Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,628, settled in 1836.
Ozark gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $170K for a typical one, or 3 years of the county’s $56K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 64th of 123 in Arkansas. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $48K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, its public schools beat 87% of Arkansas towns on state tests and graduation. Ozark has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Franklin County Jail and Missouri-Pacific Depot-Ozark. Only 19 of Arkansas’ 201 towns score higher on the outdoors. The biggest park or preserve is County Fairgrounds, at 23 acres.
Where Ozark beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Elgin B Milton Primary School | PK–3 | 527 |
| Ozark Upper Elementary School | 4–5 | 251 |
| Ozark Jr. Sr. High School | 8–12 | 629 |
Census counts: 82 in 1850, 3,542 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1887 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Ozark is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ozark, 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 Ozark.
Ozark pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Fort Smith and beyond.
2,769 jobs are based in Ozark, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.5 minutes, against 22.5 across Arkansas.
About one in 3 of Ozark’s working residents works in town. At 17 minutes, Ozark’s average trip to work is against 21 minutes in Arkansas’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Ozark grew to 2,769 in 2023, 238 more than in 2013.
| Ozark | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 21% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $48,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $170K.
Its public schools are run by the Ozark School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ozark Jr. Sr. High School, with 629 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin B Milton Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 527 | A |
| Ozark Jr. Sr. High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 629 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Within Arkansas it is less healthy than 73% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
19% of Ozark adults report frequent physical distress, above both the Arkansas town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 21% of Ozark adults report frequent mental distress. Ozark beats the Arkansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Ozark | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ozark | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.2% | 18.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.2% | 8.6% |
| More smokers | 19.9% | 15.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 84 to 57 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Ozark is 4.4 per 1,000 residents. Within Arkansas, it does better than 44% of towns.
| Ozark | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.3 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
2.3 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. Only 9 of the 111 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher share of conserved land than Ozark.
| Ozark | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 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. County Fairgrounds | — | 23 |
| 2. Ozark Soccer Complex | — | 7 |
| 3. Eastside Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $170K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. The median property tax bill is $514, against $1,040 across Arkansas, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Ozark’s median rent is $721 a month. Typical home values rose 5% in the year to September 2026. 56% of households own their home in Ozark.
| Ozark | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $721 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ozark has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 28° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ozark.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Ozark; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Ozark residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
Where Ozark’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Ozark on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Ozark.
City in Arkansas, United States
Ozark is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States and one of the county's two seats of government. The community is located along the Arkansas River in the Arkansas River Valley on the southern edge of the Ozark Mountains. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 3,542. Incorporated in 1850, Ozark is adjacent to much of Arkansas wine country, and contains a bridge to cross the Arkansas River for travelers heading to points south. The city is also located on Arkansas Highway 23, nicknamed the Pig Trail Scenic Byway, known for its steep drops, sharp curves and scenic mountain views. The name Aux Arcs, later simplified to "Ozark", was given to this bend of the river by the French…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ozark grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #64 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D for health, C− for safety and A for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 44% of towns.
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−.
5 notable people were born here, including Roy Buchanan and Elizabeth Gracen.
