household incomes like Nashville’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Arkansas it is less healthy than 73% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
44% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Nashville. Nashville beats the Arkansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 39% of adults get no exercise outside work in Nashville.
| Nashville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 39% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 41% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Nashville | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.5% | 10.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 25.6% | 18.5% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 19.9% | 14.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The property crime rate in Nashville is 24.6 per 1,000 residents. Within Arkansas, it does better than 44% of towns. The violent crime rate in Nashville is 2 per 1,000 residents.
| Nashville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.6 per 1,000 residents | 13.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 3.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Nashville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nashville City Park | 0.9 mi | 70 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nashville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nashville has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 32° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Nashville home is worth about $184,000, up 1.4% in a year, 18% below the Arkansas typical home. Only 10 of the 122 Arkansas towns we compare have a lower median rent than Nashville. 59% of Nashville households own their home.
| Nashville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $690 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 59% | 60% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Nashville; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Nashville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
Where Nashville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Nashville on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Nashville.
City in Arkansas, United States
Nashville is a city and the county seat of Howard County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Nashville had a population of 4,153. Nashville is situated at the base of the Ouachita foothills and was once a major center of the peach trade in southwest Arkansas. Today the land is mostly given over to cattle and chicken farming. The world's largest dinosaur trackway was discovered near the town in 1983.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nashville grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #84 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 44% of towns.
That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($45,603 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 B−.
6 notable people were born here, including Trevor Bardette and Effie Anderson Smith.
