Gene Rush House - Roland, Arkansas 01, 2026
Roland’s story
142 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2026.
- 1884Roland is settled
RolandAR
A town of 1,147, settled in 1884.
Population
1,147
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$341K
Census ACS
Household income
$175K
median
Median age
43.0
years
Jobs based here
67
A commuter town
Is Roland a good place to live?
The best of Roland’s subject grades are an A+ for incomes and an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for walkability. Roland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,147 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Natural StepsRoland
How Roland grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Roland is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 2.8 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Jobs & income$175K median household income; 67 jobs based hereA+Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $341K, 5.1 years of the Little Rock metro’s $67K median household incomeA−Open →HealthHealthier than 67% of U.S. towns; Arkansas Surgical Hospital 11.8 miles awayB+Open →SchoolsBehind 56% of Arkansas districts on tests and graduationC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 20 attractions →Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Roland. Close and well known come first.
17 mi National Historic SiteLittle Rock Central High School National Historic Site49K visitors a year
18 mi MuseumClinton Presidential Center
37 mi National ParkHot Springs National Park2.5M visitors a year
18 mi Stadium & arenaSimmons Bank Arena
28 mi State parkPetit Jean State Park39 mi Theme parkMagic Springs and Crystal FallsSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site: Adam Jones, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Clinton Presidential Center: Archipreneur, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hot Springs National Park: Unknown, Public domain · Simmons Bank Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Petit Jean State Park: ErgoSum88, Public domain
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Getting set up
Moving to Roland: who provides what
Roland is unincorporated, so Pulaski County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerEntergy Arkansas13.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMaumelle Water CorporationNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPulaski CountyPulaski County provides services here
Register to voteIn personArkansas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePulaski County ClerkPulaski County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2026
ZIP code7213572135 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Roland.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Very high risk in Roland, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 82% of U.S. communities. 66% of Roland’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 16%. 5 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 2008.
82risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesEarthquakes
5
paid flood claims since 2008
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
More than half of Roland’s working residents commute to Little Rock
The top destinations are Little Rock (57%), North Little Rock (8%) and Conway (5%). For most workers, Roland is a place to come home to: only 3% work in town. The town’s mean commuting time is 31 minutes.
3%work in town
| Roland | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.7% | 22% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Roland3%
Little Rock57%
North Little Rock8%
Conway5%
Benton1%
16 mi
median commute distance
67
jobs based in Roland
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 0% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB+
Fewer of Roland’s adults report frequent mental distress than in the typical Arkansas or U.S. town
Roland: 12% of adults smoke cigarettes, below both the Arkansas town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). Among adults here, 31% feel lonely. In Roland, one in ten adults worry about having enough food, and 24% get no exercise outside work.
67%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Roland | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 20% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 20% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 34% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Arkansas
14 better17 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Roland | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.8% | 18.5% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.2% |
Arkansas Surgical Hospital
11.8 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Roland has mild winters and hot summers
In Roland, the peak summer temperature is 93°F, close to Arkansas’ towns (92°F) and above U.S. towns (85°F).
1″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter33–53°
Spring50–73°
Summer69–91°
Fall51–74°
Nov 1
typical first frost
Apr 1
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A−
A larger share of households own their home in Roland than in most of Arkansas or the rest of the country
$572Kmedian sale price
2
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
OutdoorsC−
0% of Roland is conserved land
5.0 miles of trail. Roland’s trail density comes in at 0.6 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 5,692 acres
5.0 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Roland
17pages on Roland
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Roland
University of Central ArkansasUniversity or college · Public · Conway12.6 mi$10,523 in-state tuitionCentral Baptist CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Conway13.2 mi$21,330 tuitionUniversity of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · North Little Rock14.9 mi$6,300 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Roland residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Roland for work
Where Roland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
67jobs based in Roland
3%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Roland
Census-designated place in Arkansas, United States
Roland is a census-designated place in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Central Arkansas metropolitan area. Per the 2020 census, the population was 820. Currently it is in the Pulaski County Special School District, and is zoned to Joe T. Robinson Elementary School, Joe T. Robinson Middle School, and Joe T. Robinson High School.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 282 ft
- ZIP code
- 72135
- Area code
- 501
Questions about Roland
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Roland, AR expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $341,000, 52% above the Arkansas typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.