Living in Lowell, Arkansas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.6% below the U.S. average in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood26 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.2 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 4.2 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town5 public schools. No public high school in town: the nearest is Rogers High School, about 3 miles away.
A hospital close byMercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, about 4 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityTulsa is about 98 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 Lowell 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

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Lowell runs into the built-up area around Fayetteville (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

Boom town. The population is up 23% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

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: $284,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 22%Benton County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,136 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $95,527U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 70%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,642 a yearArkansas: $1,040
Homes built before 1940: 1%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 29%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 91.4U.S. average = 100 (the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers 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 22% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area, not Lowell 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: 12,1842020: 9,946
Median age: 32.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 27%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 29%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 4%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 (20%); retail (16%); construction (13%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 20 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 16%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 7%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Rogers, AR, about 4 miles away. It's a general hospital. 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

5 public schools in Lowell, run by Rogers School District. The nearest public high school is Rogers High School, about 3 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 cable, fiber or DSL internet: 82%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 93%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: 24°F
July average high: 89°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 46 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 101 a year
Rain and melted snow: 47.3 inches a year
Snow: 10 inches a year
Elevation: 1,325 feet

Weather station: Bentonville 4 S (6 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

Mercy Hospital Northwest ArkansasEmergency room4

Rogers, ARCity of 77,0004

Tulsa, OKMetro of 1.1 million98

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: Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Rogers, Tulsa.

Benton County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Pea Ridge National Military Park13 miles
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield43 miles
Buffalo National River45 miles
George Washington Carver National Monument51 miles

Read about Lowell's history on Wikipedia.

Know Lowell?

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

Cave Springs, AR6,700 people, 4 miles
Elm Springs, AR2,900 people, 6 miles
Tontitown, AR8,000 people, 8 miles
Johnson, AR3,700 people, 9 miles
Little Flock, AR3,000 people, 9 miles
Highfill, AR3,700 people, 10 miles

Smaller places

Prairie Creek, AR (unincorporated)2,493 people, 7 miles
Avoca, AR545 people, 11 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.