Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,326, settled in 1897. Public schools that outperform most of Arkansas.
Pottsville gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $224K for a typical one, or 3.9 years of the Russellville area’s $57K median household income. It grades A− overall, 13th of 123 graded towns in Arkansas. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 80% of the country. On the plus side, its schools outperform 95% of the state's. Only 2 of Arkansas’ 149 towns score higher on safety. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Pottsville has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Potts Inn and Pottsville Citizen's Bank.
Where Pottsville beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pottsville Elementary School | PK–3 | 605 |
| Pottsville Middle Grade | 4–6 | 417 |
| Pottsville Junior High School | 7–9 | 412 |
2,838 counted in 2010 and 3,140 in 2020; an estimated 3,326 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.4% since 2020, after 10.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Pottsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 192 in 1900, 3,140 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1890 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pottsville, 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 Pottsville.
Pottsville pairs an A+ for schools with modest home prices, fares better on crime within Arkansas than nationally and looks healthier within Arkansas than nationally.
That grade comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $224K.
Below: Three of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked. The Pottsville School District runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Pottsville High School, with 404 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pottsville Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 605 | A+ |
| Pottsville Junior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–9 | Grades 7–9 | 412 | A− |
| Pottsville Middle GradeTop results in townGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 417 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
At 6.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 99% of Arkansas’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 1.2 per 1,000 residents.
Among 108 Arkansas towns, just 6 have a lower rate of reported violence than Pottsville.
| Pottsville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 3.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Arkansas it is healthier than 55% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
39% of Pottsville adults sleep under 7 hours, near the Arkansas town median (39%) and above the median of U.S. towns (36%). For adults locally, the share who have obesity is 45%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Pottsville is ahead of Arkansas on 4 and behind on 2. In Pottsville, just over three quarters of adults had a checkup this year, and 20% report frequent mental distress.
| Pottsville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 39% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | Pottsville | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.4% | 4% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 11.5% | 13.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.5% | 18.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 570 in 2013 to 767.
Employers in Pottsville added 197 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 767. 4.9% of Pottsville working residents work locally, against 22% in Arkansas’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. For Pottsville, the average trip to work is 20 minutes. Half commute less than 7 miles.
| Pottsville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. 35% of Pottsville’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 31%. One flood insurance claim has been paid in the town since 2012.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A winter brings about 3 inches of snow, with January nights at 30° and July afternoons at 93°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A bachelor’s degree or higher: nearly a quarter of adults 25 and older, vs 26% across Arkansas. People 65 and older are 13% of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 27% of residents (23% statewide). The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Pottsville at 3,326 residents, up 6.4% since 2020.
| Pottsville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 25% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 36.6 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 20% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.7 points. Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Pottsville | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.8% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.4% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.1% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.3% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.2% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,300, single groups can be off by several points
59.1% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 44.8% across Arkansas.
On the market in Pottsville: a median 120 days to sell. The typical home value locally is about $224,000, up 4.4% in a year, close to the Arkansas typical home. Nearly four fifths of Pottsville households live in a home they own.
| Pottsville | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $797 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Pottsville
About 4 of every 100 Pottsville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
Where Pottsville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Pottsville on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Arkansas, United States
Pottsville is a city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 3,140. It is part of the Russellville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Pottsville.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pottsville | #13 | A− | A− | A | A+ | C− |
| Russellville | #67 | C− | B | C− | B+ | C− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Pottsville grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #13 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades C− for health, A for safety and A+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
