Living in Eureka Springs, Arkansas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 17% below the U.S. average in the parts of Arkansas outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 6.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood17 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 7.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 10.9 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byEureka Springs Hospital Commission is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityTulsa is about 122 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Eureka Springs meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $245,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 13%Carroll County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $887 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $38,425U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 63%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,378 a yearArkansas: $1,040
Homes built before 1940: 31%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 6%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 5%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 83U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Arkansas outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 13% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Arkansas outside metro areas, not Eureka Springs alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 2,2582020: 2,172
Median age: 52.8 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 31%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 17%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 24%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 7%U.S.: 6%
College students: 6%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (32%); schools, health care and social services (13%); retail (10%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 20%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 12%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Eureka Springs Hospital Commission, Eureka Springs, AR, in town. It's a rural emergency hospital (24-hour emergency care and outpatient services, no overnight stays). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Rogers, AR, about 25 miles away. Medicare gives it 5 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Eureka Springs, run by Eureka Springs School District.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Arkansas's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 62%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 92%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 23°F
July average high: 88°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 31 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 110 a year
Rain and melted snow: 47.3 inches a year
Snow: 10 inches a year
Elevation: 1,428 feet

Weather stations: Seligman (14 miles away) and Bentonville 4 S (27 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Rogers, ARCity of 77,00024

Tulsa, OKMetro of 1.1 million122

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Rogers, Tulsa.

Carroll County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 6, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

14 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Eureka Springs Historic District, Eureka Springs Historic District (Boundary Increase), the Lake Leatherwood Park Historic District and Lake Leatherwood Park Historic District (Additional Documentation).

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Pea Ridge National Military Park14 miles
Buffalo National River31 miles
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield41 miles
George Washington Carver National Monument52 miles

Read about Eureka Springs's history on Wikipedia.

Know Eureka Springs?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Holiday Island, AR2,400 people, 5 miles
Berryville, AR5,800 people, 10 miles
Green Forest, AR3,200 people, 18 miles
Cassville, MO3,300 people, 20 miles
Pea Ridge, AR11,200 people, 21 miles
Huntsville, AR3,600 people, 22 miles

Smaller places

Chain-O-Lakes, MO107 people, 9 miles
Lost Bridge Village, AR (unincorporated)303 people, 10 miles
Golden, MO (unincorporated)233 people, 10 miles
Gateway, AR457 people, 12 miles
Emerald Beach, MO226 people, 12 miles
Garfield, AR631 people, 13 miles
Seligman, MO951 people, 13 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.