Living in Helena-West Helena, 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 2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood131 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 15.9 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 28.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town5 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 2 high schools.
A hospital close byHelena Regional Medical Center is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMemphis is about 54 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 Helena-West Helena 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.

What kind of town

Worth a closer look

Helena-West Helena has lost about 13% of its people since 2020, and about 1 in 5 homes stands empty (not counting vacation homes or homes for sale or rent). A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $73,200U.S.: $332,700
Typical rent, with utilities: $771 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $36,019U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 42%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $681 a yearArkansas: $1,040
Homes built before 1940: 10%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 1%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 6%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. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Arkansas outside metro areas, not Helena-West Helena 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: 8,2162020: 9,460
Median age: 39.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 18%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 28%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 15%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 5%U.S.: 6%

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: Schools, health care and social services (31%); retail (15%); manufacturing (11%)
Average commute: 20 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 4%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 32%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Helena Regional Medical Center, Helena, 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: Northwest Missississippi Regional Medical Center, Clarksdale, MS, about 23 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 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

5 public schools in Helena-West Helena, run by Kipp Delta Public Schools and Helena / West Helena School District.

Colleges in or next to town: Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas (1,000 to 4,999 students).

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: 55%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 79%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: 32°F
July average high: 90°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 77 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 53 a year
Rain and melted snow: 49.7 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 331 feet

Weather station: Helena (2 miles away). 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

Southaven, MSCity of 58,00047

Memphis, TNMetro of 1.3 million54

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: Southaven, Memphis.

Phillips County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 7, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Cherry Street Historic District Boundary Increase and the Eliza Miller Junior and Senior High School.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Arkansas Post National Memorial52 miles

Read about Helena-West Helena's history on Wikipedia.

Know Helena-West Helena?

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

Marianna, AR3,300 people, 19 miles
Clarksdale, MS13,600 people, 24 miles
Marks, MS1,200 people, 28 miles
Lambert, MS1,100 people, 30 miles
Forrest City, AR12,300 people, 35 miles
Senatobia, MS8,500 people, 37 miles

Smaller places

Lexa, AR178 people, 9 miles
Lula, MS189 people, 10 miles
Friars Point, MS830 people, 11 miles
Coahoma, MS213 people, 13 miles
Lake View, AR284 people, 13 miles
Poplar Grove, AR (unincorporated)255 people, 13 miles
Rondo, AR148 people, 14 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.