Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 282, settled in 1919.
29% of residents live below the poverty line in Patterson, above both the Arkansas town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). No town among the 124 in Arkansas we compare has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Patterson. Patterson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 261 in 1920, a peak of 567 in 1980, 310 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2015 and 3 maps from 1940 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Patterson, 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 Patterson.
Federal aid has come to Patterson households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2011. On expected storm and flood damage, Patterson sits above 83% of U.S. communities. Just over a third of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from earthquakes, followed by inland flooding at 23%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical journey to work for Patterson comes to 21 minutes. Jobs in the town fell by 75 from 2013 to 2023, to 7. The top destinations are McCrory (19%), Augusta (9%) and Searcy (9%). Half commute less than 26 miles.
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so rates aren't shown.
Patterson is small, so we show counts rather than rates.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
12% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Patterson, against 12% in Arkansas’ towns and 8.1% across U.S. towns. CDC measures, 32 in all: Patterson beats Arkansas on 1 and trails on 15. Also worth knowing: the share of adults in Patterson who say their health is fair or poor: 31%, and among 124 Arkansas towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Patterson.
| Patterson | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 41% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 19% |
| What stands out | Patterson | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.6% | 76.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.5% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Among 112 Arkansas towns, just 5 have a higher share of conserved land than Patterson. 0.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves locally: one, of 3 acres.
| Patterson | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.1% | 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. Patterson City Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Patterson; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Patterson residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
Where Patterson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Arkansas, United States
Patterson is a city in Woodruff County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 310 as of the 2020 Census. The townsite was originally known as Martin’s Junction, because the junction of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway with the Batesville and Brinkley Railroad occurred at this spot. The town name later changed to Jelks, and it was briefly the western terminus of a third railroad, the McCrory and Beedeville Southern Railway, which arrived in 1911 but was bankrupt and out of business by 1914. The town name changed again to Patterson in 1919. While the town still has a rail connection, the junction is gone because the successors of the Batesville and Brinkley removed that…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Patterson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.