Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to Williams Baptist University.
Walnut Ridge earns a D, ranked 87th of 123 in Arkansas, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $45K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $137K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the county’s $45K median household income. 26% of residents live below the poverty line in Walnut Ridge, above both Arkansas’ towns (17%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 7 of Arkansas’ 201 towns score lower on hazard risk. Walnut Ridge is home to Williams Baptist University.
Where Walnut Ridge beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Williams Baptist University | 491 |
Missouri-Pacific Depot-Walnut Ridge4,890 counted in 2010 and 5,384 in 2020; an estimated 5,478 in 2025.
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 Walnut Ridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 301 in 1880, 5,384 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Walnut Ridge, 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 Walnut Ridge.
Walnut Ridge trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Jonesboro and other neighbors.
Against the 4,011 U.S. towns with household incomes like Walnut Ridge’s, it is less healthy than 68%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Arkansas it is less healthy than 64% of the 123 graded towns: much of Arkansas scores lower on these measures.
18% of adults report frequent physical distress in Walnut Ridge. Walnut Ridge beats the Arkansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 35% of adults get no exercise outside work in Walnut Ridge.
| Walnut Ridge | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| What stands out | Walnut Ridge | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 32.5% | 18.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.8% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lawrence County School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Walnut Ridge High School, with 437 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Ridge Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 630 | C− |
| Walnut Ridge High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 437 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
6.9 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Stewart Park, at 96 acres.
| Walnut Ridge | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 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. Stewart Park | 0.4 mi | 96 |
| 2. Sanders Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Lawrence Memorial Hospital Walking Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The FEMA risk score in Walnut Ridge is 88 of 100. Since 1979, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Walnut Ridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Homes are within reach (about $137K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. The median property tax bill is $501, against $1,040 across Arkansas, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Walnut Ridge’s median rent is $739 a month. The typical Walnut Ridge home is worth about $137,000, about the same as a year ago, 39% below the Arkansas typical home. 57% of Walnut Ridge households own their home.
| Walnut Ridge | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $739 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Arkansas, it does better than 71% of towns.
| Walnut Ridge | 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) | 6.9 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Walnut Ridge has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 28° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Walnut Ridge has about as many jobs (2,196) as working residents, but only 471 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Walnut Ridge’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Walnut Ridge has lost 253 jobs, to 2,196 in 2023. The top destinations are Jonesboro (21%), Pocahontas (7%) and Hoxie (5%).
| Walnut Ridge | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 21% | 8% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 28% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (37% statewide). 23% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 26% across Arkansas.
| Walnut Ridge | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 25% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.5 years | 36.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 20% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.5 points. Across Arkansas, 50.6% of residents are women.
| Walnut Ridge | AR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.7% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 10.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.9% | 9.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.7% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 11.8% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 12.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.8% | 11.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.2% | 34.1% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.3% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 8.2% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.2% | 16.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.7% | 9.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
2 within 15 miles of the center of Walnut Ridge
About 11 of every 100 Walnut Ridge residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
8 places in Walnut Ridge on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Arkansas, United States
Walnut Ridge is a city in and the county seat of Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Walnut Ridge had a population of 5,384. Walnut Ridge lies immediately north of Hoxie. The two towns form a contiguous urban area with approximately 8,000 residents. Williams Baptist University is in College City, a formerly separate community that merged into Walnut Ridge in 2017.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Walnut Ridge.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Ridge | #87 | D | B | C | C | D |
| Hoxie | #95 | D | B+ | — | C+ | D− |
Hoxie reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Walnut Ridge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Walnut Ridge grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #87 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D for health, C for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Arkansas, it does better than 71% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
