Bank building and U.S. 65, 2024
Western Grove’s story
140 years in pictures
Census counts: 184 in 1950, 354 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
- 1886Western Grove is settled
Western GroveAR
A town of 346, settled in 1886.
Population
346
2025 Census estimate · −3.1% since 2020
Typical home
$212K
−3.9% in a year
Household income
$38K
median
Median age
31.7
years
Jobs based here
58
A commuter town
Is Western Grove a good place to live?
29% of residents live below the poverty line in Western Grove, against 18% in Arkansas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Among 124 Arkansas towns, just 5 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Western Grove. Western Grove has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
346 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Nearby attractions
All 9 attractions →Buffalo National River and 1 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Western Grove. Close and well known come first.
6 mi
38 miSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Buffalo National River: Mattsrealm, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Table Rock Lake: KTrimble (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Western Grove: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Western Grove, and how to reach them.
PowerEntergy Arkansas13.4¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWestern Grove Municipal Water1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers0% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Western Grove’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 hereNewton County ClerkNewton County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2015
ZIP code7268572685 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 Western Grove.
Work & commute
With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of Western Grove’s workers commute out
The top destinations are Harrison (26%), Jasper (6%) and Mountain Home (5%). Most people who work leave Western Grove to do it: just 1% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Western Grove dropped by 56, to 58. For Western Grove, the typical household income is $38,000.
1%work in town
| Western Grove | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $38,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 21 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Western Grove1%
Harrison26%
Jasper6%
Mountain Home5%
Little Rock3%
26 mi
median commute distance
58
jobs based in Western Grove
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Western Grove’s kids attend
Its two schools are below. Public schools: the Ozark Mountain School District. The 2 public schools in Western Grove teach 378 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Grove ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 153 | – |
| Ozark Mountain High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 225 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
Natural hazards
Top of a high hazard risk in Western Grove: inland flooding
Western Grove’s risk rating from FEMA is 77 of 100. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2009. FEMA puts 40% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 18% to tornadoes.
77risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesLightning
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers: that is Western Grove’s year
In Western Grove, the typical July afternoon high is 89°F, below Arkansas’ towns (92°F) but above U.S. towns (85°F).
10″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–49°
Spring46–69°
Summer65–87°
Fall47–70°
Nov 9
typical first frost
Mar 22
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Western Grove is
Western Grove: 39% of adults sleep under 7 hours. Two figures for adults locally: 27% say their health is fair or poor, 19% smoke cigarettes.
| Western Grove | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 41% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 25% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 34% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Arkansas
0 better26 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Western Grove | AR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.5% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.6% | 7.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.2% |
North Arkansas Regional Medical Center
12.6 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A home in Western Grove is worth about $212K, on Zillow’s estimate
Typical home values fell 3.9% in the year to September 2026. The share of households in Western Grove who own their home: 74%.
$212KZillow home value
Typical home value
Western Grove$212K
Arkansas$224K
−3.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Western Grove
17pages on Western Grove
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Western Grove
About 6 of every 100 Western Grove residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Arkansas.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Western Grove for work
Where Western Grove’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
58jobs based in Western Grove
1%of working residents work in town
26 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Western Grove
Town in Arkansas, United States
Western Grove is a town in northeastern Newton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Western Grove had a population of 354. It is part of the Harrison Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,073 ft
- ZIP code
- 72685
- Area code
- 870
Questions about Western Grove
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Western Grove, AR a good place to live?
Western Grove has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.