Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Memphis grades D− overall, 105th among Arkansas's 123 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 100% of U.S. towns, including 416 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. One bright spot: a typical home costs about $131K, 2 years of the Memphis metro’s $66K median household income. West Memphis’ violent crime rate is 17.8 per 1,000 residents, above both Arkansas’ towns (3.6) and U.S. towns (1.6). Only 13 of Arkansas’ 201 towns score lower on hazard risk. West Memphis is home to Arkansas State University Mid-South.
Where West Memphis beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Arkansas State University Mid-South | 814 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Arkansas), ordered by how far West Memphis is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 895 in 1930, 24,520 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 7 maps from 1916 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Memphis. Close and well known come first.
Big draw6 mi Ancient siteSS Sultana
8 mi MuseumNational Civil Rights Museum
8 mi Stadium & arenaFedExForum
13 mi Stadium & arenaSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium
8 mi MuseumBlues Hall of Fame
13 mi Stadium & arenaMid-South ColiseumSS Sultana: Template:Thomas W. Bankes, Public domain · National Civil Rights Museum: Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0 · FedExForum: Marco Espino-Ovalle, Public domain · Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Blues Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mid-South Coliseum: bcbuckner, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Memphis, 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 West Memphis.
West Memphis sends many workers across the state line to Memphis and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Arkansas rate.
Violent crime runs at 17.8 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Arkansas rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 34.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Arkansas rate, most of it theft.
West Memphis reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 100% report less. West Memphis’ property crime rate is 34.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the West Memphis School District. Two of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Visual & Performing Arts Magnet SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 762 | D |
| The Academies of West Memphis Charter SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 897 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AR on state tests and graduation
40% of adults feel lonely in West Memphis. Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than West Memphis. 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in West Memphis.
| West Memphis | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 25% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 39% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | West Memphis | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 8.2% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.4% | 14.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.2% | 10.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
652 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 69 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 652 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Memphis.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2 years of the Memphis metro’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $131K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Arkansas towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
46% of West Memphis households own their home. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in West Memphis is $870 a month.
| West Memphis | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 60% | 73% |
| Median rent | $870 a month | $880 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6.2 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Tilden Rogers Sports Complex, at 75 acres.
| West Memphis | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 0.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Worthington Park | 0.6 mi | 7 |
| 2. Tilden Rogers Sports Complex | — | 75 |
| 3. Martin Luther King Jr. Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
West Memphis has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 33° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
36% of working residents cross a state line to work, Memphis among the top destinations. West Memphis has about as many jobs (9,591) as working residents, but only 2,856 people both live and work here.
About one in 3 of West Memphis’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, West Memphis has lost 2,181 jobs, to 9,591 in 2023. Among 123 Arkansas towns, just 8 have a higher share of residents below the poverty line than West Memphis.
| West Memphis | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 29% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 21% | 8% |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
12 within 15 miles of the center of West Memphis
About 5 of every 100 West Memphis residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
8 places in West Memphis on the National Register of Historic Places.
21 notable people were born in West Memphis.
2 towns share a border with West Memphis.
| Town | AR rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Memphis | #105 | D− | A− | D− | C− | D− |
| Marion | #79 | D | B− | D | C+ | C+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
West Memphis grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #105 of 123 in Arkansas. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
21 notable people were born here, including Marcus Brown and Sonny Weems.
