Middle Fork of the Little Red River Bridge · National Register of Historic Places
Shirley’s story
117 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1909Shirley is settled
ShirleyAR
A town of 249, settled in 1909.
Middle Fork of the Little Red River Bridge · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
249
2025 Census estimate · +2% since 2020
Typical home
$178K
+2.1% in a year
Household income
$37K
median
Median age
48.8
years
Jobs based here
93
A job hub
Is Shirley a good place to live?
Shirley’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, above both Arkansas’ towns (21 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 4 of the 124 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher owner-occupancy rate than Shirley. Joe Guffey House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Shirley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
249 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Shirley: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shirley, and how to reach them.
PowerEntergy Arkansas13.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCommunity Water System1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Shirley’s trash rules yet
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 hereVan Buren County ClerkVan Buren County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code7215372153 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 Shirley.
Work & commute
With 1.6 jobs for every working resident, Shirley draws in 89 commuters
7% of working residents work locally in Shirley, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 8%. The town had 93 jobs in 2023, down 51 from 2013. In Shirley, 28% of residents live below the poverty line. For half of commuters, work is under 10 miles away.
7%work in town
| Shirley | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 28% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7% | 22% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Shirley7%
Clinton16%
Fairfield Bay16%
Conway5%
Higden4%
10 mi
median commute distance
93
jobs based in Shirley
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Shirley’s kids attend
Its two schools are below. The public schools here belong to the Shirley School District. The 2 public schools in Shirley teach 279 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirley Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 169 | D |
| Shirley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 110 | C |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: high risk in Shirley, mostly inland flooding
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 79% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Shirley, 37% come from inland flooding and 27% from tornadoes. Federal aid has come to Shirley households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2013.
79risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesIce storms
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Shirley
Its typical July afternoon high comes in at 91°F.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter30–51°
Spring47–71°
Summer67–89°
Fall48–72°
Nov 6
typical first frost
Mar 31
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Fewer children than Arkansas overall
Children under 18 are 15% of residents (23% statewide). Shirley’s median age is 48.8 years. College graduates make up just over a fifth of adults 25 and older, against 26% across Arkansas. Population is up 2% here since 2020, to 249 by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
48.8median age · AR 38.5
| Shirley | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.8 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 20% | 29% |
ShirleyArkansasUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma9%
High school38%
Some college29%
Associate’s3%
Bachelor’s14%
Graduate8%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.8 points. Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Shirley | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.4% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.4% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.5% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.3% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.2% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.7% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.9% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 29.3% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2.5% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.6% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.6% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Housing
A home in Shirley is worth about $178K, on Zillow’s estimate
Home values are up 2.1% over the year to September 2026.
$178KZillow home value
Typical home value
Shirley$178K
Arkansas$224K
+2.1%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Health
How healthy Shirley is
Among 124 Arkansas towns, just 10 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Shirley. CDC measures, 32 in all: Shirley beats Arkansas on 7 and trails on 7. Also worth knowing: for adults locally, the share who have high blood pressure is 46%.
| Shirley | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 41% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
32 measures vs. Arkansas
7 better18 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Shirley | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.8% | 14.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14.9% | 18.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.8% | 8.2% |
Ozark Health
9.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shirley
17pages on Shirley
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shirley; the nearest are
Ozarka CollegeCommunity college · Public · Melbourne36.7 mi$3,820 in-state tuitionUniversity of Central ArkansasUniversity or college · Public · Conway39.9 mi$10,523 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Shirley residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
A job hub
Every workday, about 89 people come to Shirley for work
Where Shirley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
93jobs based in Shirley
7%of working residents work in town
10 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Shirley
Town in Arkansas, United States
Shirley is a town in northeast Van Buren County, Arkansas, United States, along the Middle Fork of the Little Red River. It is located on Arkansas State Highway 9 about 11 miles northeast of Clinton, Arkansas. A one-time railroad outpost, the community today is oriented toward agriculture and recreational activities due to the river and Greers Ferry Lake. The population was 248 as of the 2020 Census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 551 ft
- ZIP code
- 72153
- Area code
- 501
Questions about Shirley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shirley, AR a good place to live?
Shirley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.