Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,387, platted in 1845.
Waldron grades D− overall, 100th among Arkansas's 123 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $34K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 88% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 11 places on the National Register. Waldron’s violent crime rate is 7.5 per 1,000 residents, above both Arkansas’ towns (3.6) and U.S. towns (1.6). Waldron's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. Waldron has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them First Presbyterian Church and Mount Pleasant Methodist Church.
Where Waldron beats most towns.
Census counts: 90 in 1850, 3,386 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 4 maps from 1887 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far Waldron is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waldron, 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 Waldron.
Waldron draws workers from Fort Smith and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has seen reported crime rise by a fifth or more.
2,454 jobs are based in Waldron, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Waldron’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Waldron is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Waldron has added 330 jobs, to 2,454 in 2023.
| Waldron | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 39% | 21% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Waldron School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Waldron High School, with 401 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waldron Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 648 | C+ |
| Waldron High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 401 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,067 U.S. towns with household incomes like Waldron’s, it is healthier than 71%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Arkansas it is less healthy than 61% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
38% of adults get no exercise outside work in Waldron. Waldron beats the Arkansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 18% of adults report frequent physical distress in Waldron.
| Waldron | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Waldron | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 25.8% | 18.6% |
| More uninsured adults | 15.1% | 11.3% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 50.4% | 54.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes rose from 95 to 115 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Waldron’s property crime rate is 27.1 per 1,000 residents. Within Arkansas, it does better than 38% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Waldron home is worth about $146,000, up 7.5% in a year, 35% below the Arkansas typical home.
| Waldron | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $704 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 60% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Waldron weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 203 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 87% of Arkansas places with climate records.
Waldron has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 29° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waldron.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sodie Davidson Park, at 29 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sodie Davidson Park | — | 29 |
| 2. Waldron City Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Waldron; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Waldron residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
Where Waldron’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Waldron on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Waldron.
City in Arkansas, United States
Waldron is a city in Scott County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 3,386 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Scott County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waldron grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #100 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 38% of towns.
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($43,270 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
5 notable people were born here, including James Farley and Gary Darnell.
