Living in Tontitown, 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 5 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood9 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 7.4 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byNorthwest Medical Center-Springdale in Springdale, about 6 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityTulsa is about 93 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 Tontitown 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

Boom town. The population is up 72% 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: $430,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 19%Washington County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,346 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $85,603U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 74%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $2,420 a yearArkansas: $1,040
Homes built before 1940: 1%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 46%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%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 19% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area, not Tontitown 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: 8,0462020: 4,686
Median age: 35.7 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 18%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 46%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 6%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 (30%); construction (12%); retail (11%)
Unemployment rate: 6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 21 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 14%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 5%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Northwest Medical Center-Springdale, Springdale, AR, about 6 miles away. It's a general hospital. 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

4 public schools in Tontitown, run by Springdale School District.

Colleges in or next to town: Ecclesia College (under 1,000 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: 89%U.S.: 76%

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: 27°F
July average high: 89°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 38 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 83 a year
Rain and melted snow: 47.3 inches a year
Snow: 10 inches a year
Elevation: 1,297 feet

Weather stations: Fayetteville Exp Stn (6 miles away) and Bentonville 4 S (11 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

Northwest Medical Center-SpringdaleEmergency room6

Springdale, ARCity of 91,0005

Tulsa, OKMetro of 1.1 million93

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: Northwest Medical Center-Springdale, Springdale, Tulsa.

Washington 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

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Pea Ridge National Military Park20 miles
Buffalo National River48 miles
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield49 miles
Fort Smith National Historic Site55 miles
George Washington Carver National Monument57 miles

Campus life. Check Ecclesia College's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Tontitown's history on Wikipedia.

Know Tontitown?

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

Elm Springs, AR2,900 people, 3 miles
Johnson, AR3,700 people, 4 miles
Cave Springs, AR6,700 people, 7 miles
Lowell, AR12,200 people, 8 miles
Highfill, AR3,700 people, 9 miles
Farmington, AR10,700 people, 9 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.