Living in Kibler, Arkansas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.1% below the U.S. average in the Fort Smith metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Kibler to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Kibler itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Alma High School, about 4 miles away.
A hospital close byBaptist Health - Van Buren in Van Buren, about 6 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityTulsa is about 105 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 Kibler 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: $210,100U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 20%Crawford County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $807 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical property tax bill: $969 a yearArkansas: $1,040
Homes built before 1940: 2%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 7%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 85.9U.S. average = 100 (the Fort Smith metro area)

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 20% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Fort Smith metro area, not Kibler 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: 1,0292020: 997
Median age: 35.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 17%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 26%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 13%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 7%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: Retail (16%); manufacturing (14%)
Unemployment rate: 4%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 6%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 9%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Baptist Health - Van Buren, Van Buren, AR, about 6 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

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

There are no public schools inside Kibler itself. The nearest public high school is Alma High School, about 4 miles away.

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 any internet subscription: 94%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: 30°F
July average high: 94°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 78 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 63 a year
Rain and melted snow: 47.3 inches a year
Snow: 3 inches a year
Elevation: 463 feet

Weather station: Ft Smith Rgnl Ap (10 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

Baptist Health - Van BurenEmergency room6

Fort Smith, ARCity of 91,0009

Tulsa, OKMetro of 1.1 million105

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: Baptist Health - Van Buren, Fort Smith, Tulsa.

Crawford County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Fort Smith National Historic Site11 miles
Buffalo National River56 miles

Read about Kibler's history on Wikipedia.

Know Kibler?

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

Alma, AR6,100 people, 5 miles
Barling, AR5,500 people, 7 miles
Lavaca, AR2,500 people, 7 miles
Mulberry, AR1,600 people, 11 miles
Cedarville, AR1,500 people, 13 miles
Arkoma, OK1,900 people, 14 miles

Smaller places

Central City, AR469 people, 6 miles
Rudy, AR131 people, 7 miles
Dyer, AR807 people, 7 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.