Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Searcy earns a D, 76th among Arkansas's 123 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 114 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 86% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $52K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns. 47% of working residents work locally in Searcy, above both the Arkansas town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Deener House and Lightle House.
Where Searcy beats most towns.
Benjamin Clayton Black House
Its 52 National Register listings are more than in 95% of Arkansas towns with a listing.
Census counts: 621 in 1860, 22,937 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1871 and a map from 1986 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Searcy is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Searcy, 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 Searcy.
Searcy draws workers from Beebe and beyond, fares better on crime within Arkansas than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
17,098 jobs are based in Searcy, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.3 minutes, against 22.5 across Arkansas.
Searcy’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. Since 2013, Searcy has added 1,015 jobs, to 17,098 in 2023. The top destinations are Little Rock (10%), North Little Rock (3%) and Conway (2%).
| Searcy | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.6% | 6.3% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Searcy School District. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 913 | A− |
| Searcy High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,220 | B− |
| Westside Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 398 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
8.0 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Searcy Sports Complex, 123 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
| Searcy | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Searcy Sports Complex | 1.2 mi | 123 |
| 2. Spring Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 3. White County Fairgrounds | — | 55 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 43.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 68% of Arkansas’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 866 to 625 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Searcy is 4.7 per 1,000 residents. Searcy reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less. The property crime rate in Searcy is 21.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Searcy | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 16 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Searcy.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 34% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 29% of residents (37% statewide). Searcy has grown 6.2% since 2020, to 24,351 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 26% across Arkansas.
| Searcy | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.4 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 20% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2 points). Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Searcy | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 20.6% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.9% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.9% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.7% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 20% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.6% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.9% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.8% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 6,520 U.S. towns with household incomes like Searcy’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Arkansas it is healthier than 66% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
Searcy beats the Arkansas average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of Searcy adults report frequent mental distress.
| Searcy | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Searcy | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 11.1% | 13.3% |
| Fewer adults with high blood pressure | 37.4% | 41.4% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 81.6% | 84.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Searcy has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 31° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Searcy home is worth about $223,000, up 4.9% in a year, close to the Arkansas typical home. 54% of households own their home in Searcy.
| Searcy | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $905 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Searcy
College town 15 of every 100 Searcy residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
52 places in Searcy on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Searcy.
City in Arkansas, United States
Searcy ( SUR-see) is the largest city in and the county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2024 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,997. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of White County. The city takes its name from Richard Searcy, a judge for the Superior Court of the Arkansas Territory. A college town, Searcy is the home of Harding University and ASU-Searcy.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Searcy.
Kensett has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Higginson isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Searcy with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Searcy grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #76 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades C for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($55,249 across the Searcy, AR area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
10 notable people were born here, including Beth Ditto and Stephen Brundidge, Jr..
