WatsonAR
A town of 160, settled in 1874.
Is Watson a good place to live?
Watson’s mean commuting time is 41 minutes, against 21 minutes in Arkansas’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Only one of the 124 Arkansas towns we compare has a higher age of the median resident than Watson. Watson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
160 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Watson: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watson, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Watson.
Watson has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
In Watson, the FEMA risk score is 79 of 100, where Arkansas’ towns sit at 66 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 2001, Watson has seen 2 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts 39% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 22% to earthquakes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Watson once, in 2011.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most of Watson’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
The share of residents in Watson who live below the poverty line: 22%. The top destinations are Dumas (18%), McGehee (9%) and DeWitt (7%). Half of commuters travel less than 34 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The climate in Watson brings mild winters and hot summers
Watson’s midsummer high stands at 91°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Watson is
Watson: 19% of adults report frequent physical distress. Only 4 of the 124 Arkansas towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Watson. In Watson, 53% of adults have high blood pressure, and 11% binge drink.
| Watson | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 53% | 41% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | Watson | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.9% | 14.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.7% | 76.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 6.4% | 4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Delta Heritage Trail Watson Trailhead | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Watson
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Watson; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Watson residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
100% of working residents leave Watson for work
Where Watson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Watson
City in Arkansas, United States
Watson is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Watson had a population of 185.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 148 ft
- ZIP code
- 71674
- Area code
- 870
Questions about Watson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Watson, AR a good place to live?
Watson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.